Patrick Williams promise and future pick..

[SamFlow]

So the rumors out are that the Pistons have made a promise to Patrick Williams from FSU at 7. Personally I’m not against selecting a front court player as ours are few and in need. But at 7?

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And would you trade next years unprotected first for this years Lamelo Ball? And maybe taking a somewhat worse contract back?

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Hawks want a good player to help win and fit. Think we could get the 6 ?

Philly trades Boston’s old center with the 21 pick to Detroit Freeing up contract space .... Detroit sends that to the hawks for one of there centers they don’t want for cap relief for a better fit/player and the higher pick.

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I don’t see anything but a role player in Williams. What do you all see?

[bjones521]

He looks like Stanley Johnson 2.0. He cant shoot so its a no for me dog. In todays NBA unless you are a PG with elite skills i'm never drafting someone who cant shoot.

[DBC10]

He looks like a really budget Paul Millsap

[mattao313]

You got a link/tweet for the rumor?

If so Im meh on the idea pretty much all potenial an no real elite skill. I see a Jerami Grant type player.

[thesack12]

You got a link/tweet for the rumor?

If so Im meh on the idea pretty much all potenial an no real elite skill. I see a Jerami Grant type player.

https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2020/11/6/21553216/detroit-pistons-nba-draft-rumors-patrick-williams

Some scouts and executives believe Williams has a promise to the Pistons if he’s still on the board here. Detroit must like Williams’ combination of measurables, potential and youth, an ideal complementary player to any rotation. He wasn’t that productive last season, but Williams’ athleticism and two-way potential is eye-catching.

Who knows how much validity there is to this, if any. But I will say, what the hell is the point of giving a guy a "promise" at this point? Usually when that happens, its done to encourage a prospect to stay in a draft. Williams is not in a position to withdrawal at this point.

Also, making a promise is stupid. You have no idea how the draft board is going to fall. For all we know right now, Ball or Wiseman might be available @ 7 and even if you didn't want them you could of had some team offering a nice package to move into #7 to take him, or anybody else for that matter.

With so much uncertainty surrounding this draft, its just a stupid idea/decision to give somebody a promise. Because if somebody you didn't expect to available when you go on the clock actually is and you don't end up drafting the guy you promised, you just alienated that player and more importantly his agent.

Al it does is drastically reduce your options, and its 100% unnecessary to do so.

[mattao313]

You got a link/tweet for the rumor?

If so Im meh on the idea pretty much all potenial an no real elite skill. I see a Jerami Grant type player.

https://www.detroitbadboys.com/2020/11/6/21553216/detroit-pistons-nba-draft-rumors-patrick-williams

Some scouts and executives believe Williams has a promise to the Pistons if he’s still on the board here. Detroit must like Williams’ combination of measurables, potential and youth, an ideal complementary player to any rotation. He wasn’t that productive last season, but Williams’ athleticism and two-way potential is eye-catching.

Who knows how much validity there is to this, if any. But I will say, what the hell is the point of giving a guy a "promise" at this point? Usually when that happens, its done to encourage a prospect to stay in a draft. Williams is not in a position to withdrawal at this point.

Also, making a promise is stupid. You have no idea how the draft board is going to fall. For all we know right now, Ball or Wiseman might be available @ 7 and even if you didn't want them you could of had some team offering a nice package to move into #7 to take him, or anybody else for that matter.

With so much uncertainty surrounding this draft, its just a stupid idea/decision to give somebody a promise. Because if somebody you didn't expect to available when you go on the clock actually is and you don't end up drafting the guy you promised, you just alienated that player and more importantly his agent.

Al it does is drastically reduce your options, and its 100% unnecessary to do so.

Yea I agree if anything the promise may tarnish your image if you end up picking some other guy agents will remember that.

[bstein14]

He might be the most boom/bust player in the lottery. Might be the least polished offensively of anyone we've considered at #7. OG Anunoby pre-draft description matches up pretty well both great college defenders and athletes coming into the league and having to work on their offense.

Sometimes offense is easier to teach than size, athleticism, and work ethic. Could be a guy out of the league in 4 years or could be a guy that adds offense and becomes a great starter.

[Snakebites]

So Weaver is lying? Even if you ignore the Ball stuff, Weaver says “everything is on the table” with respect to the pick, including trading the thing.

There’s no way he’d say that then do something that takes everything except one thing off the table.

Smell test failed.

[dVs33]

I was watching a scouting video on him yesterday, and he looks like an interesting prospect. At 7 tho, I'd be very apprehensive.
If we could eat a crappy contract for a late lottery pick and snag him there id feel a lot better about it.

