NBA draft prospects Detroit Pistons fans should follow during March Madness 2024

With every passing year, the top spots in the NBA draft are increasingly filled by non-NCAA prospects. The 10 top spots this summer could feature at least three international prospects — including French big man Alexandre Sarr, French forward Zaccharie Risacher and Serbian guard Nikola Topic — plus G League Ignite standouts Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland.

The Detroit Pistons will have their pick of those prospects or choose from the top players in college basketball, as well, when the first round of the 2024 NBA draft arrives on June 24. Assuming they finish with a bottom-three record — the Pistons entered Tuesday with the league's second-worst record with 12 wins, sandwiched between the 11-win Washington Wizards and 15-win San Antonio Spurs — they will fall no lower than seventh in the draft order.

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The NCAA tournament began Tuesday night with First Four games in Dayton, Ohio, though the first round doesn't go until Thursday (tipping off at 12:15 p.m. (CBS) with No. 9 Michigan State basketball vs. No. 8 Mississippi State in Charlotte, North Carolina). Here are six prospects Pistons fans should be familiar with during March Madness.

G Reed Sheppard, Kentucky

2023-24 averages: 12.8 points, 4.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 0.7 blocks.

First game: 14-seed Oakland, 7:10 p.m. Thursday (CBS).

After using first-round picks — three in the top 10 — on ball-handlers in four consecutive drafts, there may be some understandable trepidation over drafting a fifth. At 6 feet 3, Sheppard would be one of Detroit’s smallest players. But he’s one of the few guards the Pistons should consider if he’s available.

The freshman has been among the most impressive scorers in the country this season, shooting 54.3% overall and 52.5% from 3. He has a quick release and deep shooting range. With that, he’s also a capable passer (he's averaging just two turnovers per game) and one of the draft’s better defenders, with 2.5 steals and nearly a block per game.

Sheppard’s skills are complementary to Cade Cunningham’s, given that he can space the floor and hold his own defensively. But selecting him would force the Pistons to take a critical look at their current guard rotation, which also includes Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser.

F Cody Williams, Colorado

2023-24 averages: 12.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 blocks, 0.6 steals.

First game: 10-seed Boise State, 9:10 p.m. Wednesday (truTV).

The younger brother of Jalen Williams, a blossoming star for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cody is a versatile offensive forward with the tools to be a multi-positional defender. He shot 56.5% overall and 42.1% from 3 (albeit on low volume), reads the floor well and likes to attack the rim. He also has a wingspan north of 7 feet despite standing 6-8, giving him ideal size for a modern wing.

Williams is good in a lot of areas but will need to continue polishing his offensive game to emerge as a go-to option in the NBA. He’s a straight-line driver, rather than a wing that can break down defenses with his dribble. There are questions about his jumper, given that he doesn’t take many 3s and also shot just 72.1% at the line. For the Pistons, though, he fills a need — a big forward with tools on both ends.

G Ja’Kobe Walter, Baylor

2023-24 averages: 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals.

First game: 14-seed Colgate, 12:40 p.m. Friday (truTV).

The 6-5 freshman has the profile of a shotmaking NBA wing who can hit shots off the catch or the dribble. There’s one problem, though — he hasn't actually made them often enough. Walter was a consensus five-star recruit, largely thanks to his accuracy in high school, but this season he has shot just 37.3% overall and 34% from 3.

That has sent his draft stock plummeting, leaving him as more of a top-20 prospect than top-six. But his reputation could rebound with a strong March Madness showing. The Pistons could always use more shot-making, but Walter will have to prove he's the answer there.

G Dalton Knecht, Tennessee

2023-24 averages: 21.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks.

First game: 15-seed Saint Peter's, 9:20 p.m. Thursday (TNT).

The reigning SEC Player of the Year is the oldest player on this list at 23, but the Pistons shouldn’t overlook one of college basketball’s best scorers. The 6-6 Knecht shot 46.5% and torched teams from 3 (39.7% on 6.2 attempts per game). We’ve seen several seniors go on to shine immediately as floor-spacers in recent years, and Knecht fits the mold.

He has questions on defense, though, given that he’s a bit slow-footed. Any team that drafts Knecht will do so because of his high floor as a shooter.

C Donovan Clingan, UConn

2023-24 averages: 12.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 1.5 assists.

First game: 16-seed Stetson, 2:45 p.m. Friday (CBS).

The only spot the Pistons under Troy Weaver have focused on as much as guard is "big," with two forward/center selections in the top 16 (Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart) and a pair of trades for former first-rounders (Marvin Bagley III and James Wiseman). Bagley has already been traded away, with Duren and Stewart currently comprising the starting frontcourt.

Clingan would address a need, though — rim protection. At 7-2, the 20-year-old has been among the most dominant paint presences in the college game this season. All of his tools on that end should translate, given his impressive mobility and instincts. Selecting him certainly would force questions about the viability of the Duren-Stewart combo, but there’s value for the Pistons in taking a player with clear Day 1 potential.

G Stephon Castle, UConn

2023-24 averages: 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.6 blocks.

First game: 16-seed Stetson, 2:45 p.m. Friday (CBS).

Castle’s two-way versatility at 6-6 makes him a potential fit with the Pistons despite their guard depth. He’s a capable defender and a key cog for a Huskies squad ranking 15th in fewest points per game allowed (64.4) this season. Offensively, he sees the floor and can finish at the rim.

His biggest issue is his jumper on 3s; he hit just 28.1% on two attempts beyond the arc per game. But he improved as the season progressed, hitting 32.6% during regular-season league play followed by a 9-for-18 (50%) mark in three games of the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden. If he can knock down NBA 3s with consistency, he’d fit as a do-it-all guard next to any of Detroit’s other guards.

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

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 6 Detroit Pistons NBA draft prospects to follow during March Madness