It's only February, but we're already into NBA Mock Draft season, at least for teams like the Detroit Pistons, who have little else to cheer for in a lost season.
Just like the previous three seasons, the Pistons are all but guaranteed a top-5 pick as one of the three worst teams in the league. But as we are all painfully aware, having the worst record only gets you a 14 percent chance at the #1 pick and Detroit is statistically more likely to be choosing 5th again.
But in early NBA Mock Drafts, Detroit will land at number one since they currently hold the league's worst record.
This draft is more of a crapshoot than ever, with no consensus on who the top player is and huge differences between everyone's perceived top five.
Previous mocks had the Pistons taking big-man and elite defensive prospect Alex Sarr, but Sam Vecenie of The Athletic (Subscription) now has someone else in mind.
Latest NBA Mock Draft has a new #1 pick for the Detroit Pistons
In his latest mock, Vecenie has the Pistons taking forward Zaccharie Risacher, who currently plays for JL Bourg in the Eurocup. Vecenie has three international players atop his draft, with Sarr going 2nd and Nikola Topic going 3rd.
Here's some of what he had to say about Risacher, whom many American fans may not be familiar with:
"Risacher is clearly at No. 1 for me right now. The NBA is constantly on the lookout for big wing/forward types who can knock down shots, defend at a reasonable level and play with the ball in their hands. The French forward has done an enormous amount of that this season while producing at a high level in EuroCup competition. Through Feb. 14, in total EuroCup and French League games, he’s averaging 11.4 points while shooting 50.5 percent from the field, 45.1 percent from 3 and 70 percent from the free-throw line...The worry: Risacher is not a particularly good shot creator at this point. The difference between him and someone like current Charlotte Hornets rookie Brandon Miller is the latter knew how to play with more poise and how to create his own shots in pick-and-roll situations, particularly from the midrange. Risacher doesn’t have that yet and doesn’t quite have the first step to beat anyone off the dribble. Still, he’s only 18 years old (he turns 19 in April..."
On paper, Risacher fills a need, as the Detroit Pistons need more two-way wings who can defend and shoot the 3-ball.
His weaknesses shouldn't be red flags to the Pistons, who already have guards who can create and finish in the mid-range. They can slot him in as a 3-and-D wing right away and wouldn't need him to be a #1 option.
But is anyone excited about this?
This is arguably the weakest top of a draft we've seen in some time, as all of the players have red flags and none of them scream superstar, though there is All-Star talent in every draft and this one is no exception.
Finding it is going to be the hard part, especially with so many of the top 10 guys coming from overseas.
With so much uncertainty in this draft, it wouldn't be shocking to see the Pistons package their 2024 pick (they have to wait until draft day) to try and land a proven star.
I'm sure this won't be the last name we see at the top of mock drafts, as this Draft has more debate than ever.