Wednesday, July 3, 2013

New Motors: Peyton Siva

Peyton Siva   |   Senior PG   |   Louisville
6'1", 181 lbs6'3" wingspan7'9" standing reach
3.5-8.6 FG (40.4%)  2.1 assists/TO ratio  2.3 steals/game

When you get into the final few picks of the NBA draft, all of those four- and five-year seniors with "a winning pedigree" start coming off the board. Enter Peyton Siva, drafted by the Pistons 56th overall. Manic University of Michigan fans were convinced Joe Dumars had a personal vendetta against them by passing on Trey Burke and drafting the point guard of the National Championship-winning Louisville team, but with a position of need unfilled in the draft, taking a flier on Siva was the most prudent move. Chances are slim--albeit growing--that Siva makes the Pistons final roster, though, as roster crunch and an influx of point guards will make it hard for him to tender and offer.

Siva spent four years at Louisville as a defensive stopper. Rick Pitino's vaunted full-court press was largely effective because of Siva's on-ball pressure. Throughout his career, Siva averaged no less than 2.1 steals per 40 minutes, topping out at 3.6 steals per 40 minutes as a rarely used freshman and 2.9 steals per 40 minutes as a senior. Though Siva's on-ball defense is impressive, his presence as the primary on-ball defender on a high-pressure defense bolstered those numbers. Their defensive numbers are somewhat comparable, but Siva is not Avery Bradley.

Siva's offensive struggles cannot go unmentioned. He never scored more than 10 points per game and had his best offensive season as a sophomore (14.2 points per 40 minutes). And with an assist/TO ratio that only exceeded 2/1 during one season (his senior year, he posted a 2.15/1 A/TO mark), Siva isn't even a dynamic passer. Moreover, during his final two years, he barely broke 40% FG.

Siva's offensive woes and defensive prowess are well documented, and at 56th overall, he was worth a look because of his potential as an on-ball defender. Making the team will be a difficult process. The Pistons still have Brandon Knight under contract, will likely sign Will Bynum to a small deal, and are still pursuing Jose Calderon, among other free agent PGs. With the Pistons significant roster crunch, signing a fourth point guard--especially one who is so obviously limited--is unlikely. The Pistons may try and move Siva to a team looking to free up cap space or cut him outright, but the chances that Siva makes the team's roster at the start of the season are slim. They are improving with the potential of shipping out Rodney Stuckey and Charlie V for Rudy Gay, however.

With the possibility of not signing Siva, Joe Dumars is probably due for some criticism. Though Siva isn't a terrible pick at that spot in the draft, his inability to field a roster spot should have pushed Dumars to gamble on an international prospect that could have been stashed overseas. Janis Timma and Bojan Dubljevic were both taken after Siva on draft night and could have been players the Pistons watched develop. With plenty of other international prospects still undrafted, taking one of them over Siva would have been prudent. It's unlikely that any of those international players would ever make the Pistons--or any NBA--roster, but the ability to wait and see while owning the rights of a prospect are better than potentially dumping Siva before the season starts.

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