The Worst Draft Mistakes In Detroit Pistons History: Carmelo Anthony Is Still Their Biggest Nightmare

The Detroit Pistons are one of the most storied franchises in NBA history. Known for their toughness and fiery play style, the Pistons’ history dates back to when they were founded in 1950. The team has won 3 NBA championships in their history during the 1989, 1990, and 2004 seasons. Some of the greatest names in NBA history have made their way through the Motor City, such as Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Grant Hill, Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups, and so much more. Could the Pistons have won more than 3 titles, though?

Much like every team that has participated in the NBA Draft, the Pistons have made some horrible mistakes when it comes to their choices over the past 72 years. They have missed out on Hall of Famers, MVPs, Finals MVPs, and NBA champions. Today, we will break down the choices that have haunted their franchise and sometimes even set them back a few seasons. As we know, the NBA Draft is a game of roulette, after all, and sometimes you can win big, and sometimes you can lose big. The Detroit Pistons have won some, and they have definitely lost some over the years, but not many franchises can say they have 3 NBA championships to their name. This list is not about the triumphs, but it is about the triumphs that could have been.

These are the worst draft mistakes in Detroit Pistons’ history.

Jimmy Walker (1967 NBA Draft) – 1st Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Earl Monroe – 2nd Overall Pick

Another available pick: Walt Frazier – 5th Overall Pick

With the first overall pick in the 1967 NBA draft, the Detroit Pistons selected Jimmy Walker. The team was searching for the next great point guard to lead their team on the court, and Detroit thought Walker was the answer to their issues. Now, Walker ended up making 2 All-Star teams in his Pistons career in 1970 and 1972. He peaked with the Pistons in 1972 when he averaged 21.3 PPG and 4.0 APG. However, 2 other point guards who were taken after Walker went on to become NBA champions on more than one occasion.

Earl Monroe was drafted one pick after Walker and became an ALl-Star almost immediately. He became a 25.0 PPG scorer and an incredible force on the defensive side of the ball as well. In 1973, he helped the Knicks win an NBA championship while Walker began to decline. Also taken after Walker is one of the greatest point guards in NBA history. Walt Frazier was taken with the 5th overall pick by the Knicks. Frazier would go on to help the Knicks win 2 championships in 1970 and 1973 while being named an All-Star7 times. Both Monroe and Frazier would be elected to the Hall Of Fame, while Walker missed out on that honor in his career.

Leon Douglas (1976 NBA Draft) – 4th Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Adrian Dantley – 6th Overall Pick

Another available pick: Robert Parish – 8th Overall Pick

The next draft mistake by the Detroit Pistons came in the 1976 NBA Draft when they chose Leon Douglas with the 4th overall pick. Douglas was a 6’10’’ big man out of Alabam who have been scouted closely by Pistons executives. He would play 4 seasons in Detroit before leaving in free agency for the Kansas City Kings. His best season for Detroit came in 1979 when he averaged 11.9 PPG and 8.5 RPG in 78 games played. Douglas would be out of the NBA by 28 years old and continued his career overseas from there.

Not far behind in the 1976 Draft were 2 future Hall of Famers. First, Adrian Dantley was a scoring machine taken with the 6th pick in 1976 by the Buffalo Braves. By 1980, Dantley would become one of the best scorers in basketball, winning scoring titles in 1981 and 1984. Between 1980 and 1986, Dantley would average 29.6 PPG. Robert Parish was selected with the 8th overall pick and would have been the perfect solution for the Pistons at their center position. Instead, Parish ended up with Boston, where he would form an electric trio with Kevin McHale and Larry Bird to win 3 championships during the 1980s.

Darko Milicic (2003 NBA Draft) – 2nd Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Carmelo Anthony – 3rd Overall Pick

Other available picks: Chris Bosh – 4th Overall Pick, Dwyane Wade – 5th Overall Pick

The next draft mistake is what Pistons General Manager Joe Dumars called the worst mistake in his position. With the 2nd overall pick in 2003, they selected Darko Milicic out of Serbia. It took about 10 games for the Pistons to realize what a horrible mistake they had made as Milicic failed to adjust to the NBA play style. Midway through his 3rd season with the team, Milicic was traded after failing to average more than 2.0 PPG during his first 2 seasons. Milicic is still considered to be one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history.

The following 3 picks in the 2003 NBA Draft have all gone on to have Hall Of Fame careers. Carmelo Anthony is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, and it has been widely speculated and said by many that he would be an NBA champion if he ended up with Detroit, ending all criticisms of his career. Dwyane Wade was a Finals MVP by 2006 as he put the Miami Heat on his back. Wade then won 2 more titles in the 2010s as well. Chris Bosh is also a 2-time NBA champion and one of the great power forwards of the 2000s and 2010s. Each and every one of these 3 guys would have been a far better selection than Milicic.

Greg Monroe (2010 NBA Draft) – 7th Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Paul George – 10th Overall Pick

With the 7th overall pick in 2010, the Pistons selected Greg Monroe out of Georgetown. Monroe would spend his first 5 NBA seasons with the Pistons before becoming a journeyman over the next 7. In his 5 seasons with Detroit, Monroe was actually decent, averaging 14.3 PPG and 9.2 RPG over that time. However, he never became the All-Star that lottery picks are expected to be or even close to the big that the Pistons needed him to be and become a franchise cornerstone.

