Which top 2022 NBA Draft prospect would fit best on the Detroit Pistons?

I didn’t think we’d be here just 20 games into the Detroit Pistons’ season, but here we are.

After winning just four of their first 20 games, Pistons’ fans are once again looking to the future for hope.

After landing Cade Cunningham with the number one pick last season, the Pistons are once again headed for the top of the lottery unless something changes soon.

This is not completely unexpected, as the Pistons are one of the youngest teams in the NBA, but it is disappointing that they are even worse than last season when they only won 20 games and spent most of the year tanking.

The good news is that the Pistons aren’t tanking, but the bad news is that they are just terrible and don’t have to.

The Detroit Pistons after 20 games

The 20-game mark is always a good time to evaluate a team and there is some level of worry for every guy on the roster.

The Pistons were showing signs of improvement before a brutal nine-game stretch of the schedule pretty much snuffed that out.

This is what a rebuild looks like, as teams that start three 20-year-olds are not going to be good. Look around the league, the 30+ year-olds are still ruling and the Pistons look like little brothers getting stomped on most nights.

The Pistons have the third-worst record in the NBA behind Houston and Orlando, which means it’s unfortunately not too early to start looking at the top guys in the upcoming NBA Draft.

There are two players who are a cut above the rest on most lists of top 2022 NBA prospects and either one would be a welcome addition to Detroit.

Detroit Pistons: Is 2022 NBA Draft prospect Chet Holmgren a fit?

Center Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga is considered to be one of the top two players in the 2022 class if he decides to go to the NBA.

It should first be noted that the Pistons are not in a position to draft for need, so wherever they end up, will take the best player available.

Holmgren is a fascinating talent, as he is a seven footer with guard skills and the physique of a stick man. He is incredibly skinny and is going to get thrown around like a rag doll for few seasons in the NBA.

But there are reasons he is considered a consensus top-2 player right now.

Holmgren is an elite shot blocker who can change every shot in the lane. He also has the ability to block a shot, grab the board, and take it coast to coast for a dunk. Here is a highlight reel of some of his ridiculous plays:

He can block shots, handle the ball, shoot the three and is the prototype of the NBA big man of the future.

Holmgren’s shot blocking would immediately help the Pistons and his addition would allow Detroit to try Isaiah Stewart some at the four or even bring him off the bench, which ultimately may be his destiny.

Holmgren is not a high flyer, so in that regard, he is not necessarily the type of big man the Pistons need, but he makes up for it with a bag of skills and a great instinct for blocking shots.

If the Pistons get one of the top two picks, he’ll be a guy to consider for sure.

Bring Paolo Banchero to the Detroit Pistons please

Right now, the consensus top guy on a lot of boards is Duke power forward Paolo Banchero, whose undefeated Blue Devils recently beat Holmgren’s Bulldogs in what might have been a Final Four preview.

At 6-foot-10, 250 lbs. with jump out of the gym hops, Banchero is exactly the type of athlete the Pistons need right now.

He is already a good defender and projects as a guy who could be elite at the NBA level. He can rebound and shoot the 3-point shot, and is electric in transition where he can finish or set up teammates as he does here:

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1462995214709272580

When you see handles like that it’s hard to believe he is nearly 7-feet tall.

I absolutely LOVE his fit on the Pistons, as he plays with an edge, cares about defense and can score at all three levels, which they desperately need.

He may end up playing the wing in the NBA, which will give him even more of a size advantage and I would love Cade Cunningham to have someone like this to play with, as he can catch lobs, work out of the post, off the bounce or pull up for 3-pointers.

The Pistons picked two pretty good years to be awful, as they have a chance to add another elite young talent to their core.