The Detroit Pistons will have two picks in the 2022 NBA Draft, a top-7 lottery selection and the 46th pick, which falls in the second round.
Second-round draft prospects are long shots, though the Pistons look to have landed a good one in Isaiah Livers and hope to do the same this year.
Gonzaga is a team that has several pro prospects, including potential number one pick Chet Holmgren, who has gotten most of the national attention.
But they also have a sophomore shooting guard in Julian Strawther who has declared for the draft and is projected to go in the mid to late second round.
He’s an interesting prospect who might be a fit on the Detroit Pistons.
Pistons draft: Julian Strawther’s strengths and weaknesses
Julian Strawther has great size at 6-foot-7, 205 lbs. and is a very good athlete who scored 11.8 points and added 5.4 rebounds as one of the secondary scoring options for Gonzaga.
He shot 36.5 percent from long range on 4.6 attempts per game, though his jump shot definitely needs some work, as he was fairly inconsistent shooting the ball this season. He’d score 20 points one game only to have four the next.
But he is a guy who can score from all over the place, rebounds his position well and is a pretty good defender.
He might not be quick enough to stick with two-guards in the NBA, but he should be able to adequately defend a couple of spots on the perimeter.
His size is an advantage on the offensive end, where he uses his strength to get to his spots and can shoot over smaller guards.
He has a pretty quick and clean release on his 3-point shot and already has NBA range, as you can see from these highlights.
Versatile wing players who can shoot will always find jobs in the NBA, but is he a fit on the Detroit Pistons?
2022 NBA Draft: Julian Strawther’s fit on the Detroit Pistons
I think the Pistons should try and acquire as many big wing players as possible, so even though Strawther has a lot of redundancies with Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Livers, I wouldn’t mind Detroit taking a player in his mold.
If the Pistons end up passing on the team options they have on Frank Jackson and Hamidou Diallo, it makes sense to replace them with more versatile, offensively skilled wings with size who happen to be on minimum deals.
Strawther definitely needs development, but probably would have put up much bigger numbers had he been the number one option on a worse team rather than the 4th option on a good one.
His size, shooting and defense would potentially fit with Killian Hayes and the second unit if he shows he can defend at a high level and hit consistent shots from long range.
Strawther is projected to go late in the second round, if at all, but he might be an undervalued talent who was buried on a good team.
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