[flow]

So Weaver is lying? Even if you ignore the Ball stuff, Weaver says “everything is on the table” with respect to the pick, including trading the thing.

There’s no way he’d say that then do something that takes everything except one thing off the table.

Smell test failed.

On one hand, I agree with you, because I can't fathom promising that kid at 7.

On the other hand, Weaver said exactly what he should have said, even if things are unfolding differently on the inside. What's he supposed to say? "We're done, we've got our man"? You never want to do that. You have to leave all options open just in case....
It's not lying, it's gm-speak.

[BJK1]

I’m not a fan of the promise thing (if true), but there’s enough buzz out there around Williams and the Pistons to think there could be something to it. If they do wind up selecting him over a guy like Hayes (I think Haliburton will already be gone), it would tell me that the Pistons put a premium on the big, two-way wing position over point guard. I get it. As others have pointed out on this forum, you need those types of wings to win in today’s NBA. Those guys (especially with Williams’ size) are hard to find, so if they feel they’ve identified one in Williams, then I’d understand their decision to select him.

Maybe they think that if they take Williams at 7, they can get into the back half of the 1st to get their PG? Guys like Malachi Flynn and Cassius Winston will be there. Possibly Cole Anthony. Maybe even RJ Hampton.

[ven412]

Trading next years unprotected first round pick might be the dumbest thing for a mediocre team to ever do unless they were getting back a top 5 player.

[edmunder_prc]

"Sources say..."

[UnFadeable21]

The Athletic Mock Draft

No. 7 — Detroit Pistons: Patrick Williams, W/F, Florida State

The Pistons need a point guard for the future. The Pistons need a perimeter creator and playmaker at the point guard position. The Pistons, well, just need good players, no matter the position, and there’s been a growing belief around the league, per sources, that the franchise is really interested in Williams, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound player who oozes potential.

It’s easy to see why Detroit would fall in love with him. His body, for starters, is NBA-ready. He has a motor and grit about him that not only match the culture the new regime wants to install but also are a part of the Pistons’ past. Williams’ versatility and pure size make it look as if he’s a sure-fire NBA player for a long time, but he is a bit raw and may take a little while to acclimate to the big leagues.

Offensively, Williams can finish at the rim (he’s a really good cutter), is a bit of an underrated playmaker (he did turn the ball over a lot in college) and has the potential to be a solid 3-point shooter. Defensively, he makes eye-opening off-ball defensive plays but struggles a little bit in one-on-one defense. Physically, though, as well as instinctually, he has the tools to be a nuisance on that end of the floor.

If Detroit does go this route, it would signal that general manager Troy Weaver and company are interested in finding who will, simply, be the best player in this draft three, four or five years from now, not who will be the best at filling a particular hole. — James L. Edwards III

How sad will that be for Detroit?

[mattao313]

He is a turnover machine too. The only thing that stands out for me is that he has a little pull up jumper which he seems to be comfortable taking. Ikd I'm really trying to like the idea of picking.

[MotownMadness]

If we took Williams over a guy like Hayes then I'm gonna be pretty pissed. I just see Hayes being a stud and the best player out of this draft in hindsight.

[BJK1]

Barring one of Ball or Edwards sliding to them, I’m starting to think it’s going to be Williams regardless of who else is available. The kid possesses physical gifts that can’t be taught. If they select him, I think their rationale will be that wing players with Williams’s physical profile and potential are more difficult to find than point guards. They might try to target a point guard later by getting back into the 1st or early 2nd.

[The_Irony]

If they draft Williams at 7 and find a way to get RJ by getting into the 14-20 range i will cry so many tears of joy. I actually proposed this happening a couple months ago

[DBC10]

If we took Williams over a guy like Hayes then I'm gonna be pretty pissed. I just see Hayes being a stud and the best player out of this draft in hindsight.

If we're taking Williams, then they're punting on the future of the PG, SG, and SF positions for the potentially more lucrative 2021, 2022 drafts. Which I'm not complaining especially if we can get a few more lotto picks in those drafts or even 2nd rounders due to high school kids coming in

I'm keeping cautiously optimistic for the long haul, no need to get too smitten on this draft

[BJK1]

If we took Williams over a guy like Hayes then I'm gonna be pretty pissed. I just see Hayes being a stud and the best player out of this draft in hindsight.

If we're taking Williams, then they're punting on the future of the PG, SG, and SF positions for the potentially more lucrative 2021, 2022 drafts. Which I'm not complaining especially if we can get a few more lotto picks in those drafts or even 2nd rounders due to high school kids coming in

I'm keeping cautiously optimistic for the long haul, no need to get too smitten on this draft

Agreed, though I think Williams would play all over the front court if drafted by Detroit.