Detroit — If you wanted the Pistons to make moves, well, at least they made one. It wasn’t a big needle-mover but it was a big need, wrapped in a smallish, intriguing package.
The Pistons traded up in the first round of the NBA draft Tuesday night to grab Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, a dynamic scorer and driver. He’s only 6-2, only 19 and spent only one season in college, so this doesn’t exactly qualify as the Pistons’ signature move.
But it was a quick, decisive gambit by Trajan Langdon to address the Pistons’ glaring needs for shooting and ball-handling. In a guard-heavy draft, Okorie stood out for his stature and his scoring, and reportedly was rising up draft rankings. Langdon didn’t wait for him to drop and traded three second-round picks to Memphis to climb to 17 from 21.
It wasn’t a heavy cost, and not necessarily a bold leap. And no, it won’t be the last roster addition of the offseason. If the Pistons are to take another step up the NBA ladder, they’ll need to do more, via trade or free-agency. But for starters, Langdon loved what he saw and targeted Okorie immediately.
“Watched him for a while, and he just exploded on the scene,” Langdon said. “We think he’ll come in here and fit with this culture and environment. He has incredible speed with ball in hand. … He’s a weapon who can get paint touches at will and can score in halfcourt and fullcourt, and also help distribute. He’s another guy with who can push the pace and help with creation.”
Okorie’s age and size might be limiting, at first. His profile looks a bit like Marcus Sasser’s, the Pistons’ 6-1 third-year guard who was drafted 25th overall in 2023. Sasser has had his moments off the bench — shooting 41.5% on 3s last season — and that’s where Okorie will compete.
Langdon wasn’t soft-selling Okorie’s impact, and Okorie wasn’t selling himself short. He blew away the Pistons with his smarts and competitiveness and talks like a guy determined to dive right in.
“I feel alongside Cade (Cunninghan), I’ll just be another playmaker on the floor, another shot creator,” said Okorie, who led the ACC in scoring at 23.2 ppg as a freshman last year. “My ability to create for myself and others, to be very impactful on offense and defense, just being disruptive.”
Okorie shot a modest 35.4% on 3s for Stanford but pretty much ran the whole show. He’s a relentless driver and had the most shot attempts at the rim of any guard prospect. He plays and sounds fearless, which is good, because the Pistons don’t do timid. Okorie is only 6-2 but has a 6-8 wingspan, and may be the fastest guard in the draft.
“He plays bigger than he is,” Langdon said. “He’s got some things you can’t teach. He’s always in the lane, that ball is on a string. He has incredible stop and go and change of direction. Those kinds of things we think will translate to our level.”
Again, there are bigger potential prizes out there. No, the Pistons were never going to land Giannis Antetokounmpo or some other blockbuster. But possibilities remain. Milwaukee may yet deal Tyler Herro, the sharpshooter they got from Miami in the Antetokounmpo trade. Herro, 26, averaged 20.5 ppg and shot 37.8% on 3s for the Heat last season and is a former All-Star.
The Pistons are so defense-heavy, and so desperately in need of shooting, they’re rumored to be hunting any and all marksmen. They could try to poach free-agent Norman Powell, 33, from Miami. Powell averaged 21.7 ppg last season, shot 38% on 3s, and made his first All-Star team.
The big prize is Pelicans 6-8 forward Trey Murphy III, 26, who averaged a career-high 21.5 ppg and shot 37.9 on 3s and reportedly wants out of New Orleans. The Pelicans are run by former Pistons leaders Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver, and who knows how that affects any possible deal. New Orleans is rebuilding, and Murphy is on a reasonable contract with three years remaining.
The Pistons used one piece of draft capital to take Okorie but have future first-round picks to peddle. Isaiah Stewart and Ron Holland also should be available. Langdon certainly can shuffle his role players, but is inclined to stick with his “Big Three” of Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, severely reducing major trade options.
In three seasons in charge, Langdon has been deliberate and measured to great success, the victory total rising from 14 to 44 to 60, with two playoff appearances. Langdon and J.B. Bickerstaff deserve enormous credit — along with Cunningham of course — for guiding the franchise out of a ditch.
Now comes the delicate part, even the dangerous part — carving a path to the Next Level, beyond the second round of the playoffs. Langdon has committed to his defensive core, and the Pistons’ aggressive style helps them win in the tough spots on the floor. But the offensive deficiencies make it tougher to win in the tough playoff spots.
Cunningham is locked up long-term and Duren, a restricted free-agent, could command a salary of $40-million-plus. Thompson is a year away from a big payday but is an indispensable defensive weapon who took over playoff games against Orlando and Cleveland.
The Pistons clearly have no intention of letting Duren leave, despite his poor postseason, and that boxes them in. He’s only 22 and was third-team All-NBA with tons of room to grow.
“We all want to get better,” Langdon said before the draft. “I think we know that we need to be more equipped to compete in the postseason and that’s what we’re looking at doing. It’s adding pieces that help accentuate our three best players, our core three players, and I think that will help us in the regular season and postseason.”
That plan didn’t change with their pick Tuesday night, and barring a contract impasse with Duren, it’s unlikely to change. Adding true difference-makers would come at a high cost.
I think Langdon knows the defense-intensive approach has its limits. He saw all the dynamic scorers in a wild postseason and is hunting for help for a reason. It won’t be easy to radically alter the Pistons’ makeup, but you hope a determined hunt has just begun.
Bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
@bobwojnowski
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Wojo: Pistons’ hunt for scoring begins with intriguing draft-night trade
Reporting by Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
