Stanley, meet Stan.
Stan Van Gundy made his first lottery pick – and last, he hopes – and grabbed Stanley Johnson over the other players grouped with him on the Pistons draft board, including Duke’s Justise Winslow and Kentucky’s Devin Booker.
“We thought he was the best player on the board,” Van Gundy said. “That’s the simple answer.”
The Pistons went into draft night with a gaping hole at small forward and Johnson figures to be a big part of filling it. They’ll still have nearly $19 million in cap space and Van Gundy has said he anticipates finding his starter in free agency, but Johnson will be given every opportunity to compete for the starting job in training camp.