The bad news for the Pistons is, they fell out of the NBA Draft’s top three. Good news is, they won’t have to engage in the loud, rancorous debate over which super-hyped players should go one, two, or three.
With one flip of the lottery card Tuesday night, the Pistons’ focus shifted, and so will the argument. Landing at No. 5 wasn’t ideal but shouldn’t be devastating. It means they probably won’t get to choose between Gonzaga’s 7-foot, 195-pound Chet Holmgren, Auburn’s 6-10 Jabari Smith or Duke’s 6-10 Paolo Banchero, which also means they won’t have to fret about a high-stakes gamble.
Thank goodness we won’t have to waste countless hours trying to figure out if Holmgren is a shot-blocking, playmaking marvel, or a unique player stuck in a skinny body. For the record, I lean heavily toward the latter. Smith would’ve been a nice addition. So would Banchero. But GM Troy Weaver has no complaints, and after winning the top pick and Cade Cunningham, the Pistons can’t lament their luck. (They only had a 14% chance of duplicating last year’s feat, and a 40.1% chance of staying in the top three.)
