DETROIT, Mich.- After a third-straight losing season, the Detroit Pistons came into draft lottery night holding the third-highest odds to acquire the No. 1 pick.
After selecting Cade Cunningham first overall a year ago, acquiring the top selection once again would’ve been a huge boon for general manager Troy Weaver.
However, the team went backwards instead, slipping to fifth in the draft order after being passed by the Thunder and the Kings.
Despite this bad luck, Weaver wasn’t holding his head down afterwards.
“We’re not going to cry, we’re going to pick,” Weaver said. “We’re going to pick five, we’re going to vet it out so there’s no disappointment, we’re excited to pick five.”
Tough blow for fans
Despite Weaver’s excitement, not everybody will be happy with the lottery results.
Part of the reason for that may be because there seems to be a consensus that this draft has three top-end prospects.
With this in mind, some Pistons fans might be frustrated the team won’t be able to immediately pair another big name with Cunningham.
Yet, Weaver said that he thinks the Pistons have strong options even outside of the major names at the top of the draft.
“I didn’t see this as a big three,” Weaver said. “I think there’s tremendous players all along the board in this draft.”
Expectations for selection
Detroit will have plenty of options when it comes to the fifth spot.
Outside of presumed franchise point guard Cunningham, no role on the team seems locked in place.
The team also has a variety of young talent still developing, with Grant, Cory Joseph and Kelly Olynyk the only players on the roster with over five years of NBA experience.
Therefore, the Pistons’ first round selection next month will have an opportunity to truly leave his mark on an organization that’s looking for as many needle-movers as they can find.
Who might that player be? Weaver stressed that his selection would be based on skillset rather than fit for the team.
“Length, size, speed, it doesn’t matter,” Weaver said. “We’ll pick the best player for the Detroit.”
