The 2022-23 season was supposed to be some sort of turning point for the rebuilding Detroit Pistons. After all, they decided to give Cade Cunningham, the first overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, a reliable floor-spacing veteran in Bojan Bogdanovic. However, it's clear that with the youth of the Pistons' roster, rising above the league's basement could prove to be a tougher endeavor than expected.

To make matters worse, Cunningham had a nightmare season which ended prematurely due to a shin injury. This effectively derailed the Pistons' desired ascent, and eventually, the Pistons faced the music and decided to play the lottery odds once more. They finished the 2022-23 season with the worst record in the league, putting them in prime position to nab the first overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, just two years after doing so.

Landing the first overall pick is every NBA team's dream scenario. Barring an unforeseen, bombshell revelation, any team that wins the draft lottery will be drafting Victor Wembanyama first overall come June, and for good reason.

Wembanyama's measurables are incredible; he stands at 7'4 with an 8'0 wingspan, and the skillset he possesses for his size is outrageous. Not only does he project as a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber player due to his insane shot-blocking ability and mobility for his size, he also has the potential to be a go-to-guy on offense given his potential as a ballhandler and the ability he has shown thus far as a floor spacer.

Nevertheless, as putrid as the Pistons may have performed during the 2022-23 season, they only have a 14 percent chance of winning the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. Thus, it's for the best if the Pistons decide to explore which other blue-chipper they can get that would aid in their quest to become a contending team once again.

Here is why the Pistons must target Brandon Miller in the 2023 NBA Draft if they don't win the lottery.

Why the Pistons must target Brandon Miller if they don't land no. 1 pick

There is something to be said about drafting the best player available instead of drafting for fit. In a rebuilding setting, the problem of not having too many minutes to go around for talented young players won't be as big of a problem since the team can allow those players to develop at their own pace without minding losses too much.

The Philadelphia 76ers, back in the mid-2010s did this, drafting three highly-touted centers in three consecutive drafts even with the game starting to trend towards the outside shot. At the end of the day, Joel Embiid separated himself from Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, emerging as the Sixers' foundational star for years.

For the Pistons, however, they will have such a tough time handling this NBA Draft conundrum that's as old as time itself should they end up with the second overall pick of the draft.

For much of the season, Scoot Henderson has emerged as one of the best prospects in the 2023 draft class. His blend of athleticism and playmaking scream future star. But the Pistons may very well pass up on the opportunity to draft him even if he's still on the board, due to the presences of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.

The Pistons definitely want to see how Cunningham handles being the main ball-handler after injuries cut his sophomore season short. Meanwhile, Ivey has also begun to come into his own to end the 2022-23 campaign, slowly improving his efficiency while maintaining his ability to score in bunches. Drafting a player in Henderson that takes the ball away considerably from those two seems very counterintuitive.

On the contrary, Brandon Miller, a standout for the Alabama Crimson Tide, looks like a hand-and-glove fit alongside those two. Miller doesn't project to be a primary ballhandler, at least this early in his career. The 20-year old small forward excels alongside players who can make plays for him, which Cunningham and Ivey would do should he land in the Motor City.

Miller is able to space the floor at a reasonable rate (as evidenced by his promising shooting splits from all over the court) and if he continues his development, there's no reason not to expect him to emerge as a premier 3 and D option on the wing who does more than just catch and shoot.

Standing at 6'9 with a 6'11 wingspan, Brandon Miller also has the physical tools to develop one day into one of the best defenders in the NBA.

In a vacuum, Scoot Henderson may be the more talented player than Miller. But NBA rosters don't exist in a vacuum. Fit matters. The nascent Sacramento Kings would attest to this after they chose to draft Keegan Murray, a knockdown three-point shooter, instead of Jaden Ivey, someone whom many scouts believed had a higher ceiling but was someone whose skillset wasn't exactly a strong fit alongside De'Aaron Fox.

It's going to be Year 5 of the Pistons' rebuild next season, and with there being a glaring hole at their wing position, there may not be a better prospect to fill that void than Brandon Miller.