A first-round playoff series that has the Detroit Pistons on the brink of elimination is perhaps shining a spotlight on a lack of playmakers surrounding star guard Cade Cunningham.
Case in point: Monday night’s 94-88 loss to the Orlando Magic in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference best-of-seven series, in which the Pistons struggled to knock down a field goal in the final 5:24 of the game.
ESPN, in its latest NBA mock draft posted Tuesday, has the Pistons working to address that, selecting Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz at No. 21.
As a senior, the 6-foot-4 Stirtz averaged 19.8 points per game, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals. He shot 35.8% from 3-point range en route to second-team All-Big Ten honors in his first season with Iowa, after transferring from Drake.
“Stirtz helped reaffirm his NBA readiness in March, captaining Iowa to a surprise Elite Eight run,” ESPN draft analyst Jeremy Woo writes. “While his shooting was streakier than anticipated this season, he carried a heavy workload and was asked to create for himself far more than he’ll need to in the pros. His ability to navigate ball screens, limit mistakes and knock down open shots gives him a path to a useful bench role in the right situation, despite the fact that he will enter the league as a 23-year-old rookie.
“Detroit has a need for added shooting around Cade Cunningham and can go several directions at this spot. Stirtz is capable of bolstering the second unit and also adding spacing playing off the Pistons’ various playmaking wings.”
The top half of the NBA draft, to be held June 23-24 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, has yet to be determined, with the draft lottery on tap May 10. The draft undoubtedly will be teeming with prospects with ties to the state of Michigan.
Arkansas point guard Darius Acuff Jr., who helped lead Detroit Cass Tech to its first Division 1 state championship in 2023, is projected to go No. 5 to the Sacramento Kings (ESPN used a “default draft order” for this excercise, based on best odds for landing the top pick). Three players who helped Michigan win a national championship are slotted to go between Nos. 12-20:
▶ Yaxel Lendeborg, forward: No. 12, Oklahoma City Thunder
▶ Aday Mara, center: No. 14, Charlotte Hornets
▶ Morez Johnson Jr., center/forward: No. 20, San Antonio Spurs
Johnson confirmed he is testing the draft waters, declaring for the draft but maintaining his college eligibility. He has until May 27 to decide.
UConn big man Tarris Reed Jr., who played his first two college seasons at Michigan, is projected to go to the Miami Heat in the second round, at No. 41 overall.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: ESPN slots Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz to Detroit Pistons in NBA mock draft