AUBURN HILLS -- The Detroit Pistons still haven't had their date with draft karma.
In a draft lottery that stayed true to form until the final four picks, the Pistons stayed with the 8th selection, ending their dreams of adding Kentucky power forward Karl-Anthony Towns to a frontcourt with Andre Drummond.
Pistons general manager Jeff Bower, who represented the team at the lottery, said missing out on a top-3 pick doesn't ruin the day.
"We knew what the odds were starting at number eight, and we got what the odds said we would get," he said. "This is when the draft starts getting fun, because now we know where we will be picking and who will be picking ahead of us.
"Today is when you can start making serious plans."
Instead of Towns, the Pistons will probably be looking to fill a hole at small forward. They would love to get Duke's Justise Winslow, who starred in the NCAA tournament, but are more likely to end up with Arizona's Stanley Johnson or Croatian Mario Hezonja, who spent the last two seasons with Barcelona in the Spanish league.
Hezonja is probably the more ready of the two to step immediately into an NBA rotation because of his European experience. He played 53 games last season, between the Spanish league and the EuroLeague, and showed the ability to shoot 3-pointers that Stan Van Gundy's offense needs.
At 6'8", he's also taller than Johnson, who only measured 6-foot-5 at the combine. Johnson, though, is much stronger, and is more of a threat to get to the basket. Depending on what the Pistons do to replace Greg Monroe, assuming he leaves as is widely expected, Johnson's length and strength could make him a more interesting prospect.
Another possibility would be a slight reach for Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky. Most mock drafts have Kaminsky outside the top 10 due to concerns about his strength as a power forward, but as a true 7-footer with 3-point range, he would add a new dimension to Detroit's offense.
"Shooting has changed the way the game is played, and we're certainly no exception," Bower said. "With the inside presence we have from Andre and the driving ability we showed last year, it will do great things if we can spread the floor with shooters. That opens up things inside and it opens up driving lanes."
