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I have not look back at the draft threads but was Donovan Mitchell someone you guys wanted? If they switch teams and you gave Luke 3x more minutes would we be talking how we past on Luke?


What is your take on this?

He was my guy, I scouted him pretty heavily about halfway through the college year.

Mitchell is really, really good. So is Kennard. One plays heavy minutes, one does not. I'm not going to be such a Kennard homer that I say the Pistons made the right pick between the two but I can guarantee you that if the two players switched their draft spot that a whole lot of people would be talking about Kennard right now and Mitchell would be picking splinters out of his ass. It is all about opportunity and SVG will never allow a rookie to get the minutes that Mitchell gets in Utah.

The thing that is really frustrating is that because Luke was picked one spot before Mitchell it is the Pistons that catch the most heat for passing on him. In reality, so did Charlotte with Monk who has played far worse than Luke. Kennard is going to be a solid player in the league for a very long time....it was definitely not a bad choice by the Pistons.

I have recently posted about this in another thread but yes I was a massive Mitchell advocate and no I don’t believe we would be talking about Luke if they switched teams. I think Kennard will be a fine player but he has far greater limitations than what Mitchell has, and we certainly will regret not having picked Mitchell. I don’t think Mitchell has star potential, closer to all-star but I’m doubtful of Kennard ever being in the discussion. Saying that player X gets spoken about because he’s forced fed minutes while player Y is forgotten due to lack of minutes is oversimplifying imo and completely ignores that player X has actually proved he can be something with minutes, while player Y hasn’t.


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Kennard was the better fit on this team and is the better shooter but Mitchell has 2 way star potential, i wanted Mitchell on draft night and i am still kinda dissapointed SVG didnt take him.

Mitchell was slow to grow on me but by draft time he was my strong choice.

When I analyzed his growth, his attitude, personality, stats, and two- way potential, I thought he was the obvious pick. Especially with Reggie being shaky.

I was very disappointed in SVG not because look is a bad player, but because Donovan Mitchell had Pistons DNA all over him as a defense first, two- way, multi- position wing that also happened to be explosive and talented not just skilled.

Luke is nice but you can't pass up 2-way players with All-star potential and expect to win championships. You just can't. The most important guy in the NBA right now is a two-way player that you can leave on the court. If he also happens to have God given explosiveness, and length that you don't have to teach... I don't get how you pass on him.
Very disappointed, won't lie.
I know Luke is good, but giving up a potential all-star for a nice starter is disappointing if your honest.

SJ vs Devin booker doesn't sting because defense

This stings because defense wins championships and Mitchell should be a Piston playing SG and in 3-guard lineups right now when the offense gets stagnant.

Kennard might be the only successful draft pick made by van Bower...

This one definitely hurts.

I'm hoping that Kennard turns out to be the lights out shooter we need in our starting lineup and also speeds up his game on both ends of the court. I don't think Kennard can ever do some things that Mitchell can but I'm hoping that his shooting efficiency will help the Pistons for a long time.

Mitchell is just fun to watch. He was making plays left and right on offense last night (Favors missed a couple of easy layups ...off Mitchell's passes). He was being guarded by Westbrook/Paul George on several occasions last night. Impressive rookie.

I think most people here were on the draft Mitchell bandwagon. I'm not mad at the kennard pick, but I would have taken Mitchell.
Kennard looks like he'll be a solid pro. He seems to be pretty poised for a rookie and has shown more on d than most thought he would, so he's been good so far. I would just like to have Mitchell off the bench with Bradley and Johnson playing d

Stanley Johnson over Devin Booker hurts more.

El Chivo wrote:Kennard might be the only successful draft pick made by van Bower...

Check out Spencer Dinwiddie this season.

http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2580782/spencer-dinwiddie

Kilo wrote:

El Chivo wrote:Kennard might be the only successful draft pick made by van Bower...

Check out Spencer Dinwiddie this season.

http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2580782/spencer-dinwiddie

Also Darrun Hilliard is putting up 25/4.9reb/3.4assists shooting 48% including 43% from 3-point range for the Spurs G-League.

I was fine with both being jettisoned from the Pistons, but it shows that Stan is bad with young players and giving them no playing time and a really tight leash. Basketball is a game you need to play to develop. Teams rarely scrimmage during the season and shooting and post up drills are crud in translating into game situations.

No doubt, Mitchell is looking great. A lot of that is fit and playing time though. If we drafted him, he'd be getting spot minutes and we would be asking him to pass a lot more and concentrate on his D.

I think Luke is going to be solid for a long time. For those old enough to remember him, he reminds me of Jeff Hornecek. Great court visions for 2. Knockdown shooter. Not explosive, but playing like a crafty vet right out of college. He had over a decade run where as a 15/5 type guy shooting 50% overall and 40% from 3. He was the ultimate complimentary scorer and a great competitor.

Most on the board wanted Mitchell and were frustrated with the Kennard pick, mostly it was felt that Mitchell could at least come in and play defense, which is what SVG says he wants, but then he went for Kennard. Kennard is better then I thought, but I still wanted and believe it was a mistake to have passed up on Mitchell.

Mitchell had the higher ceiling but lower floor - but he looks like a star right now. But who knows what Kennard would look like with 30 minutes a game and green light to shoot without conscience.

Do we really have to do this every single time? I've been very pleased with the way Luke has been playing when he gets in, and the fact that he's gotten in should be worthy of note. He was exactly what was needed for a team that didn't have any outside shooting. This gets so tired. This is the team we have, and they're actually winning and being fun to watch.

I did want Mitchell during the draft because of his higher ceiling but I didn't think he'd blossom in Utah this quickly.

I've heard the argument about the more shot attempts for Mitchell but at this point watching Luke, his game doesn't warrant many more attempts even when he plays heavy minutes.

I'm just hoping that as he get more comfortable with the NBA style of play Luke's game can warrant being a larger contributor on offense.

Shooter1 wrote:I have not look back at the draft threads but was Donovan Mitchell someone you guys wanted? If they switch teams and you gave Luke 3x more minutes would we be talking how we past on Luke?


What is your take on this?

On draft night, I wanted Mitchell over Kennard, because I believed DM has a higher ceiling. I still believe that to be true.

But, that's a fair point on playing time and opportunity. Kennard might look like an offensive stud if he was given DM's opportunity in Utah as well.

Ultimately, it's way too early to definitively say.

ImHeisenberg wrote:

Shooter1 wrote:I have not look back at the draft threads but was Donovan Mitchell someone you guys wanted? If they switch teams and you gave Luke 3x more minutes would we be talking how we past on Luke?


What is your take on this?

On draft night, I wanted Mitchell over Kennard, because I believed DM has a higher ceiling. I still believe that to be true.

But, that's a fair point on playing time and opportunity. Kennard might look like an offensive stud if he was given DM's opportunity in Utah as well.

Ultimately, it's way too early to definitively say.

Take Donovan Mitchell out of the equation for a moment.

If Luke played double the minutes would his shot attempts triple and maintain the same FG & 3P%?

I don't think Luke's game has warranted that many more attempts within the flow of the offense.

I hope as he gets more comfortable, he'll be able to create his own shot more like in college.