

Henry Ellenson

Having the 18th pick won’t allow you to get one of the blue-chippers that scouts are fawning all over. But it doesn’t mean there aren’t still some quality players left in that back half of the first round.

Here are a handful of players the Pistons could target when their turn comes up at #18 tonight.

Denzel Valentine (Michigan State)

The super senior from Michigan State was one of the top two or three players in all of college basketball last season. In previous generations, reaching such heights at the collegiate level would guarantee you similar respect at the NBA Draft. That is no longer the case.

If you stay four years, even if excelling while doing so, the scouts and personnel people wonder why you weren’t good enough to come out earlier. It’s a backwards system, but it’s what is in place today.

So Valentine will likely slip out of the lottery, and maybe into the 20’s. There are rumors circulating that the knee that caused him a bit of trouble this season is still balky. Such a medical unknown, especially around draft time, could scare off potential suitors. That league-wide hesitance, however, could pay off handsomely for the Pistons if they choose to nab the hometown kid at #18.

While Valentine doesn’t have the strength or bulk of former Spartan and current NBA star Draymond Green, their respective arsenals on offense do carry many similarities. Valentine is an underrated shooter, he handles the ball like a point guard, and is a very creative passer, too. If the Pistons are confused as to what do when they get put on the clock tonight, they could do far worse than staying close to home and snapping up Denzel Valentine.

Demetrious Jackson (Notre Dame)

This would be more of a “need” pick than it would be going after the most talented player available. The Pistons are very thin at the backup guard spot. Last year, they tried getting by using a washed-up Steve Blake to spell Reggie Jackson and the results were generally unfavorable. After the recent trade of Spencer Dinwiddie to Chicago, it became quite clear the Pistons would try to add a guard through the draft.

Is Demetrious Jackson that guy? He very well could be. He had three solid campaigns at Notre Dame, his numbers rising a bit with each subsequent season. He topped out this year with around 16 points and five assists per game, and a sparkling 81% from the foul line to go with it. The long range shot might be a tad suspect (33% from downtown as a junior), not the most encouraging stat when entering a league that is putting an increased emphasis on that part of the court.

While there are some other “reach” picks the Pistons could go for here -- taking a risk on a more anonymous player from overseas -- they would know exactly what they’d be getting with Jackson. He’s a leader, he’s been in plenty of big games, and is fresh off a very respectable run in the NCAA Tournament where he took the Irish all the way to the Elite Eight before finally succumbing to ACC rival North Carolina. Despite the loss, he was still the high point man in the game (26). While 6-foot-1 is a tad on the smallish side in today’s NBA, the general consensus is that Jackson fights hard on pick-and-rolls and is fairly adept defending on the ball.

This pick makes plenty of sense when evaluating the Pistons roster. It just might get confusing next season when Reggie Jackson gets subbed out, only to replaced by another Jackson. Good thing George Blaha refers to the guys by their first names only.

Thon Maker (High School)

The modern-day equivalent of the lead character from the 1994 hit sports movie, The Air Up There. In that flick, Kevin Bacon traipsed all throughout Africa searching for this basketball freak of nature; a player with the height of Jabbar and the skills of Magic. Of course, this being 1994, the premise revolved around Bacon trying to get Saleh to come back to the states to begin a college hoops career. Today, in 2016, college is an afterthought and it’s time for the NBA, even at just 19 years of age.

The Sudanese giant, Thon Maker, is listed at a startling 7’1” and 216 pounds. When you are over seven feet tall, it is almost impossible to keep the weight under 220, but Maker has found a way. It remains to be seen whether that awkward frame will help him become Kevin Durant or turn him into the next Austin Daye.

There is some speculation that the Pistons like Maker’s game (from what they’ve seen of it), and that this could be their guy at #18. And he has played some high school ball both here and in Canada, so it’s not as if he is a complete unknown. But even so, for a Pistons team that is on the upswing and trying to become a real force in the Eastern Conference again, this might be too big a gamble.

While you don’t need an All-Star at this spot in the draft, you would like somebody that is able to come in and contribute right from the jump; not 3-4 years from now, which is what it could take Thon Maker before he actually figures out how the game is played at the highest level.

Henry Ellenson (Marquette)

He’s a big dude, near seven feet and about 245 pounds. Ellenson has also been tabbed with that flashy “stretch four” label that is so attractive in today’s 3-point-minded NBA. It’s just a little confusing when said “shooter” only connected on 29% from long range in his one college season.

Ellenson did post impressive numbers at Marquette, basically averaging a double-double with 17.0 PPG and 9.7 RPG. He was Mr. Basketball for the state of Wisconsin in 2015, and his sterling mark at the foul line (75%) would be another welcome addition to counter the record-setting bricklaying from Andre Drummond. I can’t help but think that this is the next Meyers Leonard, who has played to mixed reviews during his first couple of years in Portland.

There are a number of teams picking before Detroit reportedly interested in grabbing Ellenson, so it’s unlikely he slides this far. But if he does, adding this outside threat and strong rebounder would bolster the Pistons frontcourt. As an added bonus, it would also give Aron Baynes another white guy to hang out with.

