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This was supposed to be a season of progress for the Detroit Pistons.
Cade Cunningham returned after playing just 12 games last year and put up career-highs nearly across the board. Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey flashed in their first two seasons in the league. Detroit added Ausar Thompson to its young core and hired Monty Williams as their head coach.
The Pistons had everything to make a jump in 2023-24. Instead, they were historically inept and finished with the worst record in the NBA.
Part of that ineptitude was setting the NBA record for the longest in-season losing streak in league history. They lost 28 games in a row, subject to a wasted season months before it finally ended. But there is still gold to find at the end of the rainbow.
Detroit is tied with the Washington Wizards for the best odds at landing the first pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. They can add another key contributor to their young core with their first-round pick. The Pistons should be targeting Zaccharie Risacher, Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard with that pick to help them in the future.
Zaccharie Risacher, Forward, France
If there are areas the Pistons must improve going forward, it would be both shooting and defense. Detroit ranked 26th in the league in three-point percentage, only ahead of the Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers—all of whom join them in the lottery. In addition to that, the Pistons finished 25th in defensive rating, better than just the Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and Utah Jazz—again, all teams that missed out on the postseason.
There is one player the Pistons could draft with the first overall pick who could help with both facets of the game. That would be French forward Zaccharie Risacher, a long and lanky 6-foot-8 forward who can defend multiple positions. He could help form a frightening defensive pairing alongside Thompson.
zaccharie risacher's defense is a major plus for his projection, the screen chasing/navigation and footwork and overall twitch guarding the ball are things of beauty
needs to get stronger of course but legit positive defensive impact in a good league at 18 is huge pic.twitter.com/cSLrqJq7LZ
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) March 27, 2024
Risacher is not necessarily a scorer, but he can be a secondary creator and spread the floor alongside Cunningham. He has shot 40.6% from three in his career as a professional in the French league. Risacher can also put the ball on the deck and attack a closeout when given an advantage.
6’9 wing Zaccharie Risacher @Zacch_10 is a potential #1 Pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Very good shooter that can play off closeouts and guard multiple positions on defense. Shot 46% 3FG in @eurocup this year 🔥 @jlbourgbasket pic.twitter.com/Stpd5Kxu3e
— Swish Cultures (@swishcultures_) April 23, 2024
Risacher's game resembles Mikal Bridges' a bit. He can serve the Pistons immediately as a complimentary player while continuing to develop his offensive game. He'd be the best and cleanest fit on Detroit's roster if they were to earn the first pick.
Rob Dillingham, Guard, Kentucky
Should the Pistons slip in the lottery, one of the Kentucky guards would make a lot of sense for them. Let's start with Rob Dillingham, a quintessential Kentucky guard coached by John Calipari. He has three-level scoring capabilities and can really go on a heater when he's rolling.
I'm ready to jump on the Rob Dillingham hype train.
The similarities with Quickley/Maxey are very clear, and on top of that, Rob has that hooper flavor.
Kentucky is building this kid well, and that's a great sign!pic.twitter.com/kuaeFQvJ2B
— keyonte. (@gwmayusi) January 10, 2024
Dillingham averaged 26.1 points per 40 minutes on 47.5/49.5/44.4/79.6 shooting splits. But he isn't just a scorer. He also averaged 6.6 assists per 40 minutes while maintaining a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
I've been having an extremely good time recently watching Rob Dillingham pass the ball. Here's a quick montage of his passing from a random game against Texas A&M a couple weeks ago.
Crazy talent pic.twitter.com/9MkMO0yIGT
— Itamar (@Itamar_17_10) February 14, 2024
The fit between Cunningham and Ivey has not been as clean as many hoped. Ivey never seemed to gain Monty Williams' trust this season, either, though Williams may be more at fault for that.
If Detroit wants to move on from Ivey, they could draft Dillingham and take another shot at a running mate for Cunningham. Dillingham would fit that mold perfectly.
Reed Sheppard, Guard, Kentucky
Reed Sheppard did not garner as much as hype as Dillingham did entering 2023-24, but his freshman season was just as good. Sheppard averaged 17.2 points per 40 minutes while posting 53.6/55.5/52.1/83.1 shooting splits. His game is also one that would mesh very well alongside Cunningham.
Reed Sheppard captivated NBA scouts this season with his shooting prowess, playmaking acumen, defensive instincts, feel for the game, productivity and never-ending confidence, with a slew of exceptional performances in SEC play. https://t.co/3aLTL8dPvo pic.twitter.com/yKOW0NdC1c
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 18, 2024
The Pistons have to find guys who can fit alongside Cunningham and the rest of their core. Sheppard's game would allow him to fit in anywhere, but especially Detroit. He should be very high on their draft boards.
