The Detroit Pistons have had the 5th pick in the last three drafts and added impact talent in Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II. 

That likely won’t be the case this year, as the Pistons don’t have a first-round pick and will have to wait until the 37th selection to get a player. 

I’ve ranked this pick as a sneaky-good asset that may allow the Pistons to move up or use in a trade for a role player, but if you think the Pistons are going to land a player who can make their rotation right away (or ever), you should probably lower your expectations. 

Trajan Langdon tried to dampen those expectations in a recent press conference (reported in the Detroit News), when he talked about the impact NIL money in college will have on the NBA Draft: 

"With all the money that's being thrown around in NIL, less players are putting their names in," Langdon said. "These NIL packages are starting to get up to three to four to five to six million dollars. These guys are not going to put their name in to be the 25th pick or even the 18th pick. They are going to go back to school in hopes of being a lottery pick next year...With that pool of players decreasing, it decreases the odds of the level of player we get at No. 37, just off pure mathematics." 

The good news is that the Pistons don’t need any more young players, as they already have seven rotation players who are 24 years old or younger and still have Bobi Klintman in the pipeline, a 22-year-old who barely played this season. 

And there will always be talent in the NBA Draft if you know where to look. 

If Langdon is correct and the pool of college players is dwindling, then the Pistons should lean even more into international scouting. 

Pro players coming from leagues overseas don’t have the NIL option and are generally looking at a massive raise if they join the NBA, regardless of where they are drafted. 

With the international pool of talent growing every year, there should still be plenty of gems in the second round, it’s just going to be harder to find them. 

We may see teams take bigger risks on developmental or unknown players, especially international guys who already have some pro experience. 

We are already seeing the effects, as last year there were 15 international and/or G-League players taken in the draft, including eight in the first round and six of the first 12 players taken. 

The last six MVPs (soon to be seven) were born outside of the United States and none of them played college basketball. 

It’s good for both the NCAA and the NBA if more players stay in college, as it makes college basketball more exciting and ensures that the guys who do come to the league are more ready to play. 

But the trend of international draft picks is going to continue. The Pistons grabbed one last year in Klintman and may continue to go that route in the second round if the second and third-tier college players are staying in school.