My Predictions: Detroit Pistons 2013 NBA Draft

Indiana guard, Victor Oladipo has transformed
himself into a lottery NBA draft pick after a highly
productive season for Tom Crean at Indiana.
Picture Courtesy: nba-draft.com

Victor Oladipo went from a player that nobody has heard of prior to this season, to an NBA lottery draft pick, all in one season. Oladipo averaged 13.6 points per game this season for Tom Crean and the Indiana Hoosiers, but it's the defense that makes Victor standout. Oladipo's two steals per game helped earn him the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award as well.

From early February, Oladipo's draft stock has risen significantly. Oladipo can shoot the ball with his 44% from three-point range this season, and defend as well as any player in the draft. These are the reasons why he's such a high prospect on nearly all NBA draft boards.

With the struggling season thus far, the Detroit Pistons are looking for change. The major problem with the off-season, is that the NBA Draft comes before free agency, which leaves questions on how the Pistons will fare in the open market. There are several big names that will be in free agency this season, but can the Pistons get any big names to Detroit?

There are several names popping up in rumors for the Pistons lottery pick coming up on June 27. Names such as UCLA freshman wingman, Shabazz Muhammed, Kansas guard, Ben McLemore, and Oladipo have all popped up. In reality, the Pistons have too many depth issues to focus on one position. The Pistons most likely will grab a small forward or shooting guard due to the anchor of Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond, if they can stay healthy. At point guard, if the team chooses to resign Jose Calderon, that would bolster that position down. I could see the teams second round pick being used on a point guard such as Isaiah Canaan from Murray State, or Lorenzo Brown from NC State.

In the first round, the Pistons have been looking at Anthony Bennett, a six-foot, seven-inch small forward from UNLV. However, I believe they should snatch up the sure thing in Oladipo, due to the lack of competition for UNLV and Bennett. Grabbing Oladipo would solidify the perimeter defense along side of Brandon Knight with down low presences of Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe. Of course, this all depends on who the Pistons resign and who they let go. Jason Maxiell and Jose Calderon are two of the names they need to make a decision on. With Oladipo at shooting guard or small forward, they could go get a backup point guard who can defend and run the transition offense in the second round. Despite all of this talk and smoke in mirrors, one thing is for certain: Joe Dumars and the Pistons need to get this pick right.