If things go south for Detroit Pistons, Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes would soften blow

The Detroit Pistons are beginning to grow weary of losing. Their goal for this season is to compete.

It’s a simple goal, but for a franchise that’s gone 63-157 over its last three seasons, competing every night would represent a meaningful step forward.

On paper, they have the makings of a team that could enter the play-in race. Cade Cunningham is entering his second season, and will be in the All-Star conversation if his hot finish to last season carries over. Isaiah Stewart, Saddiq Bey and Killian Hayes showcased their offseason work during preseason. Rookies Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren are talented enough to make an impact, and Detroit has solid depth at all five positions.

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The front office isn’t expecting a playoff appearance yet. Young teams tend to lose a lot, and the NBA has great parity. Detroit’s margin for error is incredibly slim. There isn’t a good incentive to measure progress by wins and losses yet.

It’s smart team-building. There’s no reason to speed up their timeline, less than three years into a full rebuild. It takes time to build a capable roster. And in the grand scheme, one more lottery appearance may be better for the franchise.

This is a good year to be bad.

The player at the top of the 2023 NBA draft class is 18-year-old French phenom Victor Wembanyama. We’re in a historic era for big men; recent league MVPs like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic have forced the world to eliminate the usual conventions associated with the position. Jokic is arguably the best passer in the NBA, and Antetokounmpo occupies his own unique archetype as a physically-dominant, ball-handling 7-foot forward.

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Wembanyama defies description. He’s listed at 7-2 but is likely taller, and can do, well, everything. He can handle the ball and knock down 3-pointers off of the catch and on the move with deep range. His comically-long 8-foot wingspan enables him to alter shots at the rim with ease. He sees the floor well and willingly moves the ball.

If you’ve ever seen a YouTube video of someone hacking NBA 2K and dominating with a 10-foot player in MyCareer, you’ve basically seen Wembanyama. He put up video game numbers in two games against the G League Ignite in Las Vegas earlier this month. Wembanyama posted 37 points, made seven of 11 3-pointers and blocked five shots during the first game, and followed that with a 36-point, 11-rebound, four-block, four-assist performance two days later. Over both games, he shot 9-for-18 from 3 and 22-for-44 overall.

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He was so dominant that he overshadowed Ignite standout Scoot Henderson, currently the only player challenging Wembanyama’s status in 2023. In nearly any other year, Henderson would be the no-brainer top prospect. The 6-2 guard resembles Kyrie Irving with his dexterous handle and elite layup package, but is a better athlete. He posted 28 points, nine assists and five rebounds to lead the Ignite to a 122-115 win in the first game over Wembanyama’s Metropolitans 92. Henderson left the second game early after bumping knees with Wembanyama, but he showed enough in the exhibitions to justify the hype.

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Thanks to Wembanyama and Henderson, there are few bad outcomes for the Pistons this season. If they meet or exceed expectations, it’ll mean the “restoring” is on track. If they fail to make positive strides forward or regress, they’ll have a shot at two generational talents.

Even if everything clicks for the Pistons this season, making the playoffs could be too lofty a goal. Ten teams in the Eastern Conference finished with winning records last season. The Charlotte Hornets won 43 games and didn’t qualify for the playoffs, as they fell to the Atlanta Hawks in a play-in game. Some fans may think a 20-win improvement is on the table for Detroit. If that’s the best-case scenario, it could still fall short of a postseason bid.

There could be a point in the season where the Pistons will have to pick a direction. They’re one of a handful of teams who may not be good enough to make a play-in game, but also not quite bad enough to finish with a bottom-three record and get the best-possible odds at the first overall pick. The San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers all appear to be firmly committed to losing, based on their rosters.

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The Pistons actually took steps toward respectability, trading for talented veterans in Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Bojan Bogdanovic. Their roster is much deeper and more talented than it was a year ago. It could be months before Detroit knows, with certainty, that it’s not a play-in bound team and needs to abandon its pursuit.

Even beyond Wembanyama and Henderson, the 2023 draft has worthwhile talent. Overtime Elite wing Amen Thompson, his twin brother Ausar, Villanova wing Cam Whitmore and Arkansas guard Nick Smith are all supremely talented and would give the Pistons potential stars to pair alongside Cunningham and Ivey.

Wembanyama is one-of-a-kind, and Henderson is a franchise talent. The Pistons are entering the season with the right priorities. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2008. They need to sell fans on their vision. Everyone needs to see progress.

But if things derail, perhaps there’s some upside in being able to dip into a historically-great draft.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa.