CHICAGO — Draft season is well underway here at the combine, where the entire NBA has congregated for a busy week of work. The first day of scrimmages was Thursday, following two days of testing and drills, which followed the lottery and the G League Elite camp, in what’s become an annual weeklong summit for league business. In addition to what’s taking place on the floor, there’s a lot going on behind closed doors, and the rumor mill is in full bloom.
We’ll have more coverage to come surrounding the draft moving forward, but here are my notes from the past few days, headlined by some insight on Detroit’s decision process after winning the lottery on Tuesday night.
The question of what the Pistons will actually decide to do with the No. 1 pick has been a hot topic among teams at the combine in the 48 hours following the lottery. At the moment, Detroit’s decision on which player to draft at No. 1 appears less clear-cut than some might have expected. Some years, there’s enough separation between the top prospects that the question of who’s going isn’t a question at all (think 2019, when Zion Williamson was the consensus top guy by a wide margin).
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Based on some of the chatter I heard over the course of this season, there was enough love for Cade Cunningham atop the draft that he felt easy to pencil in, regardless of who won the lottery. That no longer appears to be the case. In addition to Cunningham, league sources expect USC’s Evan Mobley and G League Ignite’s Jalen Green to receive serious consideration from the Pistons’ front office, led by general manager Troy Weaver. The strong sense I’ve gotten is that Detroit will explore all its options before committing one way or another, and that the decision on who to take is far from a done deal.
Most of the talk surrounding what might become of the Pistons’ pick has revolved around Weaver, who is regarded by his peers as a sharp scouting mind and a freethinker. He arrived from Oklahoma City after the 2020 season, overseeing a successful draft that landed Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey in the teens and Killian Hayes, a Weaver favorite (who missed a large chunk of the season due to injury), at No. 7. It’s relevant to note that Weaver is known as a contrarian, preferring to examine all sides of a decision with disregard for consensus thought. Weaver is also known as a believer in the value of bigs in the modern NBA, and was widely thought to be bullish on James Wiseman entering last year’s draft. Some around the league think he may ultimately favor Mobley’s versatility and defensive prowess. Others have pointed to Green, a high-upside scorer, as an ideal fit for Detroit’s roster. Nobody knows exactly what they’re thinking yet, but many in the know have cautioned to expect the unexpected.
None of this is meant as a disservice to Cunningham, who has ranked as SI’s top prospect from rail to rail this season, and is the player I’d personally prefer. He can certainly fit on court with Detroit, with a highly malleable game that revolves around his uncanny ability to make positive decisions with the ball, and a much-improved jumper. And he may well end up the No. 1 pick, whether it’s the Pistons, or, speculatively, if Detroit finds a pathway to trading back and still landing the player it wants. Weaver and his front office hold the cards atop the draft here, and it’s a situation the rest of the NBA will monitor closely in the days and weeks to come.