Raise your hand if you are not ready to see "Detroit Pistons" and "NBA Draft" in the same sentence.
I've been covering the Pistons for just over four years now and have never written about the NBA Draft on the first day of December. But with the Pistons amid a historic losing streak, the present is too depressing, so we may as well look at some possible futures.
The Pistons once again have the worst record in the NBA and it's hard to see that changing, though the Spurs and Wizards are giving it their best shot. Hopefully, Detroit will surge at some point, but as of right now, the Pistons would be guaranteed a top-5 pick. YAY!
Since there is not a generational prospect, or even a consensus on the top guy, this will almost certainly be another year in which the Pistons land the #1 pick.
The bad news is that no one has any clue who that is going to be. The good news is that of the top 15 guys as ranked by ESPN (SUBSCRIPTION) eight of them are some type of forward, which is the Pistons' biggest position of need.
But even if the Pistons were to get the #1 pick, are any of these guys really going to help them out of this mess? Let's look at ESPN's top-5 players as of right now.
Possible #1 picks for the Detroit Pistons in the 2024 NBA Draft
Isaiah Collier: PG, USC
These rankings can and will change over the course of the season, but through the first seven games, ESPN has Collier as the projected #1 pick going to the Spurs. Collier is a shoot-first point guard with great shooting splits who turns the ball over nearly five times per game. It seems extremely unlikely that the Pistons would draft another guard in this mold, though when you are on pace to win seven games in a season, you can't be worried about fit.
Collier is big, strong and can score from all three levels, though he doesn't take many from long range. It's hard to see him actually going number one overall whilst leading college basketball in turnovers, but the 2024 NBA Draft is as wide open as it has ever been.
Possible #1 picks for the Detroit Pistons in the 2024 NBA Draft
Alex Sarr: PF/C, Perth Wildcats
ESPN has the Detroit Pistons selecting Sarr second in their mock draft, which would not be a pick that would electrify the fanbase.
Sarr is mostly known as a defensive prospect with a huge wingspan whose greatest skill is blocking shots. He's long and switchable and can play a couple of spots. Here he is in action:
Alex Sarr covers ground as well as any player in this class, rotating seamlessly for weakside blocks with his 7-5 wingspan and impressive timing, showing superb mobility switching, recovering and contesting jumpers all over the floor. pic.twitter.com/mxtnru2HOY
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) November 30, 2023
Again, the Pistons aren't in a position to draft for need, but it's hard to see how Sarr fits with what they already have given that he's another big who is not a threat on offense. He's a poor fit with Jalen Duren, so you are looking at using a top pick in the draft on a bench player? I don't see it. This may be the year when the Pistons finally trade their pick.
Zaccharie Risacher: SF, L Bourg
A big wing who is highly skilled with the ball and can shoot? Yes please. There's a lot to like about Risacher, who is only 18 and has been playing professionally for three seasons. He's not an above-the-rim athlete, but projects as a guy who should be able to score, pass and who handles the ball very well for his size (6-foot-9) and age.
It's pretty clear the Detroit Pistons need more offensive talent and shooting around their guards, so Risacher is a guy to monitor as the season progresses.
Possible #1 picks for the Detroit Pistons in the 2024 NBA Draft
Ja'Kobe Walter: SG, Baylor
Walter is another in a long line of guards from Baylor, though none of them have done much in the NBA. He's a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who can score from all over, knocks down 3's at a high rate and can get after it on defense.
Given the Pistons' current roster, it's unclear how he would fit. The Pistons already have plenty of guards, though depending on what happens with Jaden Ivey and Killian Hayes, they could be looking for another one in the draft.
Ron Holland: SF, G-League Ignite
Ron Holland is a good example of why I don't like the G-League in its current form. G-League Ignite has been awful so far this year and Holland has been struggling. He's been hugely inefficient, is turning the ball over a ton, and doing it while playing glorified pick-up games in the G-League, where winning doesn't matter.
I like the G-League overall, but they need to find a way to make it more closely resemble NBA competition or at least make it more than a place for prospects to showcase their talents while not having to worry about learning how to play the game the right way or compete. Holland is considered a blue chipper and could very well end up as the #1 pick, but right now he's shooting 23 percent from long range and turning the ball over five times per game on a team that has yet to register a win. Sounds like he's destined to be a Piston.
There are also players like Justin Edwards and Kyle Filipowski who will likely rise up the draft boards, but as you can see, there is no sure thing, so even getting the number one pick is not going to bring much hope to the Detroit Pistons and they certainly can't rely on a player from this draft to be one of their core guys right away.