He went another few drafts before Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo in 2007 – and not much in between – but in the last three years, he has done extremely well. Using the last few drafts, we’ll be taking a look at the Pistons young core of players and best-case projections for each. We’ve already looked at Brandon Knight. Next up is the team’s fifth-year point guard-turned-shooting guard, Rodney Stuckey.

Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

With the “Stuckey as point guard” experiment officially over, it’s time for the fifth-year guard to truly become a scorer for the Pistons. After a career-high of 16.6 points in 2009-10, the former Eastern Washington star has seen his average go down the last two years. Whether that’s because of coaching changes, injuries or simply trying to be something he’s not, Stuckey should see increased numbers in 2012-13.

In addition to his ability to aggressively drive the lane and take contact, he makes the shots he’s given at the charity stripe. He averaged a career-high 5.8 attempts last season, making 83.4%. He also vastly improved his three-point shooting (31.7%, up from 22.8% in 2009), giving him another weapon on offense. His defense has always been solid because of his lateral quickness and athleticism. He’s averaged about one steal every year and about 3-4 rebounds as well.

Best-case scenario: OJ Mayo

Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

After starting in 163 of his first 164 career NBA games, averaging 18 points on 44% shooting, Mayo suddenly became the odd man out in Memphis, starting just 17 games in 2010-11. He wouldn’t start another game for the Grizzlies before leaving for the Mavericks (he did play in all 66 games last year, scoring 12.6 points on 36.4% shooting).

Much like Stuckey, Mayo came into the league with one head coach, got used to their system, then experienced multiple coaching changes. The former USC Trojan saw his best years with Tony Barone and Marc Iavaroni, while Johnny Davis and Lionel Hollins decided Mayo wasn’t what they were looking for at shooting guard. Things didn’t work out much better for Stuckey with Flip Saunders, Michael Curry or John Kuester.

After finally becoming the team’s true shooting guard of the future, however, Stuckey can focus simply on scoring and defense with Brandon Knight now running the offense. If he can replicate the first two seasons that Mayo had, the Pistons will be much better off. It also helps that the team’s head coach Lawrence Frank has the full endorsement of owner Tom Gores, whereas the last two coaches were hired when the team was in a state of flux between owners.

There were moves, however, that didn’t get as much publicity but could still prove integral in the success of several teams next year. Here are the top five:

5. O.J. Mayo – Dallas Mavericks

After averaging 18 points per game on 45% shooting in his first two seasons, Mayo was surprisingly relocated to a bench role with the Grizzlies. He would still go on to average double digit points, but his other statistics suffered across the board. Now that he’ll be the starter in Dallas, Mark Cuban and company should expect some big returns from their free agent pick-up. The guards behind the former USC Trojan are more defensive-minded, so Mayo will likely be asked to take the scoring load off forward Dirk Nowitzki’s back – something that recently departed guard Jason Terry did well for several years. With just four seasons under his belt, Mayo could be a scoring machine for a long time in Dallas.

4. Ryan Anderson – New Orleans Hornets

After losing Chris Kaman to Dallas, Carl Landry to Golden State and Emeka Okafor to Washington, the Hornets had a serious need for size. They had drafted Anthony Davis with their #1 pick, but he’s young and still needs to develop before he can be the franchise center many expect him to be. To combat that, the Hornets traded for 2011′s Most Improved Player, Ryan Anderson. They also signed center Robin Lopez and forward Hakim Warrick from Phoenix, but Anderson is truly the prize of the trading haul for New Orleans. The 6’10”, 240 pound power forward had a career season last year, averaging 16.1 points and 7.7 rebounds. He might not provide much defensive assistance to Anthony, but his three-point shooting ability will stretch the floor for all of his Hornets teammates.

3. Kyle Lowry – Toronto Raptors

With Jerryd Bayless leaving Toronto through free agency and Jose Calderon looking to join a contender, it was extremely important for Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo to provide his core of talented young players – DeMar DeRozan, Jonas Valanciunas, and Andrea Bargnani – with a similarly-skilled point guard. Lowry averaged career highs in points, rebounds, and steals last season, and could tally even more assists with the new talent around him. The former Villanova guard also has extended playoff experience, something that only three current Raptors have; that experience will help him take on a leadership role for his much younger teammates.

2. Antawn Jamison – Los Angeles Lakers

The 6’9” veteran forward may be in his 14th year, but he doesn’t seem to be slowing down. As a starter last season, Jamison averaged 17.2 points and 6.3 assists, while playing in all but one game for the Cavaliers. Alongside standout point guard Kyrie Irving, he was one of the few reasons to even watch Cleveland. In his return to the West Coast, the former Golden State Warrior should provide much-needed low-post scoring for the Lakers, who have lacked interior offense outside of forward Pau Gasol. The other current big men for LA – Josh McRoberts and Jordan Hill – are serviceable, but won’t come close to having the impact that Jamison should in his first season with Kobe and company.

1. Darren Collison – Dallas Mavericks

After missing out on Deron Williams and losing Jason Kidd in free agency, the Mavericks looked to be dead in the water in terms of point guard prospects for next season. Rodrigue Beaubois and newly-drafted Jared Cunningham were the only real possibilities on the roster; that is, until Indiana inexplicably traded Collison and Dahntay Jones to Dallas for little-used center Ian Mahinmi. The third-year guard has averaged 5+ assists in his career, but with a huge upgrade in surrounding talent, he really should have a huge season across the board. With this trade, the Mavericks have completed a total overhaul of their backcourt, forming a young and dynamic backcourt for the foreseeable future.