Alright, folks, so today I figured I’d dive back into some NBA history, specifically checking out what the Pistons were up to back in the 2017 draft. I’ve got this weird habit of tracking how draft picks actually pan out for teams years later. Feels like looking back at old predictions, you know?
First Step: Remembering the Mess
So, honest first thought? 2017 wasn’t exactly a golden year for the Pistons, right? I kinda remembered it being a bit of a blur. I started by just trying to recall who they even had that year. KCP? Reggie Jackson? Andre Drummond was definitely still around. But rookies? Nada. Blank space. Brain freeze.
I hopped onto my usual spot for old stats – thank goodness for basketball reference sites. Typed in “2017 NBA Draft” and went straight to the Pistons section. Scanning down… boom. Draft night itself felt complicated right off the bat.
Untangling the Deal Stuff
Here’s where it got messy. Right there it said they drafted Luke Kennard. Okay, cool, I remember him! Shooting guard from Duke. But then… it showed another name: D.J. Wilson? From Michigan? Wait, didn’t he play for the Bucks?
I got confused. Took a minute to realize it was one of those draft-night trades. Pistons actually picked D.J. Wilson with the 12th pick. But then, bam, they swapped him right then and there to the Milwaukee Bucks. In return, the Pistons got the guy they really wanted: Luke Kennard, who Milwaukee had just picked at 15th. So basically, Kennard was their guy, but they needed Milwaukee to grab him first because of the trade agreement. Classic draft shenanigans! The pick listed initially was Wilson, but Kennard became the actual rookie joining the Pistons roster.
Finding the Other Rookies
Okay, Kennard settled. But I thought they might have had someone else. Scrolled down past the first round… Second round picks. Oh yeah! Forgot all about this guy.
- Round 2, Pick 37: The Pistons picked this dude named Sindarius Thornwell from South Carolina. Okay, name rang a faint bell… but wait! History showed another trade here too. Pistons didn’t actually keep Thornwell either. They immediately traded him away to the LA Clippers. So, another “draft pick” who never wore a Pistons jersey.
Scanned further down… nothing else for the Pistons. Huh. So, only one actual new rookie actually joining the team from that entire draft. Felt pretty thin.
Checking the Final Spot
Still, wanted to be thorough. I went digging to find the official Pistons roster for the start of the 2017-2018 season. Found it. Looked at the rookie section.
- The One and Only: Yep, Luke Kennard was listed. Position: Guard. That was it. No D.J. Wilson (obviously, traded). No Sindarius Thornwell (traded). Just Kennard as the sole rookie who made it onto that season’s roster from their draft picks.
Checked some preseason reports too, confirmed it. Kennard was literally the only guy they brought in from the draft that year. Everyone else they drafted got shipped out faster than a pizza delivery.
Wrapping It Up
So yeah, put it all together: The Detroit Pistons walked away from the 2017 NBA Draft with exactly one new rookie added to their official roster spot for the upcoming season: Luke Kennard. They had more picks, sure, but those were just chips traded away immediately. Kinda anticlimactic when you look back, but that’s how the cookie crumbled for them that draft night. Kennard carried the “new rookie” banner all by himself that year.
