Calabro: Pistons a good fit for Seattle’s Peyton Siva

By Cameron Van Til
Special to 710Sports.com

Seattle has gained a reputation over the years as being a basketball hotbed thanks to a slew of local stars like Jamal Crawford, Brandon Roy, Jason Terry and Nate Robinson that have made it to the NBA.

Now one more product of the Emerald City can be added to the list.

Peyton Siva, who starred at Franklin High School in Seattle and then Louisville, was drafted by the Detroit Pistons. (AP)

Fresh off of leading the Louisville Cardinals to a national championship as their starting point guard, former Franklin High School star Peyton Siva was drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the 56th overall pick in the NBA Draft.

Although Siva was one of the last five selections in the 60-pick draft and was chosen by a team that finished 29-53 this past season, the Pistons may be a great fit for him. Two of Detroit’s point guards – Jose Calderon and Will Bynum – are unrestricted free agents this offseason, which could leave the team thin at the position.

“Things may open up for [Siva],” Kevin Calabro told “Wyman, Mike and Moore” on Monday in reference to the Pistons’ point-guard situation. “This could be a very good opportunity for him with a young club.”

Siva had a decorated career at Louisville, where in the past two seasons he led the Cardinals to back-to-back Final Four appearances and was named the Big East tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in consecutive years. Siva averaged 10 points and 5.7 assists per game as a senior this past season and scored 18 points in Louisville’s victory over Michigan in the NCAA title game.

At 6 feet tall, Siva is a little bit shorter than the typical NBA point guard. But just last season another point guard with Seattle ties – 5-foot-9 University of Washington product Isaiah Thomas – proved that an undersized player can have success in the NBA.

“As Isaiah Thomas certainly demonstrated, size should not be a deterrent to anybody in the league,” Calabro said. “But Isaiah was a terrific shooter coming out of college, certainly something I think that Peyton Siva needs to improve on and he knows that.”

Siva’s jump shot is a weakness in his game, as evidenced by his career 29.1 three-point percentage at Louisville. However, Siva has made major strides at the free-throw line, improving his percentage each season and shooting 86.7 percent from the line as a senior after making just 61 percent his freshman season.

“I think he’s a terrific young player,” Calabro said. “I think he needs to improve his range … but boy can he get to the rim.”