The 2023 NBA Draft is a week away and the Detroit Pistons are not tipping their hand.
They are likely to take a forward from the group of Cam Whitmore, Jarace Walker or the Thompson Twins with the 5th pick and there will be a number of guys in play when they choose with the 31st pick.
Their second-round pick is nearly as compelling as the 5th, as there are a bunch of players stacked in the same tier and the Pistons have a good chance of landing an impact player.
Teams are narrowing their big boards, conducting workouts and doing their homework on a wide number of players, trying to cover every possible scenario, including trades.
The Detroit Pistons had a recent workout with some interesting names that may give us some clues about some possibilities in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Detroit Pistons’ draft workouts give us some clues of their intent
According to Rafael Barlowe of the Big Board (SUBSCRIPTION), the Pistons conducted a workout recently that had some surprising names.
"“…recently the Pistons held a competitive workout that featuredTaylor Hendricks, GG Jackson, Jordan Walsh, Julian Phillips, Marcus, Sasser and Isaiah Wong.Hendricks is a projected lottery pick but not expected to be in strong consideration when Detroit selects at No. 5.Jackson has a wide draft range from lottery to late first round, whileWalsh, Phillips and Sasser are expected to be available when the Pistons are on the clock to start the second round.”"
The most interesting name is Taylor Hendricks, particularly if he is “not expected to be in strong consideration” for the 5th pick. This could just be the Detroit Pistons covering all of their bases in case the guy they want is not there at five, or it could be an indication that they have the chance to add a second pick in the first round.
There has been speculation that the Pistons could look to trade for the Mavericks’ 10th pick, which is around the range Hendricks is expected to be be chosen. There are also teams like Indiana or Orlando who may want to move up, which could potentially net the Pistons a later pick where Hendricks would be the focus.
GG Jackson could be there when the Detroit Pistons choose in the second round, but he’s another guy who could be a late first-round target if Detroit were to acquire another pick from a team like the Pacers.
This is smokescreen season, so you never know what teams are really up to, but Detroit is apparently preparing for a number of possible scenarios in the 2023 NBA Draft.