NBA mock draft roundup: Almost everyone has Detroit Pistons taking this G League prospect

The Detroit Pistons will get the fifth pick of the litter during the 2024 NBA draft at the end of June.

Detroit was the worst team in the NBA this season, finishing with a dreadful 14-68 record, setting the franchise record for losses in a season and NBA record for consecutive losses. Despite the ineptitude, the draft lottery gods punished the Pistons, as they fell from the best odds to the fifth pick for the second year in a row.

It is the third straight season the Pistons have dropped to five in the lottery since drafting Cade Cunningham with the top pick in 2021. The glut of high draft picks under general manager Troy Weaver in the last four seasons has amounted to the worst stretch of basketball in franchise history, not the desired rebuild.

Now, the Pistons' first crack at changing their misfortunes will come with the fifth pick in the draft. Detroit also owns the No. 53 pick in the second round, but does not have pick 31 which was shipped at the trade deadline in the deal acquiring Simone Fontecchio.

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Here are what early mock drafts are predicting the Pistons could do with the fifth overall pick:

Free Press

In our very own Omari Sankofa II's first crack at predicting the top five, he has the Pistons selecting Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard. Sankofa said that French wing prospect Zaccharie Risacher, who went third in his mock, was Detroit's "ideal pick" but said Sheppard could still fit as an elite 3-point shooter despite the crowded guard room.

"Reed was an absurdly efficient scorer as a freshman and is one of the best shooters in the draft thanks to his deep range and high volume (144 attempts)," he wrote. "He knocked down more than half of his attempts from 3 and inside the arc. Combine that with his passing and ability to force turnovers and defend within the scheme, and he’s one of the higher-floor players in the draft."

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USA TODAY/FTW

USA TODAY For the Win's Bryan Kalbrosky has the Pistons drafting 6-11 wing Matas Buzelis, who played with the G League Ignite last season. Kalbrosky said Buzelis was one of the harder prospects to nail down because scouts are split in their opinions on the lanky wing originally from Illinois.

"Although he was able to play a lot better as the season progressed and he remains in serious contention for one of the top spots in the class, Buzelis currently has a wide range of outcomes on draft night," he wrote.

ESPN

ESPN's draft guides, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, also have the Pistons drafting Buzelis, who turns 20 in October. They said he would be a fit positionally, as the Pistons desperately search for floor-stretching wings to improve the league's worst 3-point shooting, though he didn't shoot as well in the G League as he did in high school.

"The Pistons are the NBA's worst 3-point shooting team and among the league's worst defenses, meaning they could be attracted to the combination of perimeter shooting, explosiveness, defensive versatility and youth Buzelis offers," Givony wrote. "He made 45% of his 3-pointers as a high school senior, but saw that number drop significantly with G League Ignite."

The Athletic

Sam Vecenie, The Athletic's draft writer and recent Pistons Pulse podcast guest, landed on Buzelis to Detroit too. Vecenie said Buzelis is one of the more high-upside swings in this year's class due to his size, off-ball ability and athleticism, but still has concerns about the shooting as well as creating his own shot. He 14.1 points per game but shot 45.5% from the field and 26.1% from 3 for the Ignite.

"The Pistons desperately need a four in their core, and Buzelis profiles well as a good fit next to Cade Cunningham as long as the team believes in his jumper," he wrote.

Yahoo! Sports

Buzelis to Detroit is an early consensus, as Yahoo's Krysten Peek also predicted that pick. She said Buzelis' size and tools make him an easy bet as a player who could find a landing spot at multiple positions thanks to his versatility defensively. Still, the shot is the main hangup.

"He struggled from the outside this year for the Ignite, but showed a lot of improvement defensively, guarding multiple positions and using better timing as a rim protector," Peek wrote. "The Pistons falling to No. 5 still gives them options to add length and defensive versatility with Buzelis, who can play multiple positions."

The Ringer

Kevin O'Connor is also mocking Buzelis to Detroit at 5 for the Ringer. He said the lottery fall may not be the end of the world for the Pistons because the class doesn't have a clear-cut top group of prospects like in past years and Buzelis could end up as the best player in the class.

"He’d add a ton of versatility alongside Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren," O'Connor wrote. "And if his offense keeps progressing, he could become a great running mate for Cade Cunningham."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NBA mock drafts: G League's Matas Buzelis goes to Detroit Pistons