ESPN slots Big Ten star to Detroit Pistons in latest NBA mock draft

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.

Guard Bennett Stirtz averaged 19.8 points in his lone season at Iowa.

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.