Draft season is almost in full swing. With the way that the Detroit Pistons season is going, once the trade deadline passes, we can all almost fully turn our attention toward this summer’s 2023 NBA Draft. So, it’s time for PistonPowered’s first Pistons’ mock draft of the season.
At the time of writing, the Detroit Pistons control the second-worst record in the NBA, with only a half of a game separating them with Houston for the worst record trophy.
To determine my lottery order, I did one spin on Tankathon, where the Pistons didn’t get the best luck. In fact, this is just about the worst-case scenario for the Detroit Pistons, who could fall as far as 6th as of right now, but dropped to the 5th pick, not the reward they are looking for after another miserable season.
For this sake of this mock, here’s how the draft will play out:
- Houston
- San Antonio
- Chicago
- Toronto
- Detroit
- Charlotte
- Orlando
- New Orleans (via LAL)
- Indiana
- Portland
- Washington
- Oklahoma City
- Utah
- Phoenix
In this scenario, the Detroit Pistons are one of the losers of the lottery, along with Charlotte. The Pistons stay in the top-5 however, one above their floor of the sixth pick, based on current standings.
Before the pitch forks come out, the way that the odds are built actually gives the Pistons the best odds to pick fifth, 27.8 percent if they own the second-worst record and 47.9 percent if they own the worst.
Last season, we saw this in full force when the Pistons dropped out of the top-4, ending up with the fifth pick and selecting Jaden Ivey.
Chicago and Toronto both make jumps into the lottery chosen top-4, with Houston being the lottery winner with their league worst record.
Houston is the big winner of the Wembanyama sweepstakes in this scenario. If they win the lottery, they are an intriguing Wembanyama team.
Adding him alongside recent draft picks Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun makes potentially the best young core in the league. Well, adding Wembanyama to any young core may instantly bring them to the top, which is why we’ve seen an epic race to the bottom of the standings in recent weeks.
There isn’t much discussion for the no. 1 overall pick this year, as Wembanyama immediately brings a generational talent to any team that’s lucky enough to call his name on draft night.
The Spurs win the lottery’s consolation prize here. Henderson is a dream scenario for any team picking at no. 1 in years where there isn’t a Wembanyama in the draft pool.
San Antonio gets their franchise point guard, who can be plugged in alongside their young forwards of Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan. Henderson as the lead PG also makes Tre Jones instantly one of the better backup point guards in the NBA.
This also may be the league’s dream scenario. Wembanyama and Henderson wind up in the same division, growing their career arcs in parallel in the same state. TV ratings galore each time the Spurs and Rockets match up.
The Bulls are the big winner of this lottery outcome.
Their first-round pick in 2023 is owed to the Magic, thanks to the Nikola Vucevic trade, but only if it falls outside of the top-4.
Here, Chicago moves up in the lottery to keep their pick and gets a 6-foot-9 sharp-shooting wing. Brandon Miller is versatile at his size thanks to his athleticism, being able to keep multiple positions in check.
Miller would also be a mismatch on the offensive side of the ball if Chicago decides to play him alongside a two-big lineup.
The draft will really start at no. 3 this year, thanks to the Wembanyama-Henderson hype. However, I think that the Bulls would be thrilled to take Miller at this spot. With the uncertainty of their future, Miller can be a new home-grown face of their franchise.
This scenario obviously isn’t ideal for the Pistons, moving down in the lottery and seeing a divisional rival leap ahead.
Toronto also moves into the top-4 in this scenario, leapfrogging both Detroit and Charlotte, and takes the first of the Thompson twins off the board.
With Amen Thompson, the Raptors would get a 6-foot-7 player who can serve as a point guard. He also may be the best outright athlete in this draft class.
The Raptors are another organization currently in flux, and we will likely know much more about their future direction once the trade deadline passes. But, if Toronto finds themselves in the four spot of the draft, I think that they are happy with Thompson either way.
He can play the wing and is a strong defender, who is then able to bring instant offense in transition. If Fred VanVleet finds himself in trade talks, Thompson could serve as Toronto’s primary ball handler, or play alongside FVV if he’s still around.
