NBA Today: 4 Teams regretting their 2017 draft choices
The NBA Draft is an unpredictable thing, a sure lock for number one can become a bust overnight, while a late first-rounder can evolve into a two-time NBA Finals MVP, just like Kawhi Leonard.
The only sure thing when it comes to the draft is to know that nothing is a sure thing. Whether it is an injury set back, lack of motivation or a poor attitude from the player, it is almost impossible to tell if the person you draft will become an All-Star, a role player, or be out of the league by the end of his rookie deal.
Today we look at four teams who would love to change their choices in the 2017 NBA Draft.
#4 Detroit Pistons
Pick 12: Luke Kennard (SG)
Pick 13: Donovan Mitchell (SG)
Nobody could have predicted just how good Donovan Mitchell was going to be in his first two seasons in the NBA. He was never projected as a top 10 talent on the draft board so while he is clearly a top-three player in this draft class it would be hard to say people regret not taking him with a top pick as at the time it wasn't even questioned.
That being said, most mock drafts at the time had him sitting between the 12th to 14th pick, with the Detroit Pistons holding the 12th pick in the 2017 draft. While desperately needing a scoring guard, the Pistons selected Luke Kennard from Duke. His two-year college career set him up nicely as he averaged 19.5 points with 43.8% shooting from three. Unfortunately, for Kennard and the Pistons, he has not even come close to Donovan Mitchell's output over the past two seasons.
Kennard has only started 19 games for the Pistons, with most of his 21.3 minutes coming off the bench to achieve an average of 8.6 points per game in his career so far. The thought of Detroit having Mitchell, Griffin, and Drummond in their starting five and not doing so despite having the chance is something they will most likely regret for a long time.