The Pistons addressed their need for a secondary ball-handler by taking Ebuka Okorie with the 17th pick in the draft, but also left another weakness by passing on Cameron Carr. By trading up to take Okorie rather than Carr, the Pistons are prioritizing ball-handling and creation over shooting - a risky gamble that could go in either direction.
Okorie vs Carr was a worthy debate
Either Okorie or Carr should be able to help the Pistons almost immediately, since both provide much-needed offensive help on the perimeter. But their skillsets are very different, and choosing one over the other made an undeniable statement about the Pistons’ vision for their future.
It was good to see the Pistons finally make an aggressive move to trade up and take Okorie, but their shooting concerns could still linger into next season. Okorie is a fantastic driver and self-creator, but shot just 35% from three last season as a freshman at Stanford. In comparison, Carr shot 37% from deep and has deeper range.
But it’s clear the Pistons preferred to take a self-creator that can take pressure off Cade Cunningham. Okorie had the highest percentage of unassisted baskets among all draftees last season. Hopefully taking him will help the Pistons avoid overpaying for another creator in the trade market.
Carr was practically the opposite of Okorie from a self-creation perspective. The vast majority of Carr’s half-court baskets were assisted, as he became a premier off-ball threat for Baylor. On the Pistons, it’s easy to imagine him taking full advantage of looks created by Cade, but not helping Cade by taking on some creation load of his own.
The Pistons have a clear vision for Okorie
By taking Okorie and even trading two future second-round picks to move up for him, the Pistons are clearly carving out a spot for him in their future plans. Hopefully he can serve in a combo guard role either playing off Cade or leading the offense on his own with bench units.Â
The Pistons have found a lot of playoff success with that configuration in the last two postseasons, with either Dennis Schroder or Daniss Jenkins fulfilling the combo guard role. Adding a higher-ceiling prospect to satisfy that role makes a lot of sense. Although both Schroder and Jenkins were solid for the Pistons, neither has the same tight handle or tough shot-making as Okorie.
Okorie can help the Pistons by addressing Cade’s biggest weakness: a tendency to turn the ball over excessively when he’s overtasked. If Okorie can take over more ball-handling for Cade, the Pistons should be able to find off-ball players more readily and build around both guards.Â
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