3 players the Detroit Pistons may regret passing on in the Draft

Frankly, while I wasn’t initially in the Ausar Thompson camp upon learning more about him, I don’t think that the Detroit Pistons are going to regret passing on anyone with the 5th pick.

There’s a good chance they’re going to be pleased with how well Marcus Sasser pans out as well. But second guessing the decisions of our favorite teams is practically a sport unto itself, so for the sake of argument, here are a few players that the Pistons may someday wish they had drafted.

3 players the Detroit Pistons may regret passing on in the Draft

Cam Whitmore

Let’s start with the most obvious one, that being Cam Whitmore. The Detroit Pistons were far from the only team to pass on the athletic wing from Villanova, and it’s interesting to note that the team that did select him, the Houston Rockets, did so with the second of their two first-round picks. A series of bad workouts or possible health red flags are the reasons most cited for Whitmore’s fall to #20, while subpar interviews were also mentioned. Workouts and interviews were never the draw toward Whitmore in the first place. Rather, it was his elite athleticism and impressive highlight reel that had fans excited about the prospect of adding him. It’s impossible to know for sure, of course, but a few years down the road the Pistons may be just one of many teams who will wish they had trusted the tape. We’ll never know if Detroit could have traded up to take Whitmore, but he was a potential top-5 talent that went near the end of the first round.

Taylor Hendricks

Taylor Hendricks was one player who most agreed could be a nice fit on the Pistons. His stretch-4 skillset would have helped the Pistons on both ends of the court. Offensively, his reliable 3-point shot would have helped provide some much needed spacing while defensively his versatility would have been invaluable. Not too many mocks had Hendricks going as high as the fifth overall pick but Hendricks would have been a nice grab in any trade-down scenario. Taking Hendricks too soon would have been perceived as prioritizing fit over talent, but time will tell if he would have been the best of both worlds.

Emoni Bates

Some hoped for the Pistons to use their second-round pick on Emoni Bates, but a lot of that was surely because of his local ties. That said, it’s in part because of those local ties that the franchise may someday regret not doing so. He’s a project at best but if he does deliver on all his potential, fans will wonder what might have been. There’s nothing quite like a homegrown talent. The Detroit Pistons ended up not having a pick in the second round, but had they wanted to trade for the rights to Bates, they probably could have, as he wasn’t taken until the 49th pick.