The 2023 NBA draft is Thursday. The Detroit Pistons have the No. 5 overall pick. And their front office is hard at work evaluating who the best prospect at their position will be.
The debates rage on, both in Detroit’s draft war room, around the league and on social media. The Pistons have worked out six prospects in their range — Overtime Elite twins Amen and Ausar Thompson, Villanova’s Cam Whitmore, Houston’s Jarace Walker, UCF’s Taylor Hendricks and Arkansas’ Anthony Black — and one of them will likely become a Piston in two days.
General manager Troy Weaver addressed the media on Tuesday to discuss Detroit’s draft philosophy and his expectations. Here’s what he had to say:
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Weaver prefers “big swing” in draft
Weaver likes baseball analogies. And he used one to explain the Pistons’ risk assessment going into Thursday’s draft.
There are prospects likely to be available at No. 5 who are viewed as having both superstar and bust potential. There are also prospects who could fill immediate roles and perform at high levels but are unlikely to reach stardom. Which prospects slot into either group is up for debate, but Weaver voted in favor of going after the first group.
“I like the long ball,” he said. “I’m not bunting or trying to slap it into short center. I take a big swing. Especially if I only have one chance at it. If I have three chances, OK, I may bunt one. But one chance at it, I’m going for the big fly. That’s me.”
Weaver then clarified that he’s comfortable taking risks on the court, but doesn’t want to risk drafting a person whose off-the-court values don’t fit the organization. He also told a story about scouting Memphis Grizzlies center Steven Adams, who played for Pitt and was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 12 in 2013. Adams averaged just 7.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and two blocks in college, but Weaver lobbied for him to the Thunder. It was seen as a risky pick, but it worked out.
“Can’t be, ‘this guy can get 18 rebounds but he robs banks,’ ” Weaver said. “No, we’re not taking that risk. But if a guy averages seven points because he’s playing 16 minutes, perfect example is Steven Adams. Funny story, I took my best friend to a game, Pittsburgh was playing in Georgetown and I was home in D.C. scouting, and I took him to the game. And Adams scored two points, and I said “We want to draft this guy to be our center.” He looked at me like, ‘What?’ He scored four points and had two rebounds. Steven Adams turned out to be pretty good.
“All I’m saying, he averaged six or seven points and five rebounds in college. That could be deemed as a risk, but he wasn’t a risk. It was just people’s evaluation.”
Pistons will still draft for talent over fit
Since the day he was hired, Weaver has made it clear the Pistons prefer taking the best player available, rather than players who address specific positional needs. Their roster is in a different place compared to a year or two years ago, though.
The Pistons have invested heavily into their backcourt and center spots but have a clear need at forward. Thankfully for them, this year’s draft is rich in wing prospects; they should be able to get one of the top players on their board at No. 5 to address their deficiency in the frontcourt.
“We’re going to stick to our ethos and make sure we get the best player that fits us in every way,” Weaver said. “The locker room, on the floor, in the community, etc. We have a good nucleus of young men who do that, and we’ll continue to answer that. Fit over position, etc, no. We’ll do what’s best for the team.”
Trading the pick is still an option
The rumor mill is churning this week, and the Pistons are viewed as a team that could move down in exchange for assets. The Utah Jazz (Nos. 9 and 16) and Orlando Magic (No. 6 and 11) are two teams with the capital necessary to move up if they wish to.
It’s more likely that the Pistons move down than up, given how coveted the top three prospects — Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller — in this draft are. It’s also likely that keeping the No. 5 pick will end up being Detroit’s best outcome. Weaver, as expected, didn’t rule out the possibility of trading it, though.
“We’re still open to improving the team, absolutely,” he said. “Do we like the players that we’ve been vetting out at five? Absolutely. We’re still open to different opportunities as well. Definitely still looking at all of our options to improve the team.
“These top-five, top-seven picks are valuable because it’s unpredictable after one,” he continued later. “We feel good about the value of five, and there’s been a lot of bantering and talk back and forth on a lot of picks. We feel good about being at five and the value there.”
Williams is involved in the draft process
It’s been less than three weeks since Monty Williams was hired as head coach, but he has been helping the team vet out its draft board. As a former NBA player, as well as an NBA coach for the past 18 years, he brings a lot of knowledge.
“Since he’s been hired, he’s been a part of everything — the interviews, the on-court workouts and watching film,” Weaver said. “He’s jumped in with two feet, he’s ready and has a lot of keen insight on players that we really value. It’s been great to get his thoughts and vision on players. It’s been extremely helpful thus far.”
Weaver noted that Williams isn’t altering the work that Detroit’s front office and scouting department has already done. Rather, Williams is aligned with their ongoing process. And Weaver is eager to use Williams as a resource in the future as well.
“He’s coached for a while, he knows,” he said. “He has great relationships in the league. We hope to leverage that at the appropriate time, but so far as the draft process, we’ve doubled down on what we’ve been doing. He and I see things the same way when it comes to players, and the type of players we want to bring in. He would tell you the same thing. We’re all about the same things.”
Pistons could take advantage of new CBA
The NBA and National Basketball Players Association agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement in April. The Pistons — and their clean cap sheet — won’t be impacted any time soon by several new luxury tax rules that will make it harder for high-spending teams to improve, or even retain, their rosters.
But teams with big payrolls and slim chances at winning a title next season are likely look to onload salary. The Pistons have $30 million in cap space; they could look to add assets in exchange for adding bad contracts this summer, rather than prioritize big free agency signings. Weaver acknowledged the possibility.
“There’s some thought that teams may have to start looking at their roster comp and how they play out their contracts,” Weaver said. “There could be some vulnerable situations that we could take advantage of. We want to be prepared and working hard to make sure that if those opportunities are afforded, that we’re there. Definitely some working thought there to make sure we’re ready.”