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.
Detroit Pistons: Questions about fit with Scoot Henderson
Who starts?
Fans often get caught up in starting lineups, which really aren’t that important in the grand scheme of things as long as everyone is getting their minutes and the right guys on the floor at the right time and at the ends of games.
Starting a 3-guard lineup with Cade, Ivey and Scoot would definitely be entertaining, but who then starts with them? Do you move Bojan Bogdanovic to the four and start him with Duren? Do you try the two-big lineup with Wiseman at the four and Duren at center, bringing Bojan Bogdanovic (the team’s best shooter) off the bench?
The other option is to move one of the three guards to the bench to stagger them so they aren’t always on the court together, which would seem like the more logical move. The best candidate for the bench seems to be Jaden Ivey, but that then puts Killian Hayes in a position where he has to play off the ball more, which is not ideal.
The Detroit Pistons certainly aren’t going to make draft decisions based on Hayes, but for now he is still on the team, so it warrants some thought.
Having a scorer like Ivey coming off the bench would definitely be a weapon, and would allow the Pistons to always have at least one plus shooter on the floor, so starting lineups probably aren’t the biggest concern when it comes to fit and Scoot Henderson.
That’s for the new coach to work out.
Detroit Pistons: Questions about fit with Scoot Henderson
How about the defense?
This seems like the biggest concern when it comes to adding Scoot Henderson to the Detroit Pistons whether they start three guards or not.
Let’s say Detroit were to start all three along with Bojan and Duren. How is that team getting a stop? You would have three below average defenders, Cade Cunningham, who is good but not elite, and Jalen Duren, who is still learning the position.
You are likely looking at a defensive disaster unless the Pistons were to sign a two-way wing as a free agent or acquire one in a trade.
Even if you don’t start all three guards, defense is going to be a concern for a team that just finished with the worst defensive rating in team history. Adding a few defensive-minded veterans could help that, but they need to be guys who can also shoot, as this team was also at the bottom of the league in field goal percentage.
If they started three guards with the two bigs, Wiseman would have to improve big-time on defense, as he currently doesn’t move on the perimeter well enough to switch onto smaller players.
The right additions could help this problem, but it would still be a concern to have a core of young players who are all average or below average defenders trying to play together.
As I said, if Henderson is the best player, you take him, but it wouldn’t be the clearest fit and the Detroit Pistons would have to find answers for these questions to make it work.