We are now well into March Madness, so the Detroit Pistons will have one eye on the NCAA tournament and prospects they might select in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.
The Pistons may look to add scoring, which is what they did in a recent mock draft that has them selecting Braylon Mullins from UCONN with the 24th pick.
Detroit’s first-round pick changes just about every day, and as of right now, would be the 22nd pick in the draft with the swap they received in the Jaden Ivey trade. But they are likely to choose in the 22-24 range, though the standings are shifting daily.
The Fansided mother ship did a Mock Draft after the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament and made an interesting selection for the Pistons with wing Braylon Mullins from UCONN.
Mullins came into college as a highly touted shooter who averaged over 35 points per game in high school and made 50 percent of his 3-point shots. He hasn’t shot it as well this season, but he’s putting up 6.5 from long range per game. He’s only his 33 percent of them, but when you watch the guy it’s clear he’s a shooter. He shoots 88 percent from the line and when he’s on, it looks like he won’t miss.
I’ve not watched a lot of him, but he moves well without the ball and can attack off the dribble. I question his defense in the NBA but he’s the type of upside shooter and secondary attacker the Pistons theoretically need.
As Fansided points out, Mullins’ biggest issue has been his inconsistency, which has been on full display in the tournament, where he went 0-of-8 in the first game and then bounced back for 17 points in the next.
The potential is there, and he fits the mold of the wing scorer (he’s 6-foot-6) the Pistons ultimately need, but it comes down to the big question hanging over the Pistons.
Will the Pistons draft for potential or need?
Detroit will be choosing in the low to mid 20’s in the draft, so they can potentially find an impact player, as we know one slides through the cracks every year. The Pistons are in a good position in that they already have plenty of young talent, so can just take the best player available and not worry about filling gaps in the roster.
In that draft range, they could take an older player whose ceiling is lower but might be able to play right away, rather than a guy like Mullins who is likely a few years away from making any real impact in the NBA, though he could shoot his way into things immediately.
Elite shooting will play, and we’ve seen the impact Kon Knueppel has had as a rookie because of his elite shooting. It’s hard to predict if Mullins is that kind of guy, but when you watch his highlights you can see the vision.
You can chalk some of the inconsistency up to him being a teenager, especially when you see he shoots over 60 percent from two-point range and can clearly shoot the 3-ball.
It will be interesting to see what kind of swing the Pistons take in the draft and it wouldn’t be shocking to see them go after a player with shooting potential.