Could Detroit Pistons draft another "Troy Weaver" prospect?
![Sep 26, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports Sep 26, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5652,h_3179,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/67/01j00w4463rataj55rb9.jpg)
The Detroit Pistons will have the 5th pick in the NBA Draft for the third straight season since drafting Cade Cunningham 1st overall.
After getting Cunningham, you’d think the next draft picks would be guys that were clear fits with the player they earmarked as their franchise guy, but that wasn’t the case.
Troy Weaver went for a “best player available” (though that moniker is debatable) strategy and fit didn’t seem to play a part.
He drafted players who were deemed to have a strong work ethic and character as he tried and failed to build a winning culture in Detroit.
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This will be Trajan Langdon’s first draft for the Pistons and if you look at his past drafts, he does have a type. One guy who fits it would be another “Troy Weaver-esque" pick, as he’s not an exact fit with Cade Cunningham but has strong intangibles.
Detroit Pistons draft: Stephon Castle
In some recent mock drafts, the Pistons have been connected to Connecticut guard Stephon Castle. If Langdon does keep this pick, I expect he’ll take the player who he thinks is the best available, as the rest of the guys on the roster aren’t players he chose, so he’ll want to put a high-upside stamp on the team immediately with his first draft selection.
Weaver went after the best player available and didn’t worry about fit, which is how the Pistons ended up with a bunch of young players who can’t shoot. If Weaver were making this selection, you can almost hear Castle's name called for Detroit and Weaver's talk about how he is a high-character guy with a strong work ethic who fits the culture blah blah blah...
Weaver drafted three guards who can't shoot, but would Langdon really go that route?
Castle is not an elite athlete, but he does have high defensive upside as a guy who projects to be a very good defender.
But he shot just 26 percent from long range last season and thinks he is a point guard though there is little evidence to support that claim. In other words, best player or not, he’s not a fit with Cade Cunningham.
The Pistons already have three young guards, so drafting another would be a Weaver-like move where fit does not come into play.
I like Castle as a prospect, but it’s hard to see how he fits on the Pistons, who need guys who can protect the rim and/or shoot, not more tweener guards who are only a threat inside of the arc and who need the ball in their hands to be effective.
It seems unlikely that Langdon would follow the Weaver path with his first pick, but it’s also possible he sees this pick as his first chance to make his mark on his new team, in which case he could just take who he thinks is the best player available.
In other words, you can’t rule out Castle even though he’s not a clear complement to the Pistons’ best player.
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