At his press conference yesterday, Trajan Langdon expressed confidence that the Detroit Pistons could land a difference-maker with the 21st overall pick, specifically someone who could address their needs in both ball handling and outside shooting.
While shooting has dominated fan discussions, ball handling is actually the more pressing issue something the Pistons learned the hard way during their playoff run.
In a recent mock draft (subscription required), Sam Vecenie has Detroit tackling both concerns by selecting Alabama’s Labaron Philon, who would be an ideal fit for the Pistons in that range, especially since many analysts have him ranked considerably higher on their draft boards.
That said, big-board rankings don’t carry much weight in this draft, given the abundance of guards and wings who match what Detroit is looking for.
Philon would be a great get, but will he actually be available when the Pistons are on the clock?
Earlier this offseason, I put together a detailed draft breakdown on Philon, drawing comparisons to Tyrese Maxey a score-first guard with playmaking ability.
Like Maxey, Philon is a natural scorer who put up efficient shooting numbers (50/40/80) while also showing he can facilitate, dishing out five assists per game this season at Alabama with an assist rate north of 31 percent. He operated as a primary ball handler in college, but he’s also capable of playing off the ball, and those creation stats suggest he could thrive as a secondary playmaker and initiator at the next level.
Of course, the Pistons have other areas to address, and there are valid concerns about whether Philon’s size will translate to the NBA, so it’s entirely possible they go in a different direction. Still, there’s a strong chance that direction will be a guard.
One of the top guards is bound to drop
Given the sheer volume of high-quality guards in this draft class, Vecenie believes it’s likely that at least one of them slips to Detroit.
Depending on which big board you consult, as many as seven of the top ten prospects are guards, which increases the odds that one of Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff Jr., Kingston Flemings, Brayden Burris, Mikel Brown Jr., or Labaron Philon falls past their projected range.
And even if none of those names make it to the Pistons, there are still options like Bennett Stirtz, Christian Anderson, and Ebuka Okorie so this draft is deep with guards capable of helping Detroit improve its ball handling and/or shooting.
All it would take for one of those first-tier guards to slide is a couple of teams reaching for positional need, which makes Trajan Langdon’s optimism about landing an impact talent outside the lottery seem well-founded.
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