Pistons draft: Local prospect to work out with Detroit

The Detroit Pistons will explore every option when it comes to their two picks in the 2023 NBA Draft.

There have been several reports that they plan to “aggressively” shop the 5th pick, and it’s possible that the 31st pick will also be used as a sweetener in a trade.

But if Detroit does keep both picks, they have a chance to add two impact players, as there are some talented forwards at the top of the draft, and a ton of intriguing prospects with potential for the second round.

One of them, Greg Elliott, is a hometown product from Detroit who played his college ball at Marquette and Pitt.

He has an interesting skill set and will reportedly work out with the Pistons according to Pittsburg Sports Now.

The Detroit Pistons need more shooting depth in their guard ranks and Elliott could be the man to provide it.

Detroit Pistons draft: Greg Elliott

Elliott is a 24-year-old shooting guard out of Pitt who originally hails from Detroit, so would be fulfilling a childhood dream of joining his hometown team if drafted by the Pistons.

He played five years of college ball, so he has plenty of experience, but this also means that he doesn’t have the ceiling of some of the younger players who will be available with the 31st pick.

Elliott is not lightning quick, and doesn’t profile as a great defender, but he does one thing extremely well, which is shoot the 3-point shot.

He shot over 41 percent from long range this past season on over five attempts per game and hit 41.2 percent for his college career, including a season for Marquette where he knocked down over 45 percent from the 3-point line.

As you can see from these highlights, Elliott has an effortless stroke, can hit them from all over the floor (including step backs) and even though he does not have Jaden Ivey-like speed, he’s good at making defenders pay when they close out recklessly:

He averaged 10.4 points and four rebounds in his senior season for Pitt, so he’s a shooter, but also a decent rebounder for the position.

He is somewhat reminiscent of Jordan Poole, who also isn’t uber-athletic but has the ability to create space with head fakes, step backs and misdirection to get his shot off.

The Pistons need more knockdown shooters in their guard ranks, as both Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey have been “meh” in that area so far, though both have also showed promise for the future.

Elliott has his flaws as a prospect, but he’s one of the best pure shooters in this draft and a guy who could work his way up the Pistons’ big board with a strong workout.