2023 NBA Mock Draft 6.0: Mavs’ $750K fine pays off

The Pistons find themselves in a tricky position here. Most young teams in the early stages of their rebuild should, without hesitation, take the Best Player Available — in this case, Amen Thompson. But the Pistons already have two very talented ball-handlers in Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. Meanwhile, the biggest question with Amen is whether or not the jumper can get to a place where he’s comfortable off the ball.

Detroit would probably consider names like Whitmore or Walker here, or maybe even Ausar — he does feel slightly further along when it comes to playing without the ball. But the pick is Amen Thompson, as the Pistons are still too early in their incubation process to get overly caught up in fit.

Both Thompson and Cunningham are 6-foot-7, so size on the defensive end isn’t really an issue. Thompson is already a plus defensively and what little we’ve seen from Cunningham in the NBA suggests that he will be a plus defensively as well. Ivey thrives attacking off the catch and Cunningham is a willing and able shooter. It would take time and effort, but having multiple players who can break down the defense is not bad. Thompson gets to the rim whenever he wants and, generally, it’s not too difficult to find productive ways to weaponize that kind of talent.

The Pistons’ offense would have a three-headed hydra with multiple quality defensive bigs on the back line. Thompson would need to work on the jumper and get more comfortable using his athleticism to score without the ball, but he’s an obvious future star. The Pistons can’t pass him up at No. 4.