[jwplayer IbkyU8GN]
With the date for the 2020 NBA Draft set, we begin our look at each team in the lottery relative to LaMelo Ball. What’s the outlook of the team, how does Ball fit into their roster and plans and what’s the likelihood of him landing with the franchise? We continue our profiles with the Detroit Pistons.
Boston Celtics profile
New Orleans profile
Sacramento Kings profile
San Antonio Spurs profile
Phoenix Suns profile
Washington Wizards profile
New York Knicks profile
The Team
Based sheerly on how he would fit with the roster, the Detroit Pistons may be the best situation for LaMelo Ball to land. The Pistons are beginning a rebuild, have no face of the future and no young player yet to build around. Ball checks each of those boxes.
But a number of reasons make it unlikely that Ball lands in Detroit. For one, the Pistons needed a tremendous amount of luck on draft lottery night, but that luck was afforded to the Timberwolves and Hornets. Now, Detroit holds the No. 7 pick, well out of range for Ball.
Secondly, it’s hard to see Ball in Detroit, one of the smaller markets in the league. He does have connections to the area through manager Jermaine Jackson, who was born in Detroit, played college in the city and had a stop professionally with the Pistons. But with eyes on a big market like New York or potentially Oakland, Detroit would be multiple steps down.
There is an argument to be made that Detroit could be the perfect landing spot for LaMelo considering how his older brother Lonzo has performed in New Orleans outside of a big market. After two lackluster seasons in Los Angeles, Lonzo flourished out of the spotlight in New Orleans this season.
The next problem falls on Detroit’s plate in the need to move up in the draft. The team doesn’t owe any draft picks of significance save for the shuffling of second round picks in and out. The team does have a unique trade chip in Derrick Rose, who continued a career revival with the Pistons. He could serve to boost any potential trade package for the right team.
Outside of draft capital and Rose, the Pistons lack other notable assets. Christian Wood, arguably the team’s best young player, is a free agent this off-season. Luke Kennard is likely off limits, as is Sekou Doumbouya. That leaves a handful of prospects that hardly move the needle in deals.
Can the team find a creative way to swap Rose for draft capital and turn that into a package to move up in the draft?
The Fit
If the Pistons were able to land Ball, he’d instantly be the best piece of their future going forward. With or without Rose on the roster, Ball would have a heavy burden of the offense placed on his shoulders. Even if Rose is around, he’s only on a one-year deal and is a player on the backside of his prime. Ball would be the future.
On paper, Ball would have an interesting pick and roll partner in Blake Griffin. Well, well past his heyday, Griffin was once one of the best pick and roll players in the league. Now, he’s an injury-plagued big man struggling to stay on the court. If he is healthy, he would give Ball a perfect complementary piece that, alongside Kennard and Doumbouya, would give the Pistons an intriguing core.
The Likelihood
It terms of fit, Detroit is 1B to New York’s 1A in terms of best case scenarios for Ball. But Detroit will find it tough to move up and will need to in order to draft Ball.
Chances of Ball landing in Detroit: 10%