There hasn’t been a lot of positive vibes coming out of the Detroit Pistons organization in 2017. Out of a seemingly unlikely source, one NBA prospect decided to give Pistons fans something to finally feel good about.
Sophomore guard Donovan Mitchell from Louisville had a lot to say about the Detroit Pistons organization.
The Detroit Free Press captured Mitchell’s comments on the Pistons organization:
“I know the organization is great,” Mitchell said. “I know in the postseason (in 2016) they played the Cleveland Cavaliers tough in the playoffs.”
“They’re a great organization with great guards,” he said. “They’re all relatively young, but not really young. Maybe they can add that defensive piece and also knock down open shots.”
Mitchell also made it plainly clear that he intends on sticking to parts of the game that Detroit fans take very seriously.
“I’m willing to defend,” Mitchell said. “A lot of guys don’t have that willingness to defend. As a guard who’s undersized, everybody says I’m undersized, but I’m able to defend. I’m a willing defender.”
The latest mock draft projections courtesy of DraftExpress have Mitchell slated being selected by the Pistons with the No. 12 overall pick in the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft. His numbers at Louisville this past season as a sophomore increased dramatically from his freshman campaign.
With the Cardinals in 2016-17, the 6-foot-3 Mitchell averaged 15.6 points per game to lead the team along with nearly 5.0 rebounds per contest, while seeing over 32 minutes of action per game.
Another interesting note about DraftExpress’ latest mock is that Mitchell would be the first American collegiate player taken off the board that isn’t a freshman. 10 of the first 11 picks are projected to be one-and-done players. The outlier is 18-year-old Frank Ntilikina, a Belgian-born guard who playing professionally in France this past season.
