No. 12 pick means 'wide range' of options for Pistons

From the looks of it, there’s no one pick that’s going to change things significantly for the Pistons in the NBA Draft.

Especially in their current position, the No. 12 spot in the first round of the June 22 draft, they likely will have a choice of some of the second-tier players available in the class. That could mean a backup center, a backup point guard, or another scorer.

But there doesn’t appear to be anyone in the draft who could become an immediate starter, as the Pistons’ roster currently is constituted. Tuesday’s draft lottery will determine the official order for the first half of the first round, but even if the Pistons somehow move up to the three — about a 3-percent chance — they would get a better player, but not necessarily one that would change their starting five.

“Assuming we’re at 12, there are some good players that wouldn’t necessarily be labeled as positions of need but the value and long-term potential may merit them to be the best pick for us,” Pistons general manager Jeff Bower said Friday at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.

“We’ll wait until the lottery is over but if we’re at 12, in this draft, you have a range and we’re going to know the whole draft.

“Number four through 16 is a real wide range that probably (what we’re scouting).”

The Pistons were allowed about 20 interviews with prospects at the Combine, which included Gonzaga’s Zach Collins, Creighton’s Justin Patton, Michigan’s D.J. Wilson and Moritz Wagner and Louisville’s Donovan Mitchell.

There didn’t seem to be a method to the madness of which players they selected to interview, though the NBA allows about 20 interviews — but also determines the players. That means there could have been some players the team wanted to meet with, but time or various other factors prevented it.

That could explain why the Pistons didn’t get time with international player Terrance Ferguson, Texas’ Jarrett Allen or others that would seem to be in their crosshairs, based on some recent mock drafts.

Ferguson, who opted to play professionally in Australia instead of playing college basketball, is regarded as one of the best shooting guards in the draft, but reportedly wasn’t on the interview list for the Pistons. The other highly touted prospect is Duke’s Luke Kennard, who wasn’t at the combine, but could still be high on the Pistons’ draft board.

It’s a guessing game at this point to try to figure out what the thoughts are for Pistons coach and president Stan Van Gundy and Bower, who typically hold their draft cards close to their vests. They have discussed their shooting woes as being one of the big issues with their current roster, but don’t necessarily see an elixir among the crop of draft potentials.

“I don’t think the single answer is there,” Bower said. With shooting, it takes time to develop and reps and experience.”

One (pick) and done?

The Pistons will find out Tuesday their official spot in the first round, but for now, that’s all they have in this draft. The Pistons’ second-round pick went to the Utah Jazz in the three-way trade that brought Reggie Jackson to Detroit in 2015.

That makes the process more interesting for the Pistons — who might not be able to bring in as many second-round prospects, who wouldn’t believe that the Pistons were interested in selecting them if they don’t have a second-round pick.

“It can affect it. Some guys aren’t going to want to come in and work out if they don’t see a vehicle at the end of it,” Bower said. “The reality of it is we are looking for guys where we don’t have a second-round pick now — we could (via a trade) — but those possibilities change, so you want to try to be prepared.

“Our relationships with agents are strong. They like our program and like their guys to have the exposure to us.”

Seeing the big picture

With so many veterans on their roster, the Pistons might not even have room to develop their first-round pick in a traditional fashion, with him getting lots of playing time early in his career. But as they showed last season with No. 18 pick Henry Ellenson, they can rely on their D-League affiliate for some of those developmental minutes.

Ellenson played more than 900 minutes with the Grand Rapids Drive and although that could be a good route again this year, it’s not on the minds of Van Gundy and Bower at this stage.

“The biggest thing is all of these players here are focused on being in the NBA. A D-League conversation will come at a different time and better place,” Bower said. “What we are trying to get is a deep evaluation and understanding of players across the board who may be undrafted that could be a good fit for our summer program as well as the Grand Rapids Drive.”

rod.beard@detroitnews.com

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