One player who found out how uncertain the NBA Draft can be was North Texas product Tony Mitchell. The 6-foot-9 off guard who entered the draft after his sophomore season with the Mean Green and was projected by many to go late in the first round of Thursday’s 2013 draft.
However, the first round came and went and the now former UNT star was still waiting to hear his name called. Of course, he had hoped to go in the first round and hear his name called by outgoing NBA commissioner David Stern, who was participating in his final draft before leaving his post in Feb. 2014, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
Word has it that many teams were a bit put off by the fact that Mitchell’s numbers of 13 points and 8.5 rebounds as a sophomore in Denton were down a bit from where they were when he was a true freshman and averaged 14.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
Mitchell earned a lot of pub after such a stellar freshman campaign and many thought it was a lock that he’d be a lottery pick should he even come close to duplicating those numbers as a sophomore. Unfortunately for him, he did not even come close but declared for the draft anyway and as the picks ticked away late in the first round and early in the second, he was still waiting, at least until No. 37 when the Pistons took him.
And even if he did have to wait to hear his name called until the second round and with it being current NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver and not Stern calling his name, it was still good to see Mitchell, who was in attendance at the draft, on stage at Barclays Center and shaking Silver’s hand after he was picked.
Who knows? Maybe the former UNT star will use dropping to pick 37 as some motivation not only possibly during the Summer League but heading into preseason and his first year in the Association.
There’s no doubting the athleticism and talent the former Mean Green standout has and he will definitely get a shot in the Motor City as the Pistons currently have 10 players under contract, a new head coach in Maurice Cheeks and haven’t made the NBA Playoffs in four consecutive seasons. Add in a recent change in ownership and it’s clear the winds of change are blowing in Auburn Hills and maybe an athletic young talent like Mitchell could be an asset for the Pistons going forward, just maybe.
