2026 NBA Draft
Just consider the fact that even Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a freshly minted back-to-back MVP winner, had to rely on his team’s depth to make it past the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round. Though the Thunder did sweep the Lakers, SGA looked mortal. If teammates Chet Holmgren, Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain hadn’t stepped up, maybe Los Angeles wins (at least one).
Keeping that perspective, the Pistons will have the 21st overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, by way of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Barring a trade, this is the only selection that they’ll have this year. Consequently, the pick is even more important than it seems on the surface. Detroit doesn’t have to get it right but to bite off of Eminem, ‘they only get one shot, they cannot miss their chance to blow.’
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Watching the Pistons struggle to generate easy baskets against the Cleveland Cavaliers in their elimination game was sickening. They looked like roadkill. Cunningham was indeed taken out of his game, as evidenced by his unforgettably forgettable stat line (13 points on 5-16 shooting from the field, five assists to three turnovers). However, the worst part was that nobody was really there to pick up the slack.
Duren had seven points on seven shots. 15-year veteran Tobias Harris has seniority and Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff’s respect but he would’ve been better off not clocking into work the way he played; in 23 minutes, the veteran forward scored five points (though he didn’t make a single basket). Second-year guard Daniss Jenkins did have a team-high 17 points but nine of them were scored in the fourth quarter, when they were playing more for pride than a win.
So, with the No. 21 pick, the Pistons’ best option is to get the top iso scorer. The caveat is that said prospect would preferably be an efficient 3-point threat since Detroit’s core consists of several untrustworthy outside shooters. Among the prospects that project to be available when they’re on the clock, Arkansas freshman guard Meleek Thomas, who rained in 41.6% of his 3s in 2025-26, fits that description the most cleanly. Duke sophomore wing Isaiah Evans is another prospect to strongly consider, though he’s more likely to score off of spot-ups than 1-on-1.
Dipping Into The UDFA Pool
Unfortunately for the Pistons, their offensive woes are so profound that they need to dip into the undrafted free agent pool as well. Among the prospects that may find themselves skipped over in the 2026 NBA Draft. SMU senior guard Jaron Pierre Jr., Texas Tech senior wing Donovan Atwell, Wisconsin junior guard John Blackwell, Kentucky senior wing Otega Oweh, and Indiana senior guard Lamar Wilkerson are ideal perimeter targets.
