The Pistons will pick fifth in the 2022 NBA Draft. Here's how I'd rank the options.
Well, at least they got the top pick last year.
Tuesday night was a bit of a bummer for Detroit Pistons fans. A dong punch, if you will. The Pistons, who finished with the league’s third-worst record, slid to the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
In a class that most believe only has four elite prospects, it hurts.
The Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings will pick in front of Detroit in that order. Some combination of Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith – the three elite forwards/centers in the class – will be gone.
Big men that can stretch the floor consistently are still hard to find. It sucks that the Pistons won’t have a shot at a blue-chip one. This would hurt a lot more if they had not won the lottery and grabbed what appears to be a superstar in guard Cade Cunningham last year.
The hardest part of the rebuild is over. You have your star to build around. But general manager Troy Weaver’s job just got a bit tougher. In a lot of ways, this is his biggest test yet. If things break right, this will be the last time in a while that the Pistons pick this high.
You have to hit on this one.
There is some comfort in knowing that the Kings will likely do something stupid ahead of Detroit at No. 4. They are one of the most nothing franchises in sports and frequently pick this high for a reason. Stupidity can never be ruled out.
Holmgren, Smith, and Banchero will be gone. Those three comprise what would have been my top three on the board in that order. Barring some sort of insane turn of events, none are options for Detroit.
Here is what my Pistons’ wish list looks like now:
1. Jaden Ivey, guard, Purdue
The goal of this draft is to find a second banana to Cunningham and I love the idea of adding Ivey to the Pistons’ backcourt. A lot of what he does reminds me of Donovan Mitchell as it pertains to the way he creates offense and the elite athleticism. He can also play both on and off the ball, which adds to what you can do with your lineup combos. He is one of the most athletic drivers I’ve seen play in the Big Ten in a long time and he is a threat whether the ball is in his hands or not. Consistency is the biggest thing holding him back, and sometimes it seems like he floats on both ends of the floor. That might not exactly fit the franchise’s culture, but his skill-set is worth the gamble.
2. Shaedon Sharpe, guard, Kentucky
Sharpe is the draft’s biggest mystery. He should have been a senior in high school this year but reclassified and joined Kentucky a year early. Then, he did not play at all, electing to sit out and prepare for the draft. Whoever selects him is going to have to be patient because he is essentially jumping two levels of basketball.
However, he might have the most upside of *any* player in this draft, including the big three at the top. Sharpe is a shotmaker and score-first guy, but also showed an ability in high school to get his teammates involved. He is streaky offensively and his shot selection needs work, but he also should be preparing for his senior prom right now. Of the options on the board, Sharpe might be the only guy that has a shot to be as big a star as Cunningham is.
3. Keegan Murray, forward, Iowa
He is older (will be 22 this year) and “safer” than most prospects and is not the most athletic guy by a wide margin. But man, this guy just plays like a veteran and has a great feel for the game. He is versatile defensively and his instincts and IQ should make him a starting-caliber forward in the NBA. He also brings it on both ends of the floor from an effort perspective and shot 38% from three last season at Iowa. He seems tailor-made to step into the Jerami Grant role should the Pistons trade him and think he could be a solid 15 points per game scorer with defensive upside in the NBA.
4. Bennedict Mathurin, guard, Arizona
Things drop off after the three guys above in that second tier, but Mathurin is someone I’d have been more interested in had the Pistons slid to seventh. He was a 41.8% three-point shooter last year and he is uber-athletic. However, he is careless with the basketball, has a ton of lapses defensively, and doesn’t seem to have much of a scoring touch inside. The combination of athleticism and knockdown shot-making would only be amplified by Cunningham’s presence. But at 5? No thanks.
So who will it be?
My money is on Murray to be the pick. James Edwards III of The Athletic has mentioned before he has fans in the Pistons organization. He also just seems like a culture fit and a pretty safe bet to be a quality NBA forward, even if he is not a perennial All-Star. Something tells me Sharpe might rank over Ivey on their board, even if that is not the way I’d set it up.
The Pistons could do much worse than adding a Tobias Harris-esque player to their young core, but they certainly can do better. This is where Weaver has to put his stamp on his rebuild in the Motor City. He got the most difficult piece out of the way when he struck gold for Cade last year.
This can be a play-in team next year. Cunningham is a legitimate star and will be improved. Saddiq Bey might already be the Robin to Cade’s Batman. Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes look like they can be part of this core, but whether it is as starters or role players is to be determined.
The organization has a lot going for them and seems ready to hit accelerate on this restoration. It is also possible they might see themselves as still a year away. We will find out on draft night what the plan looks like. Do you swing big with Sharpe? Do you go safe with Murray? Are you spending money in free agency this year?
Time will tell, but it does suck on paper to miss on the top three in this draft. But this is why front offices earn their money.
Go find a piece and bring back Detroit Basketball.