Detroit Pistons draft: 3 options for the 5th and 7th pick
Detroit Pistons: Options for the 5th and 7th picks in the 2022 NBA Draft
Option # 2
Jaden Ivey at #5
Benedict Mathurin at #7
In option two, the Detroit Pistons roll the dice on two guards, giving Cade Cunningham two wildly athletic wings as running mates for the foreseeable future. Jaden Ivey is arguably the most explosive athlete in this year’s draft, with jet-like speed in the open floor, and top-tier athleticism coupled with his phenomenal ability to finish at the rim.
The 6-foot-4 guard from Purdue was electrifying last season, averaging over seventeen points per game for the Boilermakers, and taking a massive leap in his sophomore season. In Detroit, Ivey could slide in the backcourt alongside Cunnigham, and immediately help generate offense in transition for a team that ranked thirteenth in pace last year. Ivey could also share on-ball duties with Cunningham for spurts, and produce more paint touches for Detroit’s offense, who averaged 22.1 paint touches per game last season, good for 16th in the NBA.
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At seven, the Pistons take Benedict Mathurin, a 6-foot-7 guard/forward from Arizona. Much like Ivey, Mathurin is an incredible athlete, and showcased it during his breakout year for the Wildcats.
While some would probably question taking two guards with several similarities in the top ten, Mathurin’s game is tailor-made to fit, and thrive alongside multiple guards, as he did at Arizona. The former Wildcat was dynamite in Arizona’s three-guard motion offense, and created opportunities for himself by constantly moving without the ball, cutting, and running off of screens.
With great size and tons of explosiveness, those traits of Mathurin’s game should immediately translate, and enable him to get easy points within the flow of an NBA offense, regardless of whom he’s sharing the floor with.
Similar to what he did in college, Mathurin should find immediate success in back cutting for layups and dunks, running off of pin down screens for jumpers, and attacking or shooting with opposing defenders running out at him off of kick outs.
Scorers who can find opportunities within the flow of an offense are invaluable, and if Mathurin can develop into one for Detroit, the Pistons will take a substantial leap on the offensive end.