The Detroit Pistons traded up from No. 21 overall in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft to No. 17 to select Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie on Tuesday, June 23.
Okorie, listed at 6 feet 2 and 185 pounds, scored an impressive 23.2 points per game (tied for sixth in the nation) in his lone college season, shooting 46.5% from the field and 35.4% from 3.
To make the move up to pick Okorie, they reportedly sent three second-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies after the Grizzlies swapped picks with the Oklahoma City Thunder right before that.
His greatest strength is his speed, which allowed him to attack the paint with ease. He took nearly two-thirds of his shot attempts inside the 3-point arc and was able to finish from a variety of angles, though his efficiency wasn’t quite ideal. He’s also a capable playmaker with almost a 6-foot-8 wingspan, which could give him some defensive upside.
He’s a slithery downhill guard who will give the offense a unique dynamic when Cade Cunningham sits. That the Pistons traded three future second-round picks to move up for him speaks to their confidence in his upside, as he would’ve been the smallest player on the roster last season, listed at 6-foot-1 barefoot. Including Daniss Jenkins, the Pistons now have two young guards to help take pressure off of their superstar.
The Pistons currently don’t have any picks in the second round of the draft, scheduled for Wednesday night. They will now look forward to free agency, with the negotiation period opening on Tuesday, June 30.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons trade up in NBA Draft to No. 17, grab G Ebuka Okorie
Reporting by Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
