With the 33rd pick in the NBA Draft – The Detroit Pistons select…

by | Jun 23, 2011 | 18 comments

Kyle Singler, forward from the Duke Blue Devils.

If I had to pick a word to describe Singler, it’d be “winner”.  If I could go a step further to describe Singler’s playing style, I’d say he plays like a “Coach’s son”.

Singler tries to do all of the things that you want your superstar player to do.  He dives on the floor for loose balls, he doesn’t back down from competition, he sticks his nose in where it doesn’t always belong, and he takes charges.  He’s your typical Duke Blue Devil.  He’s been taught proper fundamentals by Coach K, and he knows how to play as part of a team.

For a team that is now preaching to get back to its roots, picking Singler is a solid start.  Singler will not do anything that blows you away, his athleticism will limit his overall effectiveness.  He was drafted solely on the fact that he is a winner, and he is a “glue guy”.  Singler will have to “go to work” night in and night out, or he’ll be out of the league.  He is not able to just get by on talent and he definitely won’t skip a shootaround or participate in buffoonery.

Some measurables:

6’8.5 in shoes, 6’10 wingspan, 30″ vertical, 10 percent body fat, 10 reps (at 185, same amount as Knight), and 3.25 second 3/4 court run.

His best statistical year was his freshman year, and each year after that his numbers got worse before improving slightly last year.  Singler was a part of the 2010 NCAA Final Four Championship team.

Again, Singler doesn’t do much of anything particularly well.  That’s not a knock against him.  The stat heads are obviously freaking out about this pick, because Singler does not offer much upside in comparison to the other players that are remaining on the board.  Singler is the type of player that helps the players around him by simply doing what he does best, hustling and playing smart basketball.

18 Comments

  1. BeEz419

    Don’t really know what to say besides Wow did not see this coming, me cheering Singular. For four years I have had a strong hatred for him and the Duke Gaydevils. What to do…

    Reply
  2. Jake

    Not a fan of this pick might have somn to do
    With me being a Kentucky fan

    Reply
  3. John

    Kyle Singler???

    Tell me How Duke player fair in the NBA since the beginning of time??? And we draft one???

    Tyler Honeycutt has more skills and talent. UCLA players numbers are surpressed because of the system they play in, a tuff brand of basketball.

    But they fair better when they play in the NBA because it’s more free flowing…

    THIS IS A HORRIBLE PICK!!!!

    Reply
    • Eric

      Don’t forget we Drafted Grant Hill

      Reply
      • John

        Like I said…

        How Duke players fair in the NBA since the beginning of time???

        You Cite…. ONE???

        Reply
        • hazen

          mike gminski i do believe is the only dukie to win an nba championship. remember college ball fans, when you are a piston fan for life, you dont care where the player played. i hate the softy austin daye. he went to gonzaga. i went to washington state. 70 miles apart. i hate the bulldogs. he is the superstar of soft. but he is a piston now. i have to root for him somehow. even chuckie v and b. gordon. i hate em both. but once a piston, root for em. we had to root for iverson right?

          Reply
      • hazen

        and singed free agent forward, christian laettner

        Reply
        • John

          I’m sorry i disagree…

          I have no duke “hate” i’m simple pointing out the fact that “duke” players…

          DO NOTHING IN THE LEAGUE!!!!

          That’s my problem. A wasted pick on a player in a program that produces…

          NO GOOD PRO BALL PLAYERS!!!

          THIS IS WHAT I HATE A WASTED PICK!!!

          NOT DUKE!!!

          Reply
          • greg

            ….Shane Battier?

            Reply
            • John

              ???

              WoW what a star!!!

              HE’S A ROLE PLAYER!!!

              C’MON MAN…

              Boozer is the only one i can think of that has done anything out of Duke and that’s not saying much…

              Other than that their this tremendous fog to pinpoint anybody else who came out of Duke that has played at a high level in the NBA…

              DUKE PLAYERS HAVE PROVEN THAT!!!

              THAT IS WITHOUT QUESTION!!!

              There’s no “hate” here…

              Duke players haven’t proven they can play at the NBA level with distinction. It’s a fact, and they should have gone a different direction at 33…

              PERIOD…

              I’m fine with the other two picks. Not with this one. Not because it “kyle singler” it’s because of the track record of Duke putting out sub-par to No-par NBA talent for years…

              THAT’S WHY…

              Reply
  4. seattlepistonsfan

    Kyle Singler is a guy who has been in the basketball elite since high school. He was highlighted in the documentary “Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot” in 2008, where he competed with the likes of Jerryd Bayless, Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Tyreke Evans, Donte Green, Brandon Jennings, JJ Hickson, Lance Stephenson and others. If the other guys NBA playing ability is any indicator, he’ll fit right in as a solid roll player with a winning mentality. I love the pick, and I’m frankly surprised he was still on the board, scouts put too much emphasis on athleticism, this guy is a gym rat who will bring a winning mentality back to the D.

    Reply
    • junior

      Role*

      Reply
      • John

        He’s going to role out the league…

        ALMOST ALL DUKE PLAYERS DO…

        Reply
        • hazen

          he is tougher than austin daye or chuckie v or b gordon

          Reply
  5. MrRockinWTB

    He’s a poor man’s Shane Battier! LOL Oh well I don’t expect us to improve at all this year. No Rip, No Tay, No T-Mac, possibly No Wallace. We’ll be picking Top 5 next year! So I guess that’s a bright spot!

    Reply
  6. The Duke

    I’m pretty happy with the pick! Singler is a boss!

    Reply
  7. edt

    Singler is not that good, he’s missing the athleticism you need at small forward to be a defensive stopper, while he can shoot, he will be the worst shooting small forward on the pistons, I don’t see him staying in the NBA. Everyone that likes Singler seems to like his intangibles like his hustle, basketball iq or leadership on the floor. That stuff works in college in the NBA you have to be an athlete in addition to all the rest.

    On the plus side, he got 4 good years of college and will have a career outside of basketball.

    Reply
  8. Pat-Rick

    I’m sorry are we expecting our second round draft pick to be an all-nba level talent? Last time i checked that doesn’t happen very often. Say what you want about Duke players not being able to hack it in the L, but this guy is a 2nd rounder and might be able to play right away if we lose some players this off season.

    Reply

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