Even after finally winning last night, the Detroit Pistons still have the worst record in the league and maximum odds to land the #1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Victor Wembanyama is the dream for every team in the lottery, as he looks like a franchise-changing talent and is a lock to go first in the draft.
But after that it’s fairly wide open, though most people believe Scoot Henderson will be the 2nd pick. But that is no lock, especially if the Pistons were the team choosing.
If the Detroit Pistons happen to land 2nd, they will have a ton of options, and there is no guarantee that they will follow the consensus, as they could use that pick in a number of ways.
Here are four scenarios for the Pistons if they end up with the 2nd pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Detroit Pistons: 4 options for the 2nd pick in the 2023 NBA Draft
Scenario #1: Draft Scoot Henderson
Ok, so this one isn’t that wild, as Henderson has been the consensus #2 pick for most of the season.
But are the Detroit Pistons really going to take a ball-dominant guard in the draft for the third straight year? There are some obvious questions with fit here, but fit really shouldn’t be an issue for a team that has won 16 games and is at the bottom of the NBA.
The Pistons have to take the best player available and if they think that player is Henderson, then he should be the guy. They can figure out the fit later, as the 76ers did when they drafted three centers during The Process era, eventually landing their superstar.
You tank to find superstars, it’s that simple and if Detroit thinks Henderson will be one, then they will take him and try to figure it out.
But what if they don’t think he’s the best guy?
Detroit Pistons: 4 options for the 2nd pick in the 2023 NBA Draft
Scenario #2: Draft Brandon Miller
There is a growing number of people who are questioning whether Scoot Henderson really is the second best prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Henderson hasn’t dominated the G-League competition as much as some think he should (though the guy just turned 19, sheesh) while Brandon Miller is having a monster freshman season for Alabama.
Miller is 6-foot-9 and does everything a modern wing should, as he can score, rebound and shoots over 40 percent from the 3-point line on high volume. The Pistons desperately need a wing and he is a much-easier fit than Henderson.
The same thing happened last season, as Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith Jr. were pencilled in as the top-2 picks for most of the year, only for Paolo Banchero to swoop in and be taken number one, a move that now looks like the right one for the Orlando Magic, as Banchero is going to win Rookie of the Year and looks like a star.
It’s highly doubtful anyone displaces Wembanyama at number one, but Miller is starting to look like Jayson Tatum, the exact type of wing every team in the NBA is trying to get. Detroit could have Miller ranked higher on their big board, but they may be able to acquire him and pick up another asset along the way.
Detroit Pistons: 4 options for the 2nd pick in the 2023 NBA Draft
Scenario #3: Trade back
Regardless of how the Detroit Pistons see things, there is almost certainly going to be some other team that thinks Scoot Henderson is the next great point guard in the NBA, which could give Detroit some leverage.
If the Pistons saw Miller as their guy, they could trade back, especially if the deal was only to move to the third pick. Detroit could not only get the player they want anyway, but pick up another asset, which is exactly what the Celtics did when they traded out of the number one spot back to three to take Jayson Tatum.
This will really depend on who ends up choosing 3rd or 4th, as Detroit would still want the chance to draft Miller, though there are several interesting wing players in this draft.
If the Pistons aren’t as high on Scoot, they could trade the number two pick, stay in the top-5 and possibly pick up a veteran asset in the process. There aren’t a ton of free agents available this offseason so this could be a way for Detroit to get their young wing and add an impact veteran using their cap space.
If the Detroit Pistons could trade back, draft Miller anyway, and get a nice veteran player as well, that might be the non-Wembanyama dream scenario for this offseason.
Detroit Pistons: 4 options for the 2nd pick in the 2023 NBA Draft
Scenario #4: Trade the pick or Jaden Ivey
The Detroit Pistons have one more option if they land the 2nd pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, which is to trade it for a player or to use Jaden Ivey as trade bait.
The number two pick would almost certainly land the Pistons an impact player whose contract they could absorb into their cap space. This puts a lot more teams in the mix, as they could trade with any team regardless of where they were in the draft.
OG Anunoby alone likely wouldn’t be worth that kind of move, but he’s the type of talent the Pistons could potentially get by trading that pick outright.
But if the Pistons do think Scoot Henderson is a future superstar but don’t want to build around three guards, they could also choose to move Jaden Ivey, though he was playing very well before he had to go into health and safety protocols.
If the Celtics were to flame out in the playoffs, would they consider moving Jaylen Brown? The number two pick puts the Pistons in position for a number of possible trades, whether they wanted to move the pick or Ivey.
With the number one pick all but a guarantee, the 2023 NBA Draft will really start with pick two, and it could go in a lot of different ways if that pick belongs to the Pistons.