Because it's draft season, people have compared the Pistons vs. Kings for the team who ruined more young prospects and had more first round busts.
Let's have a deeper dive here and take a look at their 15 year draft history minus 2024.
Checkmark denote busts.
2009
Pistons: Austin Daye - 15th overall ✓
Kings: Tyreke Evans - 4th overall, Omri Casspi 23rd
Note: Evans was Rookie of the Year in a loaded rookie crop, Casspi unfortunately was always hurt.
2010
Pistons: Greg Monroe - 7th overall
Kings: DeMarcus Cousins - 5th overall
Note: Monroe was serviceable, Cousins was a fantastic pick who never had solid talent around him during his Kings peak.
2011
Pistons: Brandon Knight - 8th overall
Kings: Jimmer Fredette - 10th overall via trade ✓
Note: I'm not exactly sure if Knight busted to give him the checkmark here.
2012
Pistons: Andre Drummond - 9th overall
Kings: Thomas Robinson - 5th overall ✓
Note: Pistons drafted Khris Middleton 39th overall but didn't see anything in him. Robinson was a huge bust, Drummond became an all-star.
2013
Pistons: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - 8th overall
Kings: Ben McLemore - 7th overall ✓
Note: Was KCP drafted expected to do more? He's a role player who finaly found his role in Denver. Ben was a massive bust.
2014
Pistons: No Draft Pick
Kings: Nik Stauskas - 8th overall ✓
Note: They probably expected Nik to do more than he did and adjust to the NBA better. He did not. Bust.
2015
Pistons: Stanley Johnson - 8th overall ✓
Kings: Willie Cauley-Stein - 6th overall ✓
Note: Stanley was a massive bust. Never really understood the game but had to tools to. WCS considering where he was taken was expected to do more. Lean to bust.
2016
Pistons: Henry Ellison - 18th overall
Kings: Marquese Chriss - 8th overall ✓
Note: Ellison was expected to probably do nothing and did exactly that. Chriss was a huge bust for the skills he had, just didn't have it mentally to put it together.
2017
Pistons: Luke Kennard - 12th overall
Kings: De'Aaron Fox - 5th overall
Note: Kennard had a great 3rd season in Detroit and Fox is an all-star.
2018
Pistons: No Pick
Kings: Marvin Bagley - 2nd overall ✓
Note: We all know, a gigantic bust taken ahead of Luka Doncic. A decision as bad as Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan in 1984.
2019
Pistons: Sekou Doumbouya - 15th overall
Kings: No Pick
Note: Nothing was expected of Sekou.
2020
Pistons: Killian Hayes - 7th overall ✓
Kings: Tyrese Haliburton - 12th overall
Note: Hayes was a huge bust, Haliburton is one of the games finest young stars and all-star.
2021
Pistons: Cade Cunningham - 1st overall
Kings: Davion Mitchell - 9th overall ✓
Note: Cade was solid his first year. Unless the Raptors turn him around, I'm going to say bust for Mitchell right now.
2022
Pistons: Jaden Ivey - 5th overall
Kings: Keegan Murray - 4th overall
Note: Monty hated Ivey. Murray is a young star that hopefully Sacramento doesn't move in another trade.
2023
Pistons: Ausar Thompson - 5th overall
Kings: Olivier-Maxence Prosper - 24th overall
Note: By this point a tale of two worlds. Pistons tank for Victor and they get the 5th pick. Kings are competiting at this point so 24th overall picks expect nothing.
Final Bust Scorecard:
Pistons - 3
Kings - 8
Final note: The Kings going with 5 straight busts from 2012-2016 and then one more in 2018 set this franchise back at least a decade. To see them win is again is due to trades and signings, but home grown player development was not a strong suit for the Kings during the 2010's.
I'd love to get the thoughts of
A Little Doo Doo and
hashtagdaley/JudasDay on this trip down memory lane.
Your franchises have had really similar paths and drafted very close to each other for years. One has gotten back to winning and the Pistons are the Pistons.
It was a blast actually sitting down and writing this, hope everyone enjoyed it.