Detroit Pistons: 3 questions about fit with Scoot Henderson

The Detroit Pistons are hoping to walk away from the 2023 NBA Draft with Victor Wembanyama on his way to the Motor City.

But if the dream offseason doesn’t happen, there are still plenty of good players left in the draft, including Scoot Henderson, who thinks he should be going #1 overall.

Henderson has been pencilled in as the #2 pick for most of the season, but Brandon Miller also has a case, so things could get wild if the Detroit Pistons are the team that gets the 2nd pick, as they need a wing much more than a guard.

But teams that win 17 games and finish with the worst record in the league don’t have the luxury of drafting for fit in the top-3, so if Detroit has Scoot Henderson ranked higher, he will be the pick.

The Pistons absolutely should choose the best player available, or barring that, trade back to get Miller as well as another asset or two.

But let’s assume for a moment that the Pistons get the 2nd pick and think Scoot is too good to pass up. How would he fit with their current roster? I have some questions.

Detroit Pistons: Questions about fit with Scoot Henderson

Who is the point guard?

The NBA is rapidly evolving into a position-less league, so ultimately, this question might not matter. But the Detroit Pistons already have a pretty good point guard named Cade Cunningham to go along with Jaden Ivey, who made some big strides as a playmaker in his rookie season, and Killian Hayes, who is not as effective off the ball.

Scoot Henderson is not a great shooter and his strengths are his unreal court vision and ability to get to the rim and finish, so having him play off the ball, at least in the beginning, is probably not going to work.

The popular thought is that Scoot would play the one, Ivey moved over to the two and Cade slotted in at the wing. But is this the best way to use Cade Cunningham? Cade’s biggest strengths are his intelligence and ability to make his teammates better, which may not be maximized if he is on the wing.

Of course, you can point to players like Jayson Tatum or Kawhi Leonard as examples of playmaking wings who still have the ball in their hands a lot, but neither of those teams really have a point guard.

You could also argue that having Cade play off the ball would make him even more of a weapon, as he would often be in position to make plays when the defense is scrambling. There is also the old adage that you can’t have too many playmakers on the floor.

But when all of them are poor or average 3-point shooters, I think it’s a valid concern. In the end, you hope that talent wins  and the fit works itself out, but this three-guard configuration could take away from what all three guys do best.