They stunned all of Michigan by not picking Trey Burke with their first round selection. Could the Detroit Pistons make amends at No. 37?
No.
The NBA Draft selection of Tony Mitchell by the Detroit Pistons at No. 37 isn’t expected to lesson the anger of Michigan fans upset that Trey Burke was snubbed by Detroit with its number-eight pick. The Pistons instead chose Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
The Pistons haven’t made the playoffs in four seasons and haven’t had a winning record in five years. They’re building around the talents of their last three draft picks with Greg Monroe, Andre Drummond and Brandon Knight, plus this year’s top pick, Caldwell-Pope.
Detroit has had some success with second-round selections. Their number-two selection from a year ago with Kyle Singer proved to be a smooth one, considering he wound up in the starting lineup.
Mitchell isn’t likely to turn the world on fire in Detroit, especially since he’s from little known North Texas State. It’s very possible that he’s a very good ballplayer after having completed a decent season at North Texas. He averaged 32.4 minutes per game and shot 44 percent from the floor and 67.5 percent from the free throw line. He also averaged 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.
Mitchell could mature into a good ballplayer down the road and might eventually see some court time. But he’s not going to turn a team on fire, nor does he have to. The Pistons will probably use Mitchell off the bench to give its bigger players a rest. Whether not he can mature into a quality player remains to be seen.
