The Detroit Pistons will have two picks in the 2023 NBA Draft and hope to add some impact talent.
Most of the focus has been on the 1st-rounder, as Victor Wembanyama is looming and even the mere 14 percent possibility is enough to give fans hope.
Outside of the 1st pick, this draft gets a lot murkier, as there isn’t even consensus about who the 2nd pick will be, though most draft experts have had Scoot Henderson there for most of the season.
There will be myriad options if the Pistons fall out of the top-two, but they will also have a high pick in the 2nd round of the 2023 NBA Draft. Right now, that pick would be the 31st, a spot where they can find a good player, and there are some intriguing options projected to go in that range.
One of them is forward Leonard Miller, who is putting up big numbers in the G-League and could slide to the second round and the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: 2023 NBA Draft prospect Leonard Miller
Leonard Miller is a 6-foot-10, 220lb. forward who may have already played his way into the 1st round, as he is averaging 17.8 points and 10.9 rebounds per game for the Ignite, the G-Leagues premier team that also happens to feature Scoot Henderson.
Miller does a little of everything, as he runs the floor well, can handle the ball, get to the rim and shoot a little from range. He’s not particularly great at any one thing, but he’s a rangy forward with the size to create matchup problems at the four.
He’ll need to improve his 3-point volume and accuracy, as he’s only taking 2.2 attempts per game and hitting 31 percent of them. But Miller can score in a lot of ways and is a good rebounder, as you can see in the highlights from his best game of the season in which he dropped 30 with 12 boards:
I’ve seen Miller mocked from just outside of the lottery all the way to the 2nd-round, so it’s possible he’ll slide to where the Detroit Pistons are choosing. He could be a steal in that range and looks more like the type of four that could play with a center, as he projects as a guy who could eventually have a nice 3-point shot in the NBA.
Miller may have already moved ahead of the Pistons on the big boards, but if he slides to the early 2nd round, he’d be interesting.