The 2022 NBA Draft is in the books and by most accounts, the Detroit Pistons absolutely nailed it.
With the No. 5 overall pick, the Pistons struck gold as they landed G Jaden Ivey out of Purdue but they were not finished there as they made a trade to acquire F Jalen Duren, who went No. 13 overall to the Charlotte Hornets.
That’s right, folks, the Pistons went into the draft with one lottery pick and by the end of the night, they walked away with two.
http://gty.im/1241487278
Detroit Pistons land elite point guard in 2023 NBA Mock Draft
Of course, as soon as the 2022 NBA Draft concluded, the way-too-early 2023 Mock Drafts began to drop.
One of those way-t00-early drafts comes from Jonothan Givony of ESPN, who has the Pistons getting the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
With the No. 2 overall pick, Givony has the Pistons selecting Scoot Henderson from the G League Ignite.
Here is what Givony has to say about Henderson:
That starts with Scoot Henderson, who has Jaden Ivey-esque explosiveness changing gears in the open court, taking a piece of the paint and finishing powerfully above the rim. Henderson’s court vision is more advanced than Ivey’s at the same stage, but he’s 2 inches shorter and his struggles as a perimeter shooter (22% from 3) are something teams will want to study closely next year. To be fair, Henderson is far from a non-shooter in terms of his mechanics and ability to throw in pullup jumpers when defenses go under ball screens (he made 43% of his off-the-dribble jumpers last season, per Synergy Sports Technology), and the fact that he hit nearly 80% of his free throws last season leaves significant room for optimism, especially considering he’s still only 18.
Nation, how would you feel about the Detroit Pistons landing Scoot Henderson in the 2023 NBA Draft? Personally, I do not think there is any way that the Pistons will have the No. 2 overall pick… unless they get some AMAZING NBA Draft Lottery luck.