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Where Detroit Pistons Landed in First Postseason 2024 NBA Draft Sim

With the first postseason draft simulation of 2024, the Detroit Pistons did not end up with the first pick.
Justin Grasso|
Jun 13, 2023; Detroit, MI, USA; Troy Weaver general manager of the Detroit Pistons, owner Tom Gores
Jun 13, 2023; Detroit, MI, USA; Troy Weaver general manager of the Detroit Pistons, owner Tom Gores | Brian Bradshaw Sevald-USA TODAY Sports

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Detroit Pistons

After suffering a beatdown from the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, the Detroit Pistons officially concluded the 2023-2024 NBA season with a record of 14-68.

Placing behind the Washington Wizards, the Pistons placed last in the Eastern Conference. By clinching the NBA’s worst record of the year, the Pistons hold favorable odds to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

However, Tankathon’s first simulation of the postseason did not give the Pistons the top selection.

Instead, the simulator landed on the Portland Trail Blazers.

Like the Pistons, the Blazers finished last in their conference. They ended the year on a five-game losing streak, finishing with a 21-61 record.

Last summer, the Blazers ended up wit the third pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. They selected the NBA G League Ignite standout, Scoot Henderson.

Meanwhile, the Pistons ended up with pick No. 5. They also opted for a non-NCAA prospect and snagged the defensive standout, Ausar Thompson.

Thompson started in 38 games, and averaged 25 minutes on the court. Offensively, he struggled with his shot, especially from beyond the arc. He scored 8.8 points per game, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 18 percent from three.

While his offense is still a work in progress, Thompson impressed with his defensive skillset more often than not. The rookie averaged seven rebounds per game, while snatching an average of one steal per game, and blocking nearly one shot on a nightly basis.

The Pistons seem satisfied with their top selection from last year. They’ll hope to get the same feeling this year.

This year’s draft doesn’t carry the same hype as last season’s, when Victor Wembanyama was entering the scene, but after going through historically tough season, the Pistons would clearly like to be rewarded with the opportunity to select any prospect they want.

Based on the first simulation after the regular season, luck wasn’t totally on their side. We’ll see if that’s the case on May 12.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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