Ranking the top 5 prospects for the Pistons in the 2023 NBA Draft

Ranking the top 5 prospects for the Pistons in the 2023 NBA Draft

#3: Taylor Hendricks

I absolutely love Hendricks and went back and forth between putting him higher, as he has as much two-way potential as anyone on the board. Considered one of the draft’s best defenders, Hendricks is a good athlete who also knocked down nearly 40 percent of his 3-point shots this season. The biggest beef with Hendricks is the same as the Thompson twins. He played for UCF, so was he just running up stats against bad teams that don’t have future NBA players on them? If he has impressive workouts, he could very well jump into the top-5, as 6-foot-9 wings who can defend and shoot don’t grow on trees.

#2: Jarace Walker

Some Pistons’ fans are down on this guy because he was compared to Isaiah Stewart early on in this process. I was tempted to put him below Hendricks, but after watching these playoffs and seeing how important versatile defensive forwards have been, Walker jumped up a bit in my estimation. He would be the perfect power forward to put next to Duren, as he is a very good defender who can spread the floor a little and figures to get better in that area. Teams are increasingly going small in the playoffs and not using traditional centers at all with a few exceptions, so big forwards like Walker who can hold their own against wings, power forwards and centers are going to be even more valuable. Fans freaked out about the comp, but Beef Stew with a 3-point shot would be a pretty damn good player and give the Pistons a lot of versatility defensively.