OT: Luka Garza to the Pistons
Not as sure about this one.. Prove me wrong Luka!
He is a good 3pt shooter, so a three and maybe D, lol? The Pistons drafted good 3 point shooters; this will open the floor for Cade and Jerami (?), if not more of our guys.
I'm afraid he is going to get abused on defense. Needed size but I was hoping for a defensive guy like Sims
Petrusev was gone and I was hoping for Sims...but who knows I'm picking with a beer in my hand.
My reasoning is this Pistons already have Isaiah Stewart, so I'm guessing they wanted someone off the bench. Garza has the potential to excel at the role....Think Aaron Baynes. I'm OK with this pick though not overwhelmed.
Edit: and just like that Koprivica was traded to the Pistons and could have had Sims instead with the deal with Charlotte . Not sure about this.
I had a beer in my hand when they drafted Darko which I thought was a bad idea. So I had that going for me.
Pistons had a heckuva draft.
Love the Bulls getting Ayo where they did too
Pistons had a solid draft.
Got a day 1 starter in Cunningham who will probably be a major difference-maker.
Livers will be a good bench guy in another year or so hopefully. I expect he will bounce a bit between the G-League and the NBA at first but that’s fine.
Luka probably will only play a handful of games unless he’s gotten much more athletic and better defensively in the last few months. I could see him bouncing out of the league and going overseas as well but that’s fine with a late pick.
I will be real interested in how Garza does. He has apparently dropped 30 pounds since the elimination game in the tourney, weighing in at 242.8 at the combine. In the embedded interview below, he knows that the knock on his game was his defense and that he has been working to get more mobile/agile. Plus he knows that he isn't going to be posting much in the NBA, even though he's 6'11".
We'll see. The Pistons shipped out Plumlee earlier today, so minutes are going to be up for grabs. I like the pick. He is huge and he can shoot. As long as he's not a horrible defensive liability, he could have a decent career.
And it seems like the guy is willing to work his ass off to improve. What with all the awards he won this year, it's amazing to me that he has done all that he has done to change his body and his game.
https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/iowa/basketball-men/2021/06/24/luka-garza-2021-nba-draft-nba-combine-weight-iowa-hawkeyes-basketball-diet/5329982001/
Aaron Henry and Duane Washington go undrafted…
Bit surprised at Aaron Henry he showed some nice skills off and very athletic
Isaiah and Luka?
Go Pistons! Go Big Ten!
I'd have to think Beilein had some influence on both the Livers and Garza picks.
He's too slow and stiff to play quality defense in the NBA - (which really doesnt matter until the playoffs).
Nice stretch big. I see his ceiling as Brook Lopez which would be great, but Brook seems a bit more athletic and plays solid D - but it's a lot easier with Giannis and Holiday on your squad.
They don't need him to be a lockdown defender.
He can come off the bench and guard the opposing backup big, who likely won't have a great offensive skill set.
I LOVE this pick. I think Garza has so much offensive talent; he can come off the bench and light it up at any moment.
He scored 24 a game and nearly 10 rebounds per game in one of the best conferences in America. That will translate.
I'm viewing him as a super sized Microwave.
I think his ceiling is more of a Mo Speights role as a guy who can come off the bench and get buckets ("Mo Buckets") but can't defend at all so is limited in how often you can play them. Mo parlayed that role into an NBA Championship with the Warriors averaging 24 and 10 per 36 minutes (and 20 shots!) but only played 16 minutes a game.
There is nothing wrong with being an outstanding college player, who isn't a great NBA prospect- though I know the NBA is every college player's dream. Garza reminds me a little bit of Kent Benson, a Piston's pick from years ago.
His eyebrows can eat Anthony Davis’ unibrow...