Detroit Pistons: A Top 2016 NBA Draft Prospect Compared to Stanley Johnson
By Zac Snyder
The Detroit Pistons made Stanley Johnson the 8th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft but he’s being compared to a prospect expected to go much higher in 2016.
Someone will make Jaylen Brown a very high pick when the 2016 NBA Draft takes place on Thursday night. Brown is widely expected to be a top-five pick, perhaps going as high as third overall to the Boston Celtics. That’s higher than Stanley Johnson went in the 2015 NBA Draft when the Detroit Pistons made him the eighth overall pick.
How is Johnson relevant to the Brown discussion?
ESPN’s Jeff Goodman appeared on a Boston radio station yesterday and discussed the possibility of Brown being selected by the Celtics with the third pick. As part of that discussion, he essentially called Brown a poor man’s Stanley Johnson:
More from Detroit Jock City
- Tigers Sign Manager A.J. Hinch to Long-Term Extension
- Lions vs. Bears Week 14 Opening Odds Disrespect Detroit
- Former Tigers Celebrate Jim Leyland Hall of Fame Call
- This Pistons Team Could be the Worst in Detroit Sports History
- 4 Free Agents Tigers Should Sign During Winter Meetings
"“My gut says [Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is] not going to take a guy that’s not a skilled guy right now. … Physically, he’s got a great body, already 6-foot-7, 225 [pounds]. He’s a man, you could put him in there today. The equivalent I’ll give you with him is Stanley Johnson, the Pistons rookie who kind of looked like a man-child. But Stanley Johnson has proven that he can make shots; Jaylen Brown hasn’t. That would scare me if I were the Celtics, to bring on another, really, nonshooter at this point. He may develop into a decent shooter.”"
Being used as a superior comparison for one of the 2016 NBA Draft’s top prospects speaks well for the Pistons’ choice in Johnson considering the controversial nature at the time of the draft. The Pistons received some criticism for selecting Johnson over Justise Winslow, who would up going two picks later to the Miami Heat.
Johnson had his ups and downs during the season but instead of hitting the rookie wall, he played his best basketball of the season in the Pistons first round playoff series against the eventual champion Cleveland Cavaliers. He was efficient on offense and stood toe to toe with LeBron James without backing down.
Next: Chad Ford Connects 7 Players To Detroit Pistons
The Pistons were swept out of the playoffs by the Cavs but they gave them a competitive series with Stanley Johnson playing a big part in making that happen.
It may still be too early to say that the Pistons got it absolutely right by taking Johnson in last year’s draft, but it’s definitely getting more difficult to criticize the pick.