Thursday was a triumphant day for the Detroit Pistons. They drafted Cade Cunningham first overall, and used three second-round picks on players that general manager Troy Weaver believes strongly in.
On Friday, all four of the Pistons draft picks were introduced to the media. Cunningham, Isaiah Livers, Luka Garza and Balsa Koprivica all took the stage at the Pistons Performance Center alongside Weaver, team owner Tom Gores and head coach Dwane Casey.
It was Weaver s second draft as GM, and he said it was an opportunity to continue what he started a year ago adding high-character players he believes will aid the restoring of the team back to championship contention.
2021 NBA Draft: 5 biggest steals from the night that was clutchpoints.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from clutchpoints.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
New Orleans Pelicans
Grade: A
Analysis: The Pelicans did everything they could with the picks they had. Desperately in need of some defenders and some shooting, New Orleans got a bit of both with its two picks. Murphy is one of the top 3-and-D prospects in this class and his draft stock skyrocketted following the NBA Combine. He s a knockdown shooter, which will space the floor for Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, but he s also a smart cutter, which bodes well for when the defence focuses too much on those two stars. His long arms, IQ and great anticipation make him a sound defender.
Kendrick Perkins on Livers I think he s a guy that could come in and play right away. Juwan Howard has these guys pro ready. I watched him, he s able to get over ball screens defensively. He knows how to run NBA sets. I think he could come off the bench for the Detroit Pistons and do pretty well.
Mike Schmitz on Livers I think he s a rotation player. I think when we look back in three or four years, we ll say man, why didn t Isaiah Livers get more first round looks? It s because he had that injury. If he was healthy, I really think we d be talking about him in the 20s.
Two Hawkeyes selected in NBA draft kcci.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kcci.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.