The Detroit Pistons will have the 46th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and there are some intriguing prospects in that range.
The pool of second round and undrafted players just keeps getting deeper every year, as upperclassman and international prospects give teams options outside of the elite guys at the top.
When you see Herbert Jones (second round) and Jose Alvarado (undrafted) playing clutch-time minutes for the Pelicans in the playoffs, it shows that impact players can be found well outside of the lottery.
What you are looking for in the second round is a guy who either has one elite NBA skill already, or someone whose overall game and impact on winning might be overlooked because he is a bit older.
The Detroit Pistons took a flyer on such a player last season in Isaiah Livers, who now looks like a lock for the rotation next season. Livers was not only an upperclassman, but was coming off an injury, so the Pistons were able to get a first-round talent in the second round.
Could Troy Weaver do it again in the 2022 NBA Draft?
Pistons draft: Needs in the second round
The Detroit Pistons had one of the worst offenses in the league this season, so adding shooting and scoring will be a priority.
If the Pistons strike out on the top free agents, they could also use their second-round pick on a big man who can either stretch the floor or protect the rim.
If I had to guess, I’d say the Pistons will take a flyer on another guy like Livers, a versatile wing with size who is a little bit older and might be able to come in and contribute right away.
One such player is junior Jalen Williams out of Santa Clara, who could bolster the Pistons’ scoring and is a guy who could compete for a two-way contact or a spot in the rotation right away.
Detroit Pistons draft: Jalen Williams’ strengths and weaknesses
Jalen Williams is 6-foot-6, 195 lb. small forward from Santa Clara who has a skillset that could benefit the Pistons.
He can score in a variety of ways, shooting 39.6 percent from 3-point range and 51.4 percent overall.
He’s a quality playmaker on the wing who averaged 4.2 assists per game and has a pretty good game off the bounce. He can hit the catch-and-shoot 3-point shot and is also very good at the step-back three off the bounce.
Much like Isaiah Livers, Williams is not an elite athlete, and most scouts think he’ll have to bulk up to be able to defend NBA forwards.
He’s not a great defender, nor rebounder, so Williams would be drafted more as a scoring prospect who could eventually evolve into a 3-and-D guy if he puts on some muscle.
Williams did average 1.2 steals this season and is a smart guy who should be able to fit into a team defensive scheme even if he never becomes an above-average one-on-one defender.
So does he have place on the Detroit Pistons?
How Jalen Williams fits on the Detroit Pistons
It’s no secret that the Pistons need scoring and Williams is a guy who can score. He averaged 18 points per game on 51/39/80 shooting splits, so profiles as a guy who will be able to get buckets off the bench.
He also averaged over four assists and four rebounds per game, so he has a solid all-around skillset that would fit into the versatile bench group Detroit is trying to build.
Like Livers, he is a guy who should be able to knock down the NBA 3-point shot, and if not, keep the ball moving, as he is a good passer who knows how to make a read and the extra pass.
The Pistons have six team options for next season and could decide to let someone like Hamidou Diallo go in exchange for a wing who can provide more shooting.
Williams could provide that shooting, along with another player on the wing who can create his own shot and space for Cade Cunningham to operate.
The Pistons have done well later in the draft and Williams is another guy who fits the mold of a versatile wing who might be better than his draft status.