Stan Van Gundy Admits He Should Have Drafted Devin Booker

Making the right choice when it comes to the NBA Draft isn’t always an exact science. There have been several number one picks who have not panned out as expected, and there have been numerous second-round picks that should have gone much earlier than they did. Even the best scouts, GMs, and coaches have made mistakes when it comes to selecting the right rookie for their team. In the case of Stan Van Gundy, the former President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach of the Detroit Pistons, he admits that he would love to have been able to take a mulligan for the 2015 Draft. 

Holding a dual role with the team, Van Gundy selected Arizona Wildcats freshman forward Stanley Johnson with the eighth pick over Kentucky Wildcats one-and-done guard Devin Booker, who ultimately went thirteenth to the Phoenix Suns. To be fair to Van Gundy, aside from possibly the Minnesota Timberwolves, who took Karl-Anthony Towns with the first overall pick, all of the other teams leading up to the Suns' pick should have been kicking themselves as well. 

At the time, Van Gundy’s thinking wasn’t far off, as the team already had Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope manning the backcourt, and the Pistons needed a versatile defender at the small forward position. 

Johnson averaged a forgettable 7.1 points over four seasons in Detroit before bouncing around the league and eventually heading overseas. Meanwhile, Booker transformed into a four-time All-Star and the Suns' all-time leading scorer.

What makes Van Gundy's admission so refreshing is his complete lack of defensiveness. Speaking on Zach Lowe's podcast, he didn't hide behind the fact that eleven other teams also passed on Booker. He didn't point to Johnson's draft hype or Booker's limited role at Kentucky. Instead, he offered perhaps the most brutally honest assessment you'll hear from someone in his position: "If I drafted him in Detroit, I might still be coaching."

That's the thing about draft mistakes: they can impact the team for years to come. Van Gundy's Pistons never made it past the first round during his tenure. He was fired in 2018 after back-to-back playoff misses. And as Van Gundy himself notes, he passed on Booker and then two years later selected Luke Kennard over Donovan Mitchell, which is why he's now broadcasting instead of coaching.

In a league where executives often deflect blame or rationalize failures, Van Gundy owns his mistakes completely. Sure, he's now comfortable in his broadcasting role, but that self-awareness, that willingness to kick himself, literally, for past decisions, reveals something deeper about the weight these choices carry.

The Pistons eventually found their franchise player in Cade Cunningham. But somewhere in an alternate universe, there's a version of Detroit with prime Devin Booker, and Stan Van Gundy is still roaming the sidelines.