Pistons draft: A 3-and-D guard prospect for the 2nd round

The 2023 NBA Draft is just a few short weeks away and the Detroit Pistons have two picks to try and bolster a roster that only won 17 games this past season.

The 5th pick could be up for grabs in a trade, or the Pistons could use it to land one of several exciting forward prospects.

When it comes to the second round, the 31st pick could end up being a valuable one, as there are a lot of similar players in this draft and Detroit could have a steal fall into their laps.

It’s possible that the Pistons will use their second pick to add another wing, hoping to improve their shooting and defense at their biggest position of need.

But veteran Cory Joseph is not likely to be back, so Detroit could also use this pick to fortify their guard ranks with a guy like Marcus Sasser from Houston.

Detroit Pistons draft: Marcus Sasser

Sasser is a senior combo guard out of Houston who could help the Detroit Pistons in a couple of ways. He’s a good perimeter defender with long arms for his height (6-foot-2 with a 6-7 wingspan) who’s a adept at using his length to get steals and disrupt passing lanes.

He uses strength more than quickness to get where he wants to on the floor, where he relies heavily on an outside shot. He hit 38.4 percent of his 3-pointers on seven attempts per game and holds Houston’s all-time record for 3-point makes. The year before he averaged 43 percent on 8.6 attempts per game, so this guy can stroke it from long range.

He’s an excellent free-throw shooter as well and averaged 16.8 points per game while getting to the line 4.2 times. He’s not tall, but knows how to use his body to create space, and once he does, he can knock down shots from all over.

At 22-years-old, Sasser is experienced enough to potentially help right away as a third point guard while providing some competition for Killian Hayes.

There is uncertainty at guard behind Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Killian Hayes, as Alec Burks has a team option and both CoJo and McGruder are free agents likely to be on other teams. Sasser can play on or off the ball and give the Pistons some much-needed defense and 3-point shooting off the bench.