The Detroit Pistons currently hold the No. 5 overall pick in the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft. They are coming off a 23-59 season which was the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. There were still plenty of positives to build off when looking at the young roster. Cade Cunningham had a productive rookie season in which he averaged 17.4 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.5 rebounds. There is still plenty of room to grow, but he showed the early signs of the franchise centerpiece they hope he can become.
There are still plenty of questions about the roster outside of Cunningham. While there are some solid options set to be on the board at the fifth pick, Detroit needs another star-caliber player to truly make the leap the franchise is hoping for. If the option presents itself in the draft, the Pistons would benefit greatly from trading up to add Paolo Banchero.
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Why Pistons must try to trade up for Paolo Banchero in 2022 NBA Draft
Fit With Cade Cunningham
There is a ton to like about the style of play of Cade Cunningham. He is a high IQ player who can do a little bit of everything. While he is certainly capable of getting a bucket on his own, adding a go-to option alongside him would benefit Cunningham's game greatly. This would be the case if the Pistons are able to land Paolo Banchero.
The Duke product stands 6-foot-10 and is the best pure scorer in the draft. He has impressive shot creation and uses his body well to navigate to his spots. Banchero averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists during his lone season in college. Duke was at their best when Banchero took over and he showed a willingness to do this when the team needed it. Banchero has been critiqued for his 3-point production (33.8%), but he had some great success in the mid-range. While the numbers may not pop right away, there should be no real concerns about his shooting touch.
Adding such a high-caliber offensive weapon would create some great offensive options in the half court. Cunningham and Banchero could grow into a lethal pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop duo. The Duke product has an NBA-ready body and style of play. He would be a seamless fit alongside Cunningham and accelerate the Pistons' franchise growth.
Upgrade Over Jerami Grant
There has been a great deal of talk about the Pistons and Jerami Grant. The forward has found a home in Detroit and has seemingly taken a step forward in his game. The Syracuse product has averaged 20.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists during his time with the Pistons. He also has connected on 35.3% of his 3-point attempts. Grant will head into the 2022-23 season on the final year of his contract. He also has been rumored to have interest from multiple teams around the NBA.
While Grant is a solid NBA player, the ceiling of Paolo Banchero is significantly higher. The 19-year-old has many of the same positives in his game and brings more to the table overall. Bringing Banchero in to play alongside Grant and potentially flipping him for a better-fitting piece alongside the two young stars could work out perfectly for the Pistons.
There is also a great amount of intrigue in the passing ability of Banchero. He averaged 3.2 assists in college and made some advanced reads in the half court. This is impressive production from the power forward position. While Banchero will always be at his best when scoring the ball, he has the potential to be able to run an offense in half-court situations. His creativity and vision are more impressive than the assists numbers indicate. Banchero is already well above Grant in this area and could look even more impressive at the NBA level where there will be better spacing and movement.
Defensive Concerns Overstated
One of the negative characteristics of Paolo Banchero is on the defensive side of the ball. There was inconsistent effort and production on defense throughout most of the season. The most concerning area is in the pick-and-roll defense, where he struggled to stay attached to his man and made some poor choices in terms of dropping or fighting over.
While these certainly aren't things to just brush off, there should be confidence his defense can improve at the NBA level. Inconsistent defense is a common critique of players coming out of college. While it certainly would be ideal to see all players play at 100% intensity on every play, this rarely ends up being the reality.
Banchero showed enough defensive flashes to give reason to believe this could change in the NBA. In isolation situations, Banchero held opponents to just 7-for-32 from the field last season. His 6-foot-10 frame and 7-foot-1 wingspan help him to lock in and swallow up smaller ball handlers. The Duke product may be at his best playing more of a small forward role in the NBA so he can utilize this advantage more often.
There are still plenty of solid players set to be on the board at the fifth selection for the Pistons. However, none of them possess the short-term or long-term potential of Paolo Banchero. Finding a way to move up to add the potential franchise centerpiece would launch the Pistons into the upward trajectory they desire.
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