It’s tough to gain much information and truly evaluate a team just from NBA summer league games but in this case it is safe to say the Detroit Pistons have a promising future.

The Detroit Pistons concluded Orlando Pro Summer League play with a 4-1 record. The only team they lost to was the Oklahoma City Thunder but I look at more than just the win and loss column. I first pay attention to the rookies to see how they are faring in the NBA since once again they are rookies. Then I analyze the way the second and third year players are faring to see if I see any early improvement in their games.

I will start with the rookies.

Andre Drummond who was the 9^th overall pick for the Pistons showed some of his potential. Mainly what I was impressed with was his incredible mobility for a man of his size. He made good defensive plays which was no surprise well at least not to me.  However, Drummond needs to refine the more technical aspects of his game. As I have said before he has a lot to learn offensively. He also will have to improve his understanding of the game, things like positioning, timing and awareness.

Kris Middelton was decent but didn’t really do anything to really catch my attention. As I said before out of the Pistons 2012 NBA draft picks, he is the main one that concerns me. He didn’t make any real improvements in his game from college and is coming off an injury. He did mediocre in summer league but as I said nothing to special.

However Kim English performed very nicely and I must say I am not surprised. Kim English is nice steal for the Pistons as long as he plays consistently which I believe he will. English shot 45% from behind the arc and averaged 11 point per game in summer league. He seemed comfortable but still showed some signs of being a rookie as expected but he played hard and consistent which is normally always a good sign.

Now for the second and third year players.

I will start off with Brandon Knight who I was personally the most impressed with. Brandon Knight shot the ball well, kept his teammates involved and generally dominated like we expect him to do as a lottery pick. Knight wasn’t a prolific passer in college; however, he seems to be improving that part of his game. He did a good job of getting the ball to his teammates in a position where they can succeed, which is what we need him to do along with scoring.

Austin Daye performed very well which was nice to see but I can’t say that I am that impressed that he did well. The Pistons drafted Daye with 15^th pick in 2009 NBA Draft and so far he hasn’t performed well at least not on a consistent basis. He did well offensively scoring the ball and also did a good job of rebounding as well. I just hope to see the same type of play I saw in summer league during the season from Austin Daye.

Finally we were able to see Kyle Singler the Detroit Pistons 33^rd pick from the 2011 NBA Draft play and I liked what I saw. Now Singler spent last year in Spain so this is his first time really playing with the Pistons. He did pretty well, he averaged 10 points per game but you can tell he is still getting adjusted to his teammates and sets.

Overall I like what I saw by the Detroit Pistons summer league team, the main players who are primarily the future of the franchise looked good and ready to go. I noticed improvements in certain players and plenty of potential from other players. I think with Brandon Knight and Rodney Stuckey in the back-court along with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond in the post the Pistons future looks bright. I am interested to see who will step up for the Pistons at the small forward position. I also hope to see a better bench this year.

Don’t get me wrong while I believe the Pistons future looks better than it has in the past, I don’t expect them to become a championship team overnight but I am happy to see improvement and hopefully we see a better season out of the Detroit Pistons.

The 2012 NBA Draft is over! The draft was very entertaining, plenty of surprises to go around but that is what made it great.

Anyway let’s talk Detroit Pistons. The Detroit Pistons had three picks in this draft, the 9^th pick, the 39^th pick and the 44^th pick. The Pistons kept all picks and did not make any moves to trade them or etc.

Now let’s start with the Pistons first pick. Pistons drafted Andre Drummond of Connecticut with the 9^th pick in the draft. Now in my opinion this was somewhat of a dream come true for the Pistons since Drummond was not expected to slide down to the Pistons. However he did slide down to the Pistons and they made the right move by drafting him.

I like this pick for the Pistons. Andre Drummond is 6-foot-11 and 279-pounds. He is often compared to Amare Stoudamire or DeAndre Jordan. Defensively Drummond is great for the Pistons. He is known for having a nice defensive presence because of his great physicality and athleticism which will serve the Pistons well. Offensively he may not be the most efficient but he has plenty of potential, we just have to hope the Pistons can help unleash it. Drummond does need to work on his free throws though; he shot 29% from the line as freshman at Connecticut, which is unacceptable. This young man is considered a risk but he is risk worth taking a chance on and I am happy the Pistons took that chance.

