Auburn Hills — In hindsight, Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy seems as satisfied with his decision than he was on draft night, when he selected Luke Kennard with the 12th overall pick. The Pistons also strongly considered guard Donovan Mitchell, who went to the Denver Nuggets with the next pick and was traded to the Utah Jazz on draft night.
Things have worked out pretty well for Mitchell, who has started 37 games for the Jazz (19-28) and is leading all rookies in scoring, at 19.2 points, and adding 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Inevitably, Pistons fans gravitate toward the comparisons between Kennard and Mitchell, ahead of their first meeting on Wednesday.