The Detroit Pistons are guaranteed to have a top-5 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but beyond that, nothing is certain.
If the Pistons were to luck out and get the #1 pick, Victor Wembanyama will the choice, which is true of whoever gets the pick, as the Frenchman is considered by many to be one of the top prospects since LeBron James came out of high school.
Every team could use a 7-foot-4 forward with guard skills who often looks like he came out of a video game where users get to create their own super player.
The 2023 NBA Draft really doesn’t start until pick two, and up until recently that spot was inhabited by Scoot Henderson, who many draft experts believe is a tier above the rest of the field.
But a strong season from Brandon Miller has some doubting Henderson, and Pistons fans are speculating what might happen if the Pistons (who already have three young guards) end up with that 2nd pick.
But one person who has no doubts is Scoot Henderson himself, who talked about the 2023 NBA Draft and his future in a recent article in GQ Sports where confidence was not lacking.
Detroit Pistons draft: Scoot Henderson thinks he should be the #1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft
If you read Scoot Henderson’s draft profiles, one thing that always gets mentioned is that he is a fierce competitor who not only wants to win but to be the best in the game, and that spirit of competition even extends to the draft.
Victor Wembanyama has long been the consensus #1 pick, but don’t tell Henderson that, as he said in the article that he not only thinks he should be the first taken but that he will be.
"I tell Henderson the draft experts have him at either #2 or #3 behind the ascending Miller of the University of Alabama and Wembanyama. “Yeah, I think I should go one,” Henderson says. “I know I’m gonna go one.”"
He then went on to say that being selected third would be “unacceptable,” though I am not sure what he’s going to do exactly if that happens, which it could, especially if a team like the Detroit Pistons gets the pick and decides they like Miller more.
I love the kid’s confidence but there is often a thin line between confidence and delusion and Henderson is walking it here.
In a lot of years, Henderson would undoubtedly be the #1 pick, as his combination of athleticism, court vision and scoring ability around the rim make him look like future star at the next level.
But this is not a normal year, so Henderson is going to have to face facts that he is not going to hear his name called with the #1 pick.
But whoever does end up getting Henderson is going to get a guy with a big chip on his shoulder and a lot to prove and he seems like the type of player you don’t want to bet against.