As for the man chosen 3 spots later, he became one of the best two-way players in basketball. Paul George arrived in Indiana and quickly became their best player. H led the Pacers to multiple Eastern Conference Finals appearances and went toe-to-toe with LeBron James during his Miami Heat years. Since his Indiana days, George has been in MVP conversations and Defensive Player of the Year conversations. He is still one of the better two-way players in the NBA today, while Monroe is nowhere to be found in 2022-23.

Brandon Knight (2011 NBA Draft) – 8th Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Klay Thompson – 11th Overall Pick

In 2011, the Detroit Pistons selected Brandon Knight out of Kentucky. Knight actually had a decent start to his career with the Pistons and Bucks as a double-digit scorer and decent facilitator. Unfortunately for Knight, what most fans remember him for is being viciously posterized by DeAndre Jordan in one of the nastiest dunks in NBA history. Knight would only last 2 seasons in Detroit before having short stints with 5 other teams in his career. In 2021-22, Knight appeared in 5 games for the Dallas Mavericks but has yet to appear in 2022-23.

Selected 3 picks later by the Golden State Warriors is one of the greatest shooters this game has ever seen. Klay Thompson is known for his insane shooting ability and for helping the Golden State Warriors win 4 NBA championships. Thompson has been more than a valuable pick for the Warriors from the 2011 draft with his clutch performances and occasional scoring explosions. Thompson is as accomplished as any 2nd, or 3rd option has ever been, something Brandon Knight has no claim to.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (2013 NBA Draft) – 8th Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Giannis Antetokounmpo – 15th Overall Pick

To be fair, there were over a dozen teams who missed out on the services of Giannis Antetokounmpo 9 years ago. It just so happens that Detroit is one of them. Instead, the Pistons decided to go with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope out of Georgia. Caldwell-Pope spent the first 4 seasons of his career with the Pistons and averaged 11.7 PPG during his time there. Caldwell-Pope is currently with the Denver Nuggets, where he is enjoying a job as the starting shooting guard and averaging 11.3 PPG.

Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo was chosen with the 15th pick in 2003 by the Milwaukee Bucks. Antetokounmpo has developed into the best player in basketball over the past few seasons, winning 2 MVP awards and a Defensive Player of the Year award, among other accolades. He also led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA title since 1971 in 2021, winning the Finals MVP award in the process. Giannis is also the early leader for the MVP award in 2022-23, as he has led the Bucks to a 9-1 start to the season.

Stanley Johnson (2015 NBA Draft) – 8th Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Devin Booker – 13th Overall Pick

When you look at powerhouses in college basketball over the past few years, one of the first schools that comes to mind is Kentucky. That is why it is baffling that the Pistons decided on Stanley Johnson out of Arizona over Devin Booker in the 2015 NBA Draft. Johnson struggled to get acclimated to the NBA, struggling to average double-digits in scoring during his first 3 and a half years with the Pistons. Johnson was then traded to New Orleans and has bounced around a bit more since. He has yet to find a home in 2022-23 despite spending the last season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Devin Booker, on the other hand, has become one of the best overall players in basketball while taking the title of the best shooting guard in the league as well. Booker has had 3 straight All-Star seasons while averaging over 25.5 PPG in the process. In 2021-22, Booker earned his first All-NBA First Team selection when he led the Suns to the best regular season record in their franchise’s history. In 2022-23, Booker has picked up right where he left off as the Suns are 7-3, with Booker averaging 27.1 PPG.

Luke Kennard (2017 NBA Draft) – 12th Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Donovan Mitchell – 13th Overall Pick

I’d like to say that choosing Luke Kennard at 12th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft wasn’t necessarily a bad choice. He enjoyed a solid college career at Duke and is one of the better 3-point shooters in the NBA. The 6’5’’ shooting guard just hasn’t been able to produce at the level of the player chosen right after him, who also happens to play the same position. Kennard has averaged over 10.0 PPG just twice in his career, including a career-high 15.8 PPG in 2020 with the Pistons. He is currently enjoying a spot on a Clippers team who has championship aspirations in the 2022-23 season.

Over the past few seasons, we have seen Donovan Mitchell develop into one of the best shooting guards in basketball. His freak athleticism has given us many highlights worthy of replay while being the focal point of the offense for immensely successful Utah Jazz teams. Well, in the regular season, anyway. Now, in 2022-23, Mitchell has inserted his name into the early season MVP race in his new home with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Through 9 games so far, Mitchell is averaging 31.2 PPG on 50.5% shooting as the Cavs have started the season 8-2. 

Could The Detroit Pistons Have Won More Than 3 Championships With Better Draft Picks?

The short answer is yes. Detroit has missed out on some solid NBA talent over the years in lieu of guys who have not exactly made their mark on NBA history. If we take the Darko Milicic pick, for example, sure, the Pistons won in 2004, but they could have been a dynasty if they had drafted better. Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh could have all been contributing factors on championship teams, especially ones who had it in their DNA already. The same goes for the other picks throughout the Pistons’ history.

Robert Parish was an interior anchor for 3 Celtics championship teams during the 1980s. He could have been a massive upgrade over the likes of Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn. Adrian Dantley would have been the perfect small forward for them during the 80s as well, providing scoring alongside Dumars and Isiah Thomas. The modern-day Pistons would be in much better shape as well. Think about a core of Giannis, Devin Booker, and Paul George for a moment. You tell me which team is stopping that kind of Big 3? The Pistons are one of the original and historic teams in NBA history. Could they have been considered the best if their front office was just a bit more competent?

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