Detroit — A week leading up to the 2026 NBA Draft, president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon revealed that he will look at everything when it comes to revamping the Detroit Pistons’ roster this summer. One scenario Langdon hinted at was moving up in the draft if the team had a chance to acquire one of their preferred prospects.
During the first round of the NBA Draft on Tuesday night, the Pistons traded with the Memphis Grizzlies to move up to No.17 from No. 21. As a result, they selected Ebuka Okorie, 19, from Stanford.
As part of the deal, the Pistons sent three future second-round picks to the Grizzlies. A source confirmed the trade with The Detroit News. The Grizzlies selected forward Karim Lopez from Australia at No. 21.
“Super excited about Ebuka,” Langdon said. “I’ve watched him for a while, and then he just exploded onto the scene. He is a high-character young man who loves the game of basketball. We think he will come in and fit well with the culture.
“He has incredible speed with the ball in his hands … We are incredibly excited to have a guy like him. A guy who can get to the paint at will. Not only score for us, but in the half-court, have a little more creation.”
The selection of Okorie in the draft enhances the depth of the Pistons’ backcourt. He is a 6-foot-2 combo guard who can play both on and off the ball. Okorie averaged 23.2 points in 32 games played as a freshman at Stanford this season. He led the ACC in scoring and ranked seventh nationally, all while shooting 46.5% from the field and 35.4% from behind the arc.
As a score-first guard, Okorie’s playmaking ability has been overlooked at times, but he still has the potential to be a reliable playmaker, averaging 3.6 assists per game. One of the best parts of Okorie’s game is his ability to attack downhill, whether as a scorer or a facilitator, due to his speed.
“A lot of emotions, just grateful for this opportunity,” Okorie said. “I am not going to take this for granted. I’m going to keep working every day. I feel like playing alongside Cade (Cunningham), I’ll just be another playmaker on the floor. Another shot creator who can create for himself and others. On the defensive end, bring the intensity.”
Before the deal with the Pistons, the No. 17 pick originally belonged to the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, the Grizzlies and Thunder swapped the picks during an earlier trade. The Thunder drafted guard Bennett Stirtz with the No. 16 pick in the trade with the Grizzlies.
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Pistons ‘super excited’ with draft selection of Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie
Reporting by Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