Pistons didn’t receive another draft selection until the second round where they had two draft picks.

Pistons first pick in the second round was the 39^th pick. The Pistons selected Kris Middleton of Texas A&M.

I am not big fan of this pick. I would have preferred to see the Pistons draft a Jae Crowder but unfortunately he wasn’t available. Another reason I have concerns for this pick is because Middleton is a late blooming prospect with solid size. Middleton has had some injury problems and didn’t really show any signs of improvement in any aspects of his game. I would have actually preferred to see him stay another year and develop. However if Middleton is able to get going he can be a nice addition to the Pistons. Middleton has a nice soft touch out to about 22 feet. He is able to make shots off screens, spotting up or off the dribble. Lastly, he appears to be very coachable, and he still has upside remaining as he gets stronger and fills out his frame. So as I said this young man has decent potential to be a key on the Pistons.

Lastly the Pistons had one more pick in the second round and that pick was the 44^th pick in the draft.

With the 44^th pick the Pistons drafted Kim English of Missouri. English is a 6-foot-6 and 192-pound guard. I like this pick for the Pistons because this young man is a consistent three point shooter. He also has a high basketball IQ and other complimentary features. However English does need to put on bulk so he can body up with stronger 2-guards. The other reason I like English is because defensively he plays with concentration and intensity, which is all you can ask from someone who lacks strength and explosive athleticism. This in my opinion was a good pick up for the Pistons.

Overall I am pretty content with the Detroit Pistons draft selection with the exception of Andre Drummond, the Pistons drafted underrated role players which is something they need. I think all of these young men have the potential to help Pistons get back to greatness. However as much as I believe that all these young men have plenty of potential, the question remains, can the Pistons unleash their potential?

I know I can’t wait to find out and I am sure you can’t either. I am looking forward to seeing what type of contracts the Pistons sign these young men to. I also look forward to watching them in the off season workouts and summer league.

My grade for the Detroit Pistons NBA Draft Picks:

Grade:  B

I feel a front court based around Drummond and Monroe can be devastating.  Kris Middleton has some issues but adds some good shooting for the team.  Kim English will be a steady back-court presence for the team.

It’s almost time for the NBA Draft and it’s almost time for the Detroit Pistons to make some tough decisions in this year’s NBA draft. Pistons don’t have the best draft history; I mean can you say Darko Milicic…..draft bust!

However it’s a new day and let’s hope the Pistons front office will do a better job in this year’s draft.

Now the Detroit Pistons have three picks in this draft, they have the number nine overall pick in the draft and they have two second round picks (39th and 44th pick).

There has been a lot of speculation on what the Pistons should do with their first pick in the draft, some say they need to go get a big man others say they need a legit scorer on the wing.

I personally believe the Pistons need to go for the big man first, mainly due to the fact that there are plenty of legit wing scorers in the draft that they should be able to draft in the second round. The only way I wouldn’t mind if the Pistons took a wing in the first round is if it was a player like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bradley Beal or Jeremy Lamb and since they are all expected to be taken before the 9^th pick, it’s mostly irrelevant right now.

I will say this though, if Andre Drummond of Connecticut drops to the ninth pick, I am very confident that the Pistons would draft him. Unfortunately I don’t believe he will drop to the Pistons. I expect him to be drafted between 2^nd and 7^th pick.

First Round Draft Options for the Pistons:

Now let’s get back to the Pistons taking a big man with their first pick. I would either like to see them draft John Henson of North Carolina or Meyers Leonard of Illinois.

I like Henson because he has good length and energy that makes him a disruptive presence on the defensive end of the floor, and a solid rebounder. He has decent post presence and I believe he would he be a good fit for the Pistons. The downside of his game is really just his size but if he can bulk up, his potential really is unlimited.

