With those five names in mind, I reached out to an NBA scout who specializes in college scouting. I asked him more than a handful of questions pertaining to the Pistons’ situation and this year’s crop of point-guard prospects. For each question, he was asked to pick which point guard would check a particular box. Some questions had more than one answer. In the end, it was pretty obvious who the scout felt reigned supreme among this group, but he did offer up insight that will give Pistons fans hopes in Plan B and C scenarios. Let’s just get the obvious one out of the way: Detroit needs a star for the future. Of these five point guards, who has the most star potential? NBA scout: It’s LaMelo, for sure, if it all hits right for him. – via James L. Edwards III @ The Athletic
Draft, Scouting, LaMelo Ball, Detroit Pistons
Game on the line, and you need a bucket. Who is that guy, once they get to the NBA and get acclimated, you think will thrive in that situation? NBA scout: I’d go with LaMelo. He’s ballsy. The thing with him, when he sees defenses are blitzing him, he’s going to find the open guy. He’s 6-foot-7, so he’s going to see over the top of defenses. Killian is a good passer, too, but I don’t think he’s LaMelo. Game on the line, long-term, if he becomes what I think he can be, it’s LaMelo. Again, that’s if the shot comes around like I think it will and he grows even more as a facilitator. – via James L. Edwards III @ The Athletic
NBA scout: The player Casey would fall in love with? Yeah. NBA scout: Haliburton, for sure. I think he just plays the game the right way. He can play on and off the ball, can make a shot, and he can really pass. Defensively, he’s versatile. He’s a great kid. Anything you hear out of Iowa State is glowing about him. He wasn’t even a ranked guy coming out of Wisconsin, and then he just blew up as a freshman and became a lottery pick as a sophomore. – via James L. Edwards III @ The Athletic
I'm having visions of the Rubio/Curry draft, where Ball, Haliburton and Hayes all get taken before we pick
smackeddog wrote:I'm having visions of the Rubio/Curry draft, where Ball, Haliburton and Hayes all get taken before we pick
Yeah. Projecting out though, Knicks have a starting C and SG. Lots of holes to fill.
martin wrote:smackeddog wrote:I'm having visions of the Rubio/Curry draft, where Ball, Haliburton and Hayes all get taken before we pick
Yeah. Projecting out though, Knicks have a starting C and SG. Lots of holes to fill.
we also have plenty of assets to move up, down, and around, and a president who has a solid relationship with just about every Gm in the league.
Got to see What the draft Looks like.
smackeddog wrote:I'm having visions of the Rubio/Curry draft, where Ball, Haliburton and Hayes all get taken before we pick
Don't forget Johnny Flynn.
and don't forget Thabeet and Tyreke!!!!!
I did also think about this draft compared to the 2009 one in terms of point guards -- and yes although we did miss out on Curry and Rubio (and Flynn) in terms of that position, several PGs who have had decent to very good careers were picked after our #8 slot -- Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague, Darren Collison as well as Patrick Beverly and Patty Mills in the second round. We went "BPA" with Jordan Hill and took our PG in Toney Douglas with our late first. Is this bad luck, bad scouting, or whoever we pick will suck? Anyway, although Curry is the superstar among all these, to me it illustrates that you can get your player anywhere in the draft, but you better have a clue. Here's hoping Rose's new boys have the mojo.