Amen also helps alleviate the uncertain future of OG Anunoby, who may also be traded leading up to the deadline, or in the summer depending on future direction. Thompson could enter the Raptors starting group in place of Anunoby fairly seemlessly, and gives them a stronger athlete, whose defense can improve to help alleviate a potential OG departure.
The Detroit Pistons fall to fifth in this lottery draw, which of course isn’t anyone’s ideal outcome. But, should that happen, Ausar Thompson is still a player to be very excited about.
Ausar is the better defender compared to his brother, Amen, which will immediately help Detroit. He’ll give opponents trouble on the wing, which the Detroit Pistons are currently severely lacking.
Thompson is also a very strong rebounder and passer for his position, currently averaging nine rebounds and seven assists per 36 minutes with OTE, along with his 21-point scoring average per 36. He’s also averaging 3.7 steals and close to two blocks.
He’s an amazing athlete, like his brother, who can help spark quick chances in transition with his rebounding, shot-blocking, and passing skills.
The one area of improvement for Ausar is as a shooter. He’d bring outstanding athleticism and strong defense to Detroit, but his shooting ability will be a work in progress.
Even with the shooting concerns, Thompson is the right choice for the Detroit Pistons in this lottery outcome. Adding a defender who can rebound, pass, and jump like Ausar can is nothing to bat an eye at.
After the first five picks is where the draft can go many ways.
Charlotte is of course hoping for better lottery luck, along with Detroit. Their outlook moving forward is bleak after their future has gone off the rails this season.
There are a multitude of guards that the Hornets could go with at no. 6. However, with LaMelo Ball as their centerpiece, they could elect to go for a bigger forward to play alongside Ball.
Charlotte selected center Mark Williams in last year’s draft, so they seem to be in a prime spot to go with a forward as a potential core piece.
Jarace Walker is a 6-foot-8 freshman, playing for one of the NCAA’s better teams in Houston. Walker is big, and would bring physicality into Charlotte’s frontcourt.
He’s a strong interior scorer, giving Ball a pick-and-roll threat who can also work for some second chance points down low.
Walker will be close to 20 years old on draft night, making him not a super raw freshman, like Pistons’ Jalen Duren was coming into the league. That said, Walker will still be a bit of a project, but he could add an element to Charlotte’s rebuild that they don’t currently have.
Orlando falls a bit in the lottery here as well, and ends up the 3-point shooting freshman guard out of Baylor, Keyonte George.
The Magic have seen success in recent drafts, adding Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner as huge pieces of their young core.
George adds a new dimension to their offense, with the ability to score from the perimeter while also driving to the bucket with a strong floater game.
Turnovers have been a concern for George. However, he wouldn’t be asked to be the primary ball handler in Orlando, giving him some time to clean that up.
Orlando has a fairly big roster, with Banchero, Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and Bol Bol, making them primed to add a score-first guard like George.
As he’s only 6-foot-4, George may be targeted on defense, but being put in the right situation with a strong frontcourt will benefit the young guard as he works through his early career.
This is the pick that New Orleans receives from the Los Angeles Lakers via a pick swap, one of the multitude of assets that the Pelicans acquired through the Anthony Davis trade.
The state of the Pelicans franchise gives them the opportunity to take a bit of a swing here, ending up with the young guard from Arkansas, Nick Smith Jr.
Smith has missed most of his freshman season due to injury. He was one of the top NCAA prospects prior to missing some time. He would bring New Orleans a strong finisher from the guard spot, who could play at the point if needed. Devonte’ Graham’s future with the Pelicans seems to be in question, so New Orleans could target a guard come draft time.
Smith would primarily serve as a scorer in the NBA, but he has shown the ability to facilitate an offense when asked to. This flexibility would be seen as a plus to New Orleans, being able to plug Smith into various lineups.
Cam Whitmore falls into the Pacers’ lap here, and I think they would be thrilled. He would give Indiana a strong defender to immediately plug into the wing spot.
He’s a dog on the boards and creates instant second-chance offense for his team, whether via a putback dunk or kicking the ball back out to one of his teammates.
