The Detroit Pistons didn't enter the season expected to be in the running for the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. However, with Cade Cunningham — the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft — sustaining a season-ending shin injury just 12 games into his 2022-23 campaign, the Pistons were suddenly upstream with a paddle.
It wasn't all bad though.
Rookie combo guard Jaden Ivey improved and impressed throughout the season, energizing the Pistons fan base with both his athleticism and his family ties to Detroit.
Third-year guard Killian Hayes turned a corner in his development by the end of the season as well, averaging 17.0 points and 6.8 assists on 43.1 percent shooting in April.
Meanwhile, rookie center Jalen Duren impressed with his physicality and rebounding dominance, eventually finding himself compared to renowned big men like Dwight Howard and Ben Wallace.
Then there's James Wiseman, a skilled big man who needs to sharpen the tools in his toolbox but has plenty to work with. The second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Wiseman averaged 12.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 25.2 minutes per game in a crowded Pistons frontcourt.
With the first overall pick, there's really only one player that anyone is talking about as being the top prospect though, and that's Metropolitans 92 power forward Victor Wembanyama.
However, given their current roster construction, the Pistons could pull a move similar to the Orlando Magic and make an unexpected selection at the top of the 2023 NBA Draft.
3 early 2023 NBA Draft targets for Pistons with No. 1 lottery slot in first round
Brandon Miller
Frankly, Alabama Crimson Tide forward Brandon Miller might the best on-court fit for the Detroit Pistons, if not just the simplest.
Averaging 19.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game on 45.3 percent shooting from the field, 40.4 percent shooting from 3-point range, and 85.0 percent from the free-throw line, Miller is a smooth wing thar can light up the scoreboard.
At 6-foot-9 and 200 pounds he has great size for the position, but his skillset and athleticism give the Pistons the option of using him at up to three positions. Looking at current NBA players, Miller might be comparable to someone like Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George, a multi-positional player with nice shooting range but the ability to score inside the arc off of dribble-drives as well.
To address the elephant in the room, there are legitimate character concerns about Miller.
Is he a leader? Does he hang around the right type of people?
At 20-years-old, he has plenty of room to mature, but as a professional athlete every one of his decisions will be magnified. Can he handle that pressure?
With threats levied towards him after news of his indirect role in the mid-January shooting death of a 23-year-old woman, Miller seemed to falter in the ensuing games. From Mar. 10 — the day that former Crimson Tide teammate Darius Mules and his friend Michael Davis were indicted on capital murder charges — to the end of Alabama's season, Miller managed just 14.8 points on 31.4 percent shooting from the field and 29.2 percent from 3-point range.
If the Pistons do draft him, especially first overall, they have to be as invested about his personal development as his player development.
Ausar Thompson
Overtime Elite City Reapers wing Ausar Thompson is an interesting prospect with a game made for highlight reels.
Whether or not he's good enough to be picked first overall seems to be tied into his level of competition, but considering the number of players that have excelled at the NBA level after going to mid-major colleges or coming from an international league, that argument isn't as strong these days.
Especially for a player whose game pops out on film.
With the Pistons, Thompson will likely have to move to small forward in order to start from Day 1. However, with Cade Cunningham's size at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds and Jaden Ivey's ability to play lead guard, Detroit doesn't have to play a conventional front on the perimeter.
To that point, the highly athletic Thompson is 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, looking as well-built on film as he does on paper.
Averaging 16.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for the City Reapers in the 2022-23 season, the Oakland native is a player who can develop into a star at the NBA level if teams work with him on developing counters, his footwork, and his shooting mechanics so that he doesn't only rely on his athleticism.
Nonetheless, Thompson is the type of player who has enough potential to make this look like a smart pick over time.
Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama is more than likely going to be the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft because he has legitimate superstar potential.
Averaging 21.0 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from 3-point range, the now 7-foot-5 Wembanyama is proof that even the most elite prospects have things they need to work on.
However, this prospect has a combination of size, athleticism, defensive potential, and scoring ability that may simply be too good to pass up, similar to New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson.
Williamson, who was drafted first overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, hasn't had quite the level of success of the player selected after him in Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant. However, there was little question at the time of whether he was at least worthy of being the first overall pick. After all, he averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds,2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game while physically dominating his competition.
With completely different body frames, the gangly Wembanyama isn't bullying opponents in the paint like Zion. However, there are very few players who can stop a 7-foot-5 player that's capable of putting the ball on the floor and scoring from all three levels with a combination of footwork and ball-handling that plenty of players that are a foot shorter than him don't have.
The only drawback of drafting Wembanyama is that 2023-24 may end up being the last season that James Wiseman — who Detroit moved to power forward by the end of the season — is in a Pistons uniform. Honestly though, that's a price that the Pistons wouldn't be wrong for being willing to pay, as Wembanyama projects to be a better shot-blocker and outside threat than the Nashville native.
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