AUBURN HILLS -- The chatter comparing Stanley Johnson to Justise Winslow is inevitable -- it happens any time two players at the same position are picked in close proximity early in the NBA draft -- and the newest Detroit Pistons player is aware of it.

In fact, when ESPN's Chad Ford tweeted that the Pistons' selection of Johnson at No. 8 overall was the first mistake of the draft, Johnson retweeted it.

Winslow went two picks later, to Miami at No. 10.

"Everybody has a job," Johnson said at his introductory press conference today at The Palace of Auburn Hills. " All that stuff in the media is just headlines on stories to get attention. I said I thought I was the best player in the draft. Justise is one of my friends but that's just the way my mentality is."

Johnson and Winslow have run into each other on the AAU circuit going back to the end of elementary school.

"From that point on, it's nothing new to us, people comparing us, and not comparing us, saying who's better and who's worse," Johnson said. "It's basketball. Through my whole career, his whole career, it's not just me, people are comparing us like Kelly (Oubre), LeBron -- I hope it's LeBron -- stuff like that. You just have to ignore stuff like that. Basketball is basketball. That's all that matters."

The Pistons introduced their two new draft picks, Johnson and Darrun Hilliard, at today's press conference.

Hilliard, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard who played four years at Villanova, received a call from his agent, James Dunleavy, after the Pistons selected him at No. 38 overall in the second round.

The Pistons liked Hilliard but his draft prospects had him as a borderline top-60 pick.

So after he knew his selection was forthcoming, Hilliard opted not to tell family members with whom he was watching the draft in free agency.

"I just walked outside and kind of watched it through the window," he said. "They said my name and I lost both my earrings and they broke my chain."

By drafting Johnson, a 6-7 small forward from Arizona, the Pistons broadened their pool of potential free agents who could start at that position next season, president of basketball operations and head coach Stan Van Gundy said.

More short-term veteran options could be considered as the team starts shifting positional focus toward Johnson.

The Pistons were enamored of Johnson's versatility and mentality, Van Gundy said.

"We loved that on defense he could guard multiple positions, he's the best rebounding wing in the draft, and on offense, he's a guy who can get to the free-throw line, and he's improved every year shooting the three to where he shot it well this year," Van Gundy said. "It's hard to find guys who get to the free-throw line and shoot the three. There's just not a ton of them.

"And so we loved his versatility, number one. And number two, we really liked his mentality. The more we talked to people, we became very confident that this was a guy who was driven to be great -- not just talking about it, but will put the work in to do it."

Johnson wore a bright fuschia pink suit to his press conference. He said he fired his original designer in favor of the one who created this one.

For those still seeing red over his selection, Johnson doesn't much care.

"I'm just excited and blessed to be here," he said. "I'm blessed that an organization like this believed in me enough to make me the eighth pick. I'm excited to be involved with all the great leadership here. And the best thing is I know what's expected of me here."

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