Then I also like Leonard, he lacks the NBA readiness and polish but he is a fluid big man with great size and ability to add strength. His jump shot production from his freshman to sophomore year was tremendous. The downside of Leonard is that he is still a work in progress but most big men in the draft are nowadays.

I would be happy with either pick; both have their ups and downs in their games but what player doesn’t. The point is, the Pistons need another post presence to complement Greg Monroe and I believe either Henson or Leonard could be that person for the Pistons.

First Round Draft Maybe Options for the Pistons:

However I will say this I would not mind the Pistons spending their first pick on Terrance Jones of Kentucky or Perry Jones III of Baylor. I like both players. Jones has great versatility, speed and strength, he is an aggressive scorer who can play the 2 or 3 and is a decent defender as well. Then Jones III also has a lot of versatility, size, speed, athleticism, and the ability to shoot.  The main concern I have with both these pick is, can the Pistons help unleash their unlimited potential and help make them the elite players we know they can be? I don’t know if they can or not. We won’t know unless the Pistons draft one of them.

I also want to discuss Austin Rivers briefly. I know some people would like to see the Pistons take Austin Rivers of Duke especially since the Pistons have now traded Ben Gordon. Now, I like Rivers, even though I think he is coming out to early but besides that I just don’t think he is a good fit for the Pistons. Rivers is a great scorer but he is really an undersized two guard and if you haven’t noticed he also plays no defense, at least not good defense. Pistons have a good point guard in Brandon Knight and good scorer in Rodney Stuckey. I just don’t feel they need Austin Rivers. Plus in my opinion the Pistons have way too many guards as it is. They have Knight, Stuckey and Bynum. They don’t need any more scoring guards especially an undersized two guard who doesn’t really play defense. I like Rivers I just don’t think he is what the Pistons need.

Now we move to the second round, the Pistons have the 39^th and 44^th pick in the second round, now personally I would like to see them go get a scoring wing in this round and another big man or workhorse/hustle player.

Second Round Draft Scoring Wing Options for the Pistons:

William Buford of Ohio State is a legit scorer just somewhat in consistent. He has good length and size for the wing defensively. I just worry about his lack of speed defensively and his inconsistency as a scorer. However he is a good teammate, a workhorse and good scorer with good length.

Darius Miller of Kentucky is legit option as well. Miller is a stellar defender, a winner, can shoot the lights out, and is very athletic. Once again he is another option to play the 2 and 3 and is very versatile.

Hollis Thompson of Georgetown is a wing with solid physical tools at 6’8 205, and a long build. Standout trait is definitely his jump shot. He is a pretty good athlete  and is very smooth and fluid. The downside is he is somewhat one dimensional, more of outside shooting threat.

Jared Cunningham of Oregon State is somewhat undersized for a NBA shooting guard, but possesses strong athleticism which should help compensate for his average size. He has a good first step and excellent quickness in the open floor, and is capable of playing above the rim. He is great defender with quick feet and hands. He needs to improve his perimeter shooting.

Second Round Draft Big Men Options for the Pistons:

Festus Ezeli of Vanderbilt, he is said to have a lot of the same characteristics as Serge Ibaka. He is extremely long, athletic and is very quick. He blocks shots very well and can rebound. He needs to work on his offensive game.

Kyle Quinn of Norfolk State is athletic, strong and huge. He can rebound, block shots and intimidate. However, he is still very raw offensively, and some have questioned his court sense.

Miles Plumlee of Duke has been mentioned a couple of times to me before. It wouldn’t be too bad of pick. He is a physical big man, excellent all-around athletic tools and very good jumping ability. He is very active offensively without the ball but the downside is he is very limited offensively with the ball.

Tornike Shengelia of Charleroi (International). He has terrific footwork in the post and is a savvy passer as well; possess a nice feel for the game. He also is labeled as a nice defender the main thing they look for him to improve is his jump shot.

Underrated Workhorse Draft Option for the Pistons:

Jae Crowder of Marquette is an efficient player in on both ends of the floor. He’s extremely intelligent operating off the ball, having a knack for moving to the right spot to catch and finish in a simple and effective manner. He could be that consistent workhorse that the Pistons need and want.