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5 Players the Pistons could Draft with the 5th Pick

The Pistons lost the lottery... again. If Detroit keeps the pick, they'll need to draft a player that can come in a contribute right away. That'll be easier said than done in a weak draft class.

Aaron Johnson

May 15

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The basketball gods did not smile upon the Detroit Pistons on Sunday afternoon at the NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago.

The Pistons will be picking 5th in the draft for the third year in a row — after entering the day with the highest odds to land the 1st pick.

By now, fans should have had enough time to grieve. That’s not what we’re going to do here.

Instead, we will introduce five prospects Detroit could select with the 5th pick on Wednesday, June 26th.

Dalton Knecht

Early indications are that Knecht will be a divisive name in these conversations.

Some view him as a great fit with Detroit, while others are apparently ready to throw themselves off the Renaissance Center should the Pistons draft him.

Relax.

No one in this draft is perfect, but Knecht is a 6’6” wing who is ready for NBA minutes right now.

In his one season at Tennessee, the 23-year-old averaged 21.7 points on 39.7% 3-point shooting.

He was the SEC Player of the Year and led the Volunteers to the Elite 8.

There will be challenges for Knecht on the defensive end. He lacks strength and quickness, but his ability to shoot the ball and absorb minutes on the wing would make him a nice fit on the court alongside Cade Cunningham.

Matas Buzelis

ESPN and The Athletic have Buzelis mocked to the Pistons.

His agent is Michael Tellem, the son of the vice chairmen of the Pistons, Arn Tellem.

Reading between the lines, Buzelis may be the likeliest selection should Detroit keep the 5th pick.

The 6’10” forward had an up-and-down season for the horrendous G League Ignite, but a strong year-end may have boosted Buzelis' draft stock back up.

He was once considered a candidate to be the #1 pick, which led him to slide down mock drafts as the G League season progressed.

The Pistons certainly need help at both forward positions, but Buzelis shot just 27.3% from deep on 3.4 attempts per game. Adding another non-shooting prospect to a roster built on prospects with similar defects may not make the most sense.

As of now, he would not be my personal choice for Detroit, but if you believe in his shooting and ball-handling development, it would be hard to pass up on the skilled 6’10” 19-year-old.

Ron Holland

Another G League Ignite alum, and another prospect that was at once considered to be the best player in the draft, Holland is a highly athletic wing with immense potential.

But his fit with Detroit is concerning. The 6’8” forward can defend and is incredibly athletic. That being said, he shot just 24% from behind the arc.

Sound familiar?

He shares a lot of strengths — and weaknesses — with Ausar Thompson.

If Detroit didn’t already have a young wing that does a lot of things well besides shooting, I would likely be more inclined toward Holland. However, the Pistons already struggled to put shooting around on the court alongside Cade Cunningham so drafting ANOTHER non-shooting wing does not make a whole ton of sense.

Reed Sheppard

I view Reed Sheppard as another prospect who could come in and give Detroit good minutes right away.

While he lacks size at just 6’3”, he’s an intelligent and pesky player. Defensively, he uses these tools to hound ball handlers and force turnovers.

He’s also a lights-out shooter. In his single season at Kentucky, Sheppard shot 52.1% from the 3-point line on 4.4 attempts per game.

He would be a seamless addition to Detroit’s roster and fits very well alongside Cunningham, as both a floor spacer and additional initiator.

The concerns with Sheppard center around his size and athleticism, but he has a ton of tools that project him to be a productive player for quite some time.

Zacchaire Risacher

Risacher may be the first pick in the draft — but he could also still be on the board when Detroit picks at 5.

If you look at his counting stats, Risacher likely will not stand out to you. He averaged a modest 10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and less than one assist a game for JL Bourg in France.

That being said, he’s a 6’8” forward who just turned 19 years old and shot 47% from three this past season. He projects to be a valuable 3-and-D wing.

If the shooting is real — he was not nearly the level of shooter he was last year in his first two professional seasons — then he is the exact type of player the Pistons need.

Wrap Up

The truth is, there are probably at least 10 guys Detroit could consider for the pick. Prospects such as Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle present as interesting options for Detroit just as much as any of the candidates we covered above.

There is not a major gap in talent amongst the top 10-14 prospects in this draft class. Other names were not mentioned today that may be of interest to the Pistons.

We will have plenty of more content surrounding the draft over the next month and a half. Please subscribe to get our work directly to your email inbox as soon as they are published.

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