Who the Pistons chose in a poll of NBA Mock Drafts

The Detroit Pistons were disappointed when their name got called for the 5th pick during the NBA Draft Lottery.

With dreams of Victor Wembanyama now in the rearview mirror, Detroit has turned their attention to a varied and talented group of forwards to choose from with the 5th pick.

After the first pick, this draft is a complete unknown, as the Hornets may not want to add another point guard in Scoot Henderson, and the Portland Trail Blazers have been wildly rumored to be shopping the 3rd pick, so we could see some movement in the top-3.

Although there could be a sleeper who swoops in, it’s likely that the Pistons will be choosing from a group that includes the Thompson twins, Cam Whitmore, Jarace Walker and possibly Anthony Black or Taylor Hendricks, who might be a dark horse given his two-way ability.

But in a recent poll of NBA Mock Drafts by Hoopshype, one candidate got the most votes.

Pistons draft: Poll of NBA Mock drafts sends Cam Whitmore to Detroit

The HoopsHype poll looked at 10 different mock drafts and five of them had the Detroit Pistons taking Cam Whitmore with the 5th pick. His athleticism and age were noted as two of his biggest selling points:

"“NBA talent evaluators who’ve spoken with HoopsHype have also mentioned Whitmore’s age as a positive when looking at his long-term upside. The Thompson twins are a year and a half older than Whitmore, who’s also played against older competition in college basketball, as noted by the talent evaluators. Whitmore turns 19 in July.“After the top three of Wembanyama, Henderson and Miller, Whitmore might be the fourth most talented prospect in the draft,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype.”"

The Pistons may have gotten a steal last season when Jaden Ivey fell into their laps with the 5th pick as some now view him as on or near the same tier as Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero.

Could it happen again this year? Even though Whitmore has some obvious weaknesses (not a great shooter or passer), his athleticism is tantalizing and would finally give the Pistons the bouncy wing they’ve been lacking for what seems like forever.

There is no consensus about what the Detroit Pistons are going to do, and trading the pick will also be in play, so nothing is certain when it comes to the 5th pick.