Detroit Pistons Select Henry Ellenson in 2016 NBA Draft
By Zac Snyder
The Detroit Pistons have made their first pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, selecting Marquette big man Henry Ellenson with the 18th overall pick.
A big man was thought to be a target for the Detroit Pistons with their first round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and that is the direction they went. With the 18th overall pick, the Pistons have selected Henry Ellenson, a power forward out of Marquette.
Ellenson was a one-and-done player at Marquette after being a five-star recruit out of Rice Lake, WI. He didn’t disappoint in that one season, averaging 17 points and 9.7 rebounds per game on his way to being named a freshman All-American.
He isn’t an accomplished outside shooter right now but is noted for having a good looking shot, which may indicate an ability to add range as he develops. That being said, he can be effective away from the basket as well as having some low-post ability.
A recent piece for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel gave some insight into the range of roles NBA teams saw for Ellenson during the pre-draft process:
"During his seven team workouts as well as numerous team meetings at the NBA draft combine, Ellenson heard various ideas for how teams think they can use him at the next level. As the NBA trends toward teams putting more shooters on the court, Ellenson could conceivably play the role of a floor-spacing, ball-handling big man who defies the limitations of traditional positions.“A lot of teams, it’s interesting going to these workouts, have different visions for me as a player,” Ellenson said. “Some say they can see me playing as a face-up 5 and other teams are like, ‘You can bring up the ball as a 4 and kind of play point-forward.’ It’s interesting. Something I can do a lot better than guys at my spot is set up teammates and be able to create shots."
The Pistons must have liked the way the board was falling as their pick approached because they reportedly rebuffed the Sacramento Kings’ efforts to move down from 13 to 18. It turns out they were right as Ellenson falling to 18 was a surprise based on most big boards and mock drafts. Van Gundy revealed in his post-pick press conference that Ellenson was the 10th ranked player on the Pistons’ board.
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The NBA Draft is as much of a crapshoot as the draft in any of the four major sports but it looks like the Pistons come away with a nice player at a nice value with the 18th pick.