The Detroit Pistons brought in Meleek Thomas, one of college’s sharpest three-point shooters, for a pre-draft workout
As the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs duke it out in the NBA Finals, the rest of the league has begun their offseason process with the draft just weeks away. That’ll be the first opportunity for Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon to make a statement about what direction he believes the team should take after the mixed results of a 60-win regular season that led into a second round playoff exit.
But based on Langdon’s end of season presser, the Pistons recognize three-point shooting was an issue for Detroit once the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers packed the paint during the postseason. The Pistons were able to mask that deficiency well enough during the regular season, but the team needed more than just Duncan Robinson and Cade Cunningham to connect on shots from downtown.
In the regular season, the Pistons ranked No. 17 in terms of three-point shooting, so the perimeter game was never a focal point of Detroit’s attack last year. But in an attempt to help round out the squad, Langdon could take a look at a wide range of three-point snipers in the draft, such as Arkansas freshman guard Meleek Thomas, who boasted a 41.6% conversion rate from beyond the arc in his first season of SEC basketball.
Standing at 6-3 and 189 pounds based on his combine measurements, Thomas shined in an off-ball capacity last season for Arkansas, which is where his quick-fire release could shine. Thomas is an elite spot-up shooter who can also pull up off the bounce, so his shot variety is a strength that the Pistons could work with. But as an agile, spring-loaded athlete overall, Thomas is effective in reaching the second level for runners or other mid-range looks, and his offensive repertoire seems to only be growing.
Last season, Thomas finished with 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while earning the start in just over half of his appearances for Arkansas, and it should be noted that his defense is an influential reason as to why he did make those starts as a freshman. Thomas averaged 1.5 steals per game for the Razorbacks, and his work in the transition game immediately jumps out from his game tape.
All last year, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff repeated that Detroit’s defense was so important because it allowed for the squad to seize easier baskets in transition. Since the Pistons generally struggled from three-point range, a high-octane offense predicated on paint scoring replaced a perimeter-oriented attack, but Thomas could fit his game into either style. In fact, Thomas’ ability to cause defensive turnovers on one end while finishing those fresh possessions on the other end is a skill in its own right, but the Arkansas freshman has the range to pull up from three-point distance on the break if the moment calls for a three-point approach. That dynamic quality with the basketball is a component that the Pistons could have used in the postseason against the Cavs, and there’s a chance that they feel Thomas contains that type of ability at the pro level.
Since Thomas has already gone through a pre-draft workout with the Pistons, it is fairly clear that the interest is mutual on both sides. Thomas has commonly been mock drafted as a late first round selection, so there is a strong likelihood that he could be available when the Pistons step up to the podium at No. 21.
Though there’s been talk that Detroit could trade up in the first for a dynamic long-term option at power forward like Yaxel Lendeborg, Langdon has shown a tendency to make careful, pragmatic decisions, especially with his assets. Moving up in the first round would be an aggressive swing doesn’t necessarily track with the last two years’ worth of decisions from Langdon, so the safer bet is that Detroit will stand pat with the No. 21 pick, which is right around the range where Thomas could turn into the newest Piston.
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