The annual meat market is back. On June 23, the Detroit Pistons will grab the 21st pick at the Barclays Center, hoping to find a savior in a draft class that feels like a crapshoot. They need help. Badly.
So, who is coming to Motown to sweat for the front office? Here is the running list of prospects the Pistons are dragging in for workouts, along with the cold, hard numbers they put up this past season.
First up, Nick Boyd. He’s a 6-foot-1 guard out of Wisconsin. The senior put up some serious numbers: 20.7 points and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field and 36.5% from deep. Scouts think he is a second-round flyer or an undrafted free agent. He has grit, but size is the question.
Then there is Rafael Castro. A 6-foot-9 big man from George Washington. He averaged 15.3 points and pulled down 9.1 rebounds, shooting an efficient 62.7%. He is another projected second-rounder or priority free agent. Detroit needs size, but is he the answer?
Next, Nate Johnson. The 6-foot-3 Kansas State guard averaged 12.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. He shot 44.7% overall and a very respectable 40.8% from beyond the arc. Again, the consensus points to the second round or the undrafted scrap heap.
Finally, the front office also looked at a mystery guard who averaged 11.6 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.7 rebounds on 42% shooting (a rough 29.2% from deep). He is projected in that same late-draft limbo.
Will any of these guys actually wear a Pistons jersey? Hard to say. But the grind continues.
