When Russell Westbrook was coming out of UCLA in 2008, few NBA execs saw him as a franchise-changing lottery pick. Troy Weaver, then the assistant GM of the Thunder, was one of the exceptions. Weaver, in the words of Westbrook's then-agent Arn Tellem, believed Westbrook's "incredible competitiveness and athletic ability would make him one of the greats."
So the Thunder drafted Westbrook fourth overall and landed a nine-time All-Star destined for the Hall of Fame. With the fifth overall pick last Thursday, Weaver may have found his Westbrook for the Pistons: Jaden Ivey.
"He has the same physical abilities as Westbrook," Weaver said the morning after the draft on the Stoney & Jansen Show. "Very similar in size, very similar athletes. So yeah, I’ve seen this movie before, and I like the movie. He brings a lot to the table, things in our tool chest that we didn’t have. We’re excited about the talent and the competitive spirit that’s very similar to what Russel Westbrook had."
Ivey had higher draft stock than Westbrook, even if he went one pick later. He was widely considered one of the top four players in his class, but fell to Detroit when it became clear he didn't want to play for the team with the No. 4 pick: Sacramento. The Pistons never thought twice about drafting him. He has the lightning-like quickness to form an elite backcourt next to the more patient Cade Cunningham. If Cunningham probes, Ivey explodes.
"His speed is electric, he’s an elite competitor," said Weaver. "When you build your team, you try to fill holes. We needed some speed in the backcourt that could create some easy buckets, and we think he’ll do that for us."
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In his prime, did anyone create more easy buckets than Westbrook? And while we're doing comparisons, ESPN's Jay Bilas said Ivey has "Ja Morant-type speed with Dwyane Wade-type length." Between Ivey and fellow lottery pick Jalen Duren, Weaver said the Pistons "got the two best athletes in the draft." Duren, acquired in a three-team draft-night trade, gives Detroit a 6'11 rim-running 18-year-old who can anchor the team's frontcourt for the foreseeable future.
"He has elite physical tools with his length, great hands, physicality," Weaver said. "He projects to be a big-time rebounder and shot blocker. His passing is really underrated. I don’t think he gets enough credit for his passing feel. We have high hopes for him. He has huge upside and we’ll make sure we grow him the right way."
The youngest player in the draft, Duren might not make the same immediate impact as Ivey. And even Ivey will experience growing pains as he adjusts to the NBA. He does need to improve as a shooter. Then again, they once said the same thing about Westbrook. His career 30-percent mark from three didn't stop him from becoming one of the best players of his generation. Ivey shot 36 percent from three last season at Purdue; Westbrook shot about 34 percent in his final season at UCLA.
The Pistons were the NBA's second worst three point-shooting team last season, checking in at about 33 percent. Weaver said improving that mark "will be at the top of our list" of priorities in free agency. At the same time, he believes both Ivey and Duren "help our shooting in a different way."
"The speed that Ivey can bring to the floor and create easy buckets gives us more easy opportunities from the three-point line, and then the pressure that Jaren can put on the rim. You want to create easy shots, open three-point shooting," Weaver said. "Definitely want to continue to add shooting to the group, but there’s different ways to get those percentages up."
What ultimately matters is getting the Pistons' winning percentage up. That's what Ivey and Duren can do for Detroit, just like Westbrook did for Oklahoma City starting in 2008.
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