The Detroit Pistons got lucky during last year’s NBA draft lottery, moving up one spot to secure the first overall pick. That pick became Cade Cunningham, who had one of the best rookie seasons in franchise history.
The Pistons didn’t get lucky this year.
They entered Tuesday’s lottery with the third-best odds, but fell two spots to fifth overall. They were jumped by Sacramento (entered No. 7, will pick fourth) and Oklahoma City (entered No. 4, will pick second). Orlando won the lottery, moving up one spot. Houston will pick third after dropping two spots.
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The Pistons had a 52.1% chance of picking in the top four.
They will likely miss out on drafting one of the draft’s three best prospects — Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr. and Duke’s Paolo Banchero — but will still have one of the best picks in the draft and a prime opportunity to add another core piece to their young roster.
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Outside of those three players, the Pistons have several other prospects they are high on. Among them are Purdue guard Jaden Ivey, Iowa forward Keegan Murray, Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe, Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin and Memphis center Jalen Duren.
After the third pick, this draft is considered to be wide open. The Pistons also have a second-round pick, No. 46 overall, from Brooklyn.
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“We’re going to pick the best player for us,” Pistons general manager Troy Weaver said Tuesday night. “Length, size, speed, it really doesn’t matter. Pick the best player for the Pistons. We’re very comfortable with the guys all on the board in the lottery.”
Ivey is widely considered to be the best prospect outside of Holmgren, Smith and Banchero, but the NBA combine and strong individual team workouts could shake up the Pistons’ board ahead of the draft June 23.
The Pistons finished the season 23-59, 14th in the 15-team Eastern Conference. Cunningham finished third in Rookie of the Year voting, averaging 17.4 points, 5.6 assists and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 31.4% from 3-point range.
Building around Cunningham is the key now.
“Absolutely we’re going to pick the guy that fits best with our organization moving forward,” Weaver said. “He’ll have the same attributes to these other guys. We absolutely factor in Cade and the rest of the guys. That’s easy because these guys have such similarities with Cade, Saddiq (Bey), Isaiah (Stewart), Pick 7 (Killian Hayes). So this one won’t be difficult to add this person and player to the mix.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. The Free Press has a digital subscription model. Here’s how you can access our most exclusive Pistons content. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.
2022NBA draft order for lottery teams
1. Orlando
2. Oklahoma City
3. Houston
4. Sacramento
5. Detroit
6. Indiana
7. Portland
8. New Orleans (from LA Lakers)
9. San Antonio
10. Washington
11. New York
12. Oklahoma City (from LA Clippers)
13. Charlotte
14. Cleveland
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons pick 5th in NBA draft after falling 2 spots in lottery