He’ll still be 18 on draft night, possibly needing some time to ease into the professional game. Whitmore hasn’t shot the lights out from three at Villanova, but any team that gets him will expect his 3-point shooting to improve over time.
The Western Conference standings are tight, making Portland a potential late lottery team depending on how the rest of their season shakes out.
Portland is another team that is in a position to take a swing if they are picking in the lottery. They did so last year by selecting the relatively unknown Shaedon Sharpe, which has worked out well to this point.
GG Jackson is the youngest player in the upcoming draft class. He can shoot the ball fairly well which gives him upside in his 6-foot-9 frame. As a freshman, Jackson is averaging 16 points and seven rebounds per game for South Carolina.
There’s potential for Jackson to play as a small-ball center, which I think would be intriguing for Portland, however he does need to gain some size once in the league in order to avoid getting exploited when matching up against bigger guys.
The Blazers took their project guard last year, and I think that they could look for a project forward this year.
The Wizards are in an interesting spot. They need to figure out Kyle Kuzma’s deal. He has a player option for next season, and I’m assuming he won’t pick it up to opt for testing the waters in free agency. Kuzma may very well sign a new deal with Washington, that will almost certainly come with a big pay increase.
Adding Anthony Black in the draft would give Washington a floor general who can eventually serve as an offensive cog.
Being a facilitator alongside a scoring guard like Bradley Beal makes for an intriguing backcourt, especially alongside a frontcourt of Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis does have a player option for next season as well, but I’m guessing that he will pick that up.
Black would be a bigger point guard at 6-foot-7. He’s a strong defender, which gives him even more upside next to someone like Beal.
I love Michigan’s 6-foot-8 freshman guard Jett Howard for Oklahoma City in this spot. Mainly due to the thought of him playing alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Jett is the son of Michigan head man and former NBA’er Juwan Howard. He’s had a solid season in his father’s program averaging 14.6 points per game while shooting at a 38 percent clip from three.
Howard can thrive next to an elite NBA point guard like Gilgeous-Alexander. He’ll help open some doors for the Thunder by making plays and being able to knock down shots, whether in the mid-range or from deep, next to Shai.
With last year’s no. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren coming back from injury next season, OKC could prioritize a combo guard or floor spacing wing with their selection in the upcoming draft.
Howard fits the bill.
Utah finds themselves at the end of the lottery here, which I’m not sure that they, or anyone, were expecting after blowing it up this past summer.
Lauri Markkanen is a bonafide All-Star that appears to be their piece of the future. They also have found some gems in rookie Walker Kessler and do-it-all forward Jarred Vanderbilt. I look for the Jazz to prioritize a guard here, even with Collin Sexton, who has missed a lot of time this season due to injury.
Kentucky freshman Cason Wallace would give Utah a strong defender at the point who is shooting 40 percent from three this season. For his age, Wallace hasn’t shown that he’s turnover prone, either. That certainly can change in NBA competition, but the pathway is there for Wallace to be a good guard in the NBA.
Wallace has also shown an ability to finish at a high rate at the rim, which will be key at his length and position in the league.
The Jazz get a solid future prospect at the point here, which I think they’d be happy with.
The Suns round out the lottery, which of course can quickly change depending on how their next few weeks go.
Phoenix seems to be primed to make a deadline move to push their way up the Western Conference playoff picture. Picking in the lottery would be a disappointment, but is currently a real possibility based on how their season is going, especially without star player Devin Booker.
I think that the Suns would like to get a point guard here. I mean, the Chris Paul era has to end soon, right?
But, with a number of guards going in front of them, they fill another need.
Gradey Dick is a wing prospect with a little bit of everything. He’s shooting an impressive 42.7 percent average from three as a freshman for Kansas. He becomes an instant knock-down shooter in the league.
This isn’t all that goes into Dick’s game, though. He can make plays and crash the glass, making a himself a huge positive on the offensive end for any team, let alone one that also has a player like Booker.
Dick causes disruption on defense, being a pest to make up for his lean frame.
In my eyes, the biggest immediate benefit that he brings is the shooting ability. But, he can evolve into much more, and is already a great athlete. If he can add some size, he can be a tough draw for anyone that catches a matchup with Dick as a defender.