2022 NBA Mock draft: Detroit Pistons land #1 pick again
The Detroit Pistons would love nothing more than to speed up their restoration by landing the number one pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Luck was on their side last season, when they were able to secure the top pick and select Cade Cunningham, who is now the focal point of the rebuild.
Getting him a second potential start to pair with early in his career would be ideal, as the Detroit Pistons already have several of the other pieces teams need to be good.
It appears as though the bottom three teams in the league are pretty much locked in, as the Magic, Pistons and Rockets are separated by at least 3.5 games from the next closest team.
In the last 2022 NBA Mock draft, we looked at the worst-case scenario, but in this one, we’ll take a look at what could happen if the Detroit Pistons land the number one pick for the second year in a row.
2022 NBA Mock Draft: Detroit Pistons land pick #1
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Forward/Center. 1. player. 64. Gonzaga / Detroit Pistons. Chet Holmgren
I don’t think the Detroit Pistons could go wrong by taking any of the top three guys, as all are talented and fill a potential need.
But it’s hard to overlook what Holmgren has been doing lately, and the fact that he has the potential to be the NBA’s next unicorn player.
Related Story. Cade Cunningham is a big fan of this 2022 NBA Draft prospect. light
He is the best rim protector in the draft, can run the floor, handle the ball, shoots 43 percent from 3-point range and has an insane true shooting percentage of 71.3 percent, which would be an NCAA record for efficiency.
The only real weakness in Holmgren’s game are his thin frame and the fact that Gonzaga plays in a weaker conference. Of course, people said Kevin Durant was too skinny too, how did that work out?
When you see the impact Evan Mobley has had on the Cavaliers in terms of defense, it’s easy to see why the Detroit Pistons would be intrigued with Holmgren, as he is an eraser at the rim, can spread the floor and would fit perfectly with what they already have even if they trade Jerami Grant in the offseason.
There is still plenty of time for this to change and the number one pick may just come down to which of the top three performs best in the NCAA tournament. I would also keep the eye on the Detroit Pistons as a team that could trade out of this spot if they get it.
If some other team really wanted one of the top-3 picks over the others, the Detroit Pistons could trade down, still get one of them and grab some additional assets, which I do think is a possibility.