The Pistons’ last five drafts tell a pretty clear story: some misses, some useful rotation pieces, and a few real home-run swings that helped change the direction of the franchise.
Start with the newest names. Detroit used its first-round pick this year on point guard Ebuka Okorie, and the 19-year-old showed enough in Summer League to keep the intrigue alive.
The efficiency wasn’t pretty - he shot 36% from the field and 17% from three - but the talent is there for the Nigerian guard. For now, he projects as Detroit’s third-string point guard behind Cade Cunningham and Daniss Jenkins.
The second and final selection in the 2026 NBA Draft was center Ugonna Onyenso. He’s nearly 22, so the long-term upside question is still open, but he made his presence felt on the boards in Summer League, especially with offensive rebounding. He’s expected to spend time around the G-League early, though Detroit’s frontcourt depth isn’t exactly settled, and Jalen Duren’s future remains uncertain, which keeps Onyenso on the radar.
Detroit’s 2025 class brought in Chaz Lanier, a pick made with experience in mind. He came in with a reputation as an elite range-shooter who could help right away.
Instead, the 24-year-old barely saw the floor and shot 31% from the field when he did play. After a strong Summer League, though, there’s a chance his role grows beyond the 7.7 minutes per game he logged last season.
It already feels like a big year for him.
Before that, the Pistons spent the fifth pick on Ron Holland II from the G League Ignite. He was one of those prospects who split opinion, but Detroit bet on the upside and the idea of a 3-and-D wing next to Ausar Thompson.
Now entering his third season, Holland has become a high-volume defender who can take on the opponent’s best scorer. The shot from deep still hasn’t really come around, and with Thompson in the mix, Holland can look redundant at times.
Even so, the ceiling is still there, and this season matters for him.
Detroit’s other pick in that draft was Bobi Klintman, taken early in the second round. That one never really clicked.
Klintman appeared in just 20 games over two seasons, spent most of his time in the G-League, and was waived by Detroit in April. He’s now playing in Italy for Virtus Bologna.
The 2023 class has been the best of the bunch so far, and it starts with Ausar Thompson. Coming off a 17-win season in 2022-23, Detroit picked fifth and landed Thompson, who has become a true star under JB Bickerstaff.
He played 73 games in Detroit’s 60-win regular season this year, earned All-Defensive first-team honors, and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting. His future looks firmly tied to Detroit long term.
The Pistons also added Marcus Sasser in that draft. He served as a steady backup behind Cunningham for most of his time in Detroit, but he didn’t build on his strong first season. Sasser did get meaningful minutes late in Detroit’s second-round loss to Cleveland, but he’s since been traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Then there’s Jaden Ivey, the fifth pick in the final draft of this five-year stretch. His rookie year gave Detroit plenty to like, with 16.3 points per game and the look of a backcourt partner for Cunningham.
Ivey became a starter and seemed on track to develop into an All-Star-level player before a fractured left fibula in January 2025 ended his 2024-25 season. He never got back to that form in Detroit, later slid to the bench under Bickerstaff, and was traded before the 2026 deadline to the Chicago Bulls.
He now finds himself without a team because of off-the-court matters.
The oldest pick on the list is also one of the most successful. Detroit used one of its two lottery picks in 2022 on Jalen Duren, taking the big man at 18 years old.
He arrived as a major project and has grown into exactly the kind of player Detroit hoped for. Duren has become a central piece of the Pistons’ recent rise, making his first All-Star team and landing on the All-NBA Third Team in 2026.
The two sides are still trying to work through a long-term extension this offseason, but it would be a surprise if he isn’t on the floor for Detroit against Boston in Game 1. Whatever happens next, the pick has already paid off in a big way.
In Other News...
Pistons Are Betting On One Edge Most East Rivals Don't Have
The Pistons spent the offseason leaning into something plenty of East contenders still have to build after the fact: continuity. Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson remain at the center of the plan, and Detroit is also aiming to bring back Jalen Duren, a sign the front office wants to keep the young core together instead of reshuffling it. With its first-round picks still in hand and a few supporting additions made around the edges, the franchise is clearly betting that development and familiarity can be worth more than a splashy reset.
For Detroit, the appeal is easy to see during the regular season. A group that has grown together should be steadier, deeper and less dependent on quick fixes than rivals trying to piece things together in real time. The real test comes later, when the games get tighter and the margin for error shrinks, because the Pistons are no longer just trying to show promise. They have to prove this kind of patience can hold up when the pressure finally changes. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Huerter Could Become Detroits Most Debated Offseason Bet
Kevin Huerter is back in Detroit on a deal that says as much about belief as it does about caution. The Pistons brought him back after adding him to a backcourt that already has plenty of moving parts, and the fit is not hard to explain: he has shown he can help a team when his shot is right, but his recent stretch of inconsistency and injuries has left plenty of room for doubt about what kind of nightly role he can actually handle.
That uncertainty is what makes him one of the more interesting bets on the roster. If Huerter settles in and gives Detroit real rotation minutes, the signing can look like a smart, manageable gamble. If not, the Pistons may still have a useful piece on their hands, whether as a bench scorer who never fully clicks or as the kind of contract that can be used if the front office decides to keep reshaping the guard group. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Face A Jalen Duren Question That Could Reshape Closing Lineups
The Pistons are sorting through lineup combinations for next season with an eye toward closing games more effectively, and the discussion has already drifted toward some uncomfortable choices. One path under consideration is a smaller look without a traditional center, a way to squeeze more scoring onto the floor and give the offense a cleaner shape when possessions get tight.
Jalen Duren sits at the center of that conversation because his role in late-game situations may not be as secure as his overall importance to the roster suggests. His clutch-time production last season left room for doubt, and that matters both for how Detroit handles its end-of-game lineups and for how the team approaches his next contract. John Collins has emerged as a possible alternative for those moments, with his shooting and foul-line reliability making him a more natural fit when every possession starts to feel like a referendum. [Read more 🡒]