2013 NBA Draft: Detroit Pistons Draft Grades
By Tony Fischer
Jun 27, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; A general view of team branded basketballs during the 2013 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
The 2013 NBA draft was confusing for Pistons fans. In what was characterized by experts as a “bad draft.” That said, the Pistons could benefit because their team needs matched the drafts deepest position, guard. When the 8th pick came around Joe Dumars had a choice of 3 of the top 5 guards in the draft. It happened again in the 2nd round where potential first round picks fell to the Pistons #7 pick.
Knowing that, one would figure that the Pistons had a great draft right.
You would have figured wrong.
1st Round – 8th Overall – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Shooting Guard, Georgia – Grade C-
Indiana Point Guard Victor Oladipo came off the board when the Orlando Magic drafted him with the 2nd overall pick. Ben McLemore from Kansas came off shortly afterward. When the 8th pick came around Joe Dumars could choose between Michigan’s Trey Burke, Lehigh’s CJ McCollum or Syracuses Micheal Carter-Williams.
Dumars passed on all of them for the 6-6 shooting guard from Georgia, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Dumars did draft an area of need and a player with great size. However Caldwell-Pope lacks the ball distribution skills the Pistons are lacking. KCP is a shoot first guard, so Brandon Knight is going to have to develop those skills in a hurry if he is going to keep the Pistons offense under control. I reserve the right to change this grade if Kentavious Caldwell-Pope becomes part of a trade to bring a solid point guard to the Pistons. Until then though Dumars gets a substandard grade here for not choosing Trey Burke or CJ McCollum, two players that could have had immediate impact next season.
2nd Round – 7 th pick (37th overall) – Tony Mitchell, Forward, North Texas – Grade D
I really did not like this pick. On the board at this time were Rickey Ledo – PG Providence, Jaamal Frankin- SG San Diego State and Pierre Jackson – PG – Baylor.
Instead Joe Dumars chooses a small forward from the Sun Belt conference who averages 13 points a game. Not sure what Mitchell is going to bring to the table that Jonas Jerebko, Khris Middleton or Viacheslav Kratsov aren’t already bringing. Why we put a priority on a back-up big man when we have depth issues at guard with Wil Bynum and Jose Calderon’s status uncertain? We had the opportunity to draft a point guard that had tournament experience and passed…….again.
2nd Round – 26th pick (56th overall) – Peyton Siva, Point Guard,Louisville – Grade B-
Finally, the Pistons drafted a point guard. Peyton Siva has leadership and distribution skills, however he has a limited ceiling and figures to be a NBA back-up. For late in the second round Siva was a great pick. However, considering the team needs and the draft as a whole, the pick was too little to late.
Overall Grade C-
Joe Dumars needed to do better than this with his job on the line. There are rumored trades to come and their better be because they didn’t fill any of the glaring holes they had last season with this draft. In what was otherwise a thin draft, the Pistons had an opportunity to capitalize but fell woefully short.