Pistons Needs

Last year I did a draft preview on my own blog partially and on here, picking my 3 favorite players from the draft, Porzingis, Booker, and Portis. I thought I did pretty good on who would translate, and was really hopeful we would draft Porzingis, but obviously didn't think he'd fall to 8, and am happy with the Stanimal. Now looking at this years draft, and the needs of the Pistons, I want to take a look at my favorite player in this years draft, Buddy Hield.

The biggest need the Pistons have this year comes down to their bench, and primarily a consistent shooter. Stanley Johnson has actually been providing a good source of that as of late, but could find his way into the starting lineup in the next year, especially if Ilyasova doesn't get his option picked up. Now a lot of roster movement can change the way we want to draft, specifically Brandon Jennings re-signing, but from what we know, and since this is so early, I am going to address the current needs of the team, and this leads us to looking at Buddy.

Buddy Hield

Because this is so early on in the year, I will most likely update this as we go, but at the moment according to DraftExpress Buddy Hield is projected to go 22nd in the 1st round. This is a good range in where the Pistons want to land in the offseason, but realistically, maybe a little higher than we will.

Physical Attributes

Hield is lacking in size, and to his demise, may be the reason he drops to us in the draft, which would be fine by me! Though we don't know official listings, he is listed at 6'4" at the shooting guard position, and listings are usually a little tall. We don't know his wing span, but from the eye test and the description on Draftexpress, it is fairly good size(Draftexpress saying 6'8.5" in their preseason scouting). He is a solid 214lbs, and I'd also like to add that his age is the additional downfall for his stock, as he is 22 years old, and will be 23 in his rookie year, years older than most high draft picks.

Offense

This is what gets me excited, this guys 2nd in the league in scoring(26.3ppg) on one of the top teams in the nation, in a hard conference. Not only that, but is shooting 50%(!?) from 3 point land, and 50% from within the arc this year. I've watched a fair amount of games this year, and had to go back and watch some of his games from last year to compare, and his growth is pretty remarkable. He's scoring much better this year than last year, and it's by a lot, not just his jump shot, but his biggest weakness imo was his finishing, and he has excelled in his development especially in transition. The second unit on the Pistons is trying to become a dominant transition offense, high pace, and led by Brandon Jennings(?) continuing into next year. His weakness truly comes in his athleticism, and his ability to drive, but with the current setup, we would never need that. He also struggles with creating his own shot, he isn't going to be a crazy ball handler, Steph Curry at the SG, but he can put up a lot of points and shoot, BJ would be a great PG along with him. His last weakness is his mid range game, he only shot 29% from 2 pointers last year, and really lived and died from the 3, this year he has proven he has gotten better, much better, but he isn't extremely consistent yet from there.

Comparison: Better scoring Jodie Meeks

Defense

Now this is one area that will come down to translation into the NBA. When Hield focuses, he is a plus defender, not outstanding, but he can be pretty solid, but he is in the NCAA which means the importance of height is watered down a lot. Remember Winslow was playing PF at 6'6"-7" when he was at Duke. Hield's body size is pretty good, and his strength follows, which helps him in the perimeter. Though his athleticism isn't great, he is still decently quick laterally, which is why I think he could still end up being an average defender. His weakness for me is his IQ on defense. He's pretty aggressive, and over sells himself on going to a shooter on the perimeter if he is beat. For him to be good, he has to try, and if a coach can get him to do that, he could eventually be a plus defender, he just needs to learn the fundamentals, which can be taught.

Comparison: Mini Stanley Johnson

Overall

Hield is a great scorer, and honestly one of the best shooters in the draft coming in. He has developed over the years, making a huge stride from last year primarily on the offensive side. His stock is getting hurt from his age and his smaller height, but the needs that we have, he can be a plus on offense and defense. He fits the mold of what we are looking for and can work his way up in the second unit. He has potential to be a solid defender, and a good catch and shooter on offense. He's been a leader on a top team in the NCAA and brings in a winning attitude, something you can't have enough of. He reminds me a lot of what Khris Middleton has become with the Bucks, though he'll be smaller. He has good length and he's built, and if he can be taught some fundamentals, he will be good, plus he is extremely rangy like Middleton, good catch and shooter, but isn't the focal point for play making. He is more of a volume scorer than Middleton right now, but in the NBA, he will most likely be a less usage player.

Overall Comparison: Khris Middleton

He's my favorite player in the draft, what say you?