Do the Pistons have to take a point guard in the 2020 NBA draft? What do you think? The city of Detroit has not had an All-Star point guard in what seems like forever, and with the 2020 draft class being a point guard heavy class, well you can put two-and-two together. Let’s take a look at the top point guard prospects in this upcoming draft class, and see which one fits the Pistons the best.
The Contestants:
The four point guards who will be vying for the Detroit Pistons 2020 draft pick will be:
LaMelo Ball
Tyrese Halliburton
Killian Hayes
Cole Anthony
Get your notes out and because we are going to rank these four point guards prospect in terms of fit for your Detroit Pistons, and give you some NBA comparisons. Also, make sure to check out all of 2020 Prospect Profile Articles to stay up to date with everything Pistons. 👊
4.Cole Anthony
Modern-Day Comparisons: Fred VanFleet/ DJ Augustin
If you missed it, we went in-depth on Cole Anthony’s game in our Prospect Profile article.
We definitely had a lot of positives things to say about Cole Anthony, but why does Anthony rank last out of our options. Well, Anthony has sorta garnished a bad reputation for himself, thanks to his questionable play at North Carolina this season. One of our writers, specifically, pointed out his terrible decision-making and defensive potential. They acknowledged his low basketball IQ and bad playmaking. Anthony averaged 3.5 turnovers to only 4.0 assists a game in college, so you can definitely understand the concerns. There are some redeeming factors of Anthony’s game, like his speed, agility, and ability to to get to the basket, but it’s clear the NBA is eventually going to evolve to a position-less game, so smaller point guards like Anthony, could get pushed to the way side.
Fit: 6/10
The Pistons will likely want a point guard who can run the offense and get players like Christian Wood, Sekou Doumbouya, and Luke Kennard open shots, and unfortunately Anthony hasn’t shown the ability to do that yet. The Pistons would benefit from drafting a pass-first point guard, and Anthony would benefit off playing with more established players who will make his transition to the NBA easier. (Blake Griffin)?
3.Tyrese Halliburton
Modern Day Comparisons: Dejounte Murray, Micheal Carter Williams
The two biggest weaknesses of Cole Anthony’s game, are probably Halliburton’s two biggest strengths: Playmaking and Defense. At 6’5, Halliburton benefits from his ability to see over defenses and is an excellent play-maker. He has gifted court vision, and fits perfectly with shoot first players like Luke Kennard and Svi Mykhaliliuk. The Pistons young budding star, Christian Wood, I’m sure would be grateful playing with an elite play-maker like Tyrese Halliburton. The biggest question mark with Halliburton, is definitely his questionable jump shot. He shots it from the right side of his body and has a very low release point. It will probably be tough for Halliburton to get off contested threes at the NBA level. But he did shoot well from three as a Sophomore in college (42% on 5.6 attempts a game), so there’s that.
Fit: 7/10
The Pistons will get something they haven’t had at the point guard position in a long time, an elite player-maker and decision-maker with the ball in his hands. He fits perfectly next to Luke Kennard, and has the perfect size for a prototypical point guard in today’s NBA. The only reason, Halliburton isn’t a slam dunk pick or being talked about as a number one overall pick, is because he might not have the ceiling of a high volume scorer in the NBA. At his best Halliburton, will probably be a solid scorer at the NBA level, but he will never be a go to scoring option on a high level team.
2.Killian Hayes
Modern-Day Comparisons: Malcolm Brogdon, Goran Dragic
When talking about the perfect point guard prospect, Hayes is really about all you can ask for. He has really underrated athleticism, good speed and quickness, and has good size at 6’5. It’s honestly hard to find a glaring weaknesses in Hayes’ game, he really has the making of a perfect NBA point guard. He might not be particularly great at anything, but he has shown to be a sound defender who makes good decisions with the ball, and overall just has a good feel for the game.
Fit: 9/10
Hayes has everything you want in a point guard in today’s NBA. He might be a few years away, but I’m fairly confident in saying he will be a very good point guard in this league for a very long time. For Hayes to take that next jump, he will have to find his niche in the NBA, either by becoming a prolific scorer, improving his court vision, or some other unforeseen development in his game. Hayes has been connected to Pistons, rookie Sekou Doumbouya, as both speak fluent French. He really is a home run pick in my opinion and for a team that desperately needs a franchise point guard like the Pistons, Hayes is almost everything you can ask for.
1.LaMelo Ball
Modern-Day Comparisons: Lonzo Ball
Hayes is almost everything you can ask for, expect one thing, you know that thing that few NBA players have. I’m talking about this thing called “Star Power,” and guess what, LaMelo Ball is a star. He gets people talking, he would get Detroit mainstream attention, and would make the Pistons must-see TV. As much as you may like Killian Hayes, he just doesn’t pack the same punch LaMelo would bring, if drafted to the Pistons. I mean seriously, Ball and his agent just purchased the Illawarra Hawks, LaMelo’s own NBL team! We know that dealing with the big baller himself, Lavar Ball could bring some headaches and drama, but what NBA player with true star power doesn’t come with drama.
Fit: 10/10
I know want your saying, we haven’t even talked about this kid’s game yet, is he even good? Let me describe to you a 18 year-old, who is 6’8, can handle the ball and play-make at an elite level, and has the ability to score at all three levels in the NBA. Honestly, there might not be anybody in the NBA you can compare him to. The only real question marks about his game, are his defensive abilities and shooting. Like his older brother Lonzo, LaMelo has not been the high volume shooter fans thought he would be entering the NBA draft. But still, one of Ball’s biggest assets, his length, will allow him to make up for his weaknesses, using it to shoot over smaller point guards, and getting deflections on defense thanks to his long wingspan. LaMelo just has it, the thing only few players in the NBA have. Is he perfect, no, but for a team that has been in the shadows for so many years, he just might be perfect for the Detroit Pistons.
Piston Territory 