The Detroit Pistons own the 46th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft to go along with their top-7 lottery pick.
With the draft lottery coming soon, the Pistons won’t have to wait long to find out if their 23-win season will pay off with a top-3 pick.
They have a number of needs they could try to address in the 2nd round, as the Pistons could look for a shooter, another wing defender or a third center to bolster their big-man depth with someone who can block shots or spread the floor.
Today we’ll look at a shooting guard prospect who has the makeup of a first-round pick but could slip to the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft.
Pistons draft: Bryce McGowens’ strengths and weaknesses
Bryce McGowans has the look of a first-round pick, as he is a 6-foot-7 shooting guard coming off a promising season for Nebraska.
He averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game for the Cornhuskers in his freshman season, putting up a few big games along the way.
McGowens only shot 27.4 percent from 3-point range this season on 4.7 attempts per game, but profiles as a guy whose shot will improve, as he shoots 83.1 percent from the free-throw line.
And McGowens is adept at getting there, as he averaged 6.3 free-throw attempts per game as he has a sneaky-good dribble drive game and uses his length to snake to the rim.
He needs to put on a lot of strength and definitely needs to improve as a perimeter shooter, but he had a very high usage rate for Nebraska this season, so should be more of a scorer off the ball in the NBA and a guy who gets out in transition.
He’s a very good athlete who can finish in transition (as you can see from these highlights) but will need to improve his shot selection and accuracy, especially from long range.
It’s very possible that he’ll already be gone by the time the Detroit Pistons choose at 46th, as many believe he is a first-round talent who could develop into a quality NBA player, so if he is there, the Pistons will give him a look.
2022 NBA Draft: How Bryce McGowens fits with the Pistons
The Detroit Pistons could end up walking away from Frank Jackson and Hamidou Diallo, in which case they could use an upgrade of talent and size on the wing.
McGowens could come off the bench and be a scoring option next to Killian Hayes, as McGowens is a good cutter who could benefit from having a point guard who can get him the ball.
He’d potentially be cheaper than Frank Jackson, while providing more size and upside, though Jackson is far more proven as a shooter.
Depending on where their lottery pick falls, the Pistons may end up taking a guard in the first round, in which case it would make more sense to go after a more versatile wing or big man in the second.
But Troy Weaver has an eye for undervalued talent and if McGowens is there, he might feel he is one that is too good to pass up.
You can catch up on our entire second-round draft series here.