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Popular Detroit Pistons Draft Prospect Won’t Fall Far Enough

Will the Detroit Pistons get lucky and land a popular top pick?
Justin Grasso|
May 14, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Adam Bona (90) and Urich Chomche (62) go for a jump ball during the 2024 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
May 14, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Adam Bona (90) and Urich Chomche (62) go for a jump ball during the 2024 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports | David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

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Detroit Pistons

Luck wasn’t on the Detroit Pistons’ side last month when the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery went down.

After finishing the 2023-2024 NBA season with the league’s worst record, the Pistons found themselves with the best odds to land a top-two pick. Tied with the Washington Wizards, it seemed likely Detroit and Washington would hold the top two selections.

One of those scenarios was true, with the Wizards getting the second-overall pick. As for the Pistons, they dropped down to five, with the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, and Atlanta Hawks taking up the other selection slots.

Considering the Pistons were widely expected to win one of the top two picks, they were typically linked to two popular international prospects, Zaccharie Risacher, and Alex Sarr.

Could they get lucky on draft night and see one of those prospects drop to five as other players’ stocks rise throughout the pre-draft process? According to ESPN’s Jonathon Givony, that scenario is highly unlikely.

“Every team in the top five has significant interest in Risacher,” the draft analyst wrote this week. “It is looking highly unlikely, barring a major surprise, that he'll drop out of the top two.”

Per ESPN’s latest mock draft, Risacher goes No. 1 to the Atlanta Hawks. Sarr lands with the Wizards at No. 2. Even in the event the Hawks decide to go in a different direction, taking up Sarr first over Risacher, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo notes that Washington’s direction on draft night will “hang on” where Atlanta lands. The Wizards are connected to both prospects.

The Pistons will see four players go off the board before they select. The top two selections probably won’t stun anybody. As for the third and fourth picks, they seem undecided at this time.

Right now, the popular mock pick for the Pistons seems to be the NBA G League Ignite forward Matas Buzelis. Depending on how the front four shakes out, Detroit’s plans could go in an unexpected direction.

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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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