The Detroit Pistons have several options at No. 21 overall in the first round, but should they consider Texas junior Dailyn Swain?
As the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs continue to battle it out in the NBA Finals, the rest of the league has taken a jumpstart to their offseason processes. The Detroit Pistons, for example, have been knocked out of the postseason for nearly three weeks now after losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals– a seven-game series at that– so the Motown squad has already had nearly a month to evaluate prospects ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft.
That’ll be the next stage in the offseason calendar this summer with the first round set for June 23 and the second round will follow the night after. As for the Pistons, they own the 21st pick overall after working out a three-team trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls back at the Trade Deadline, a deal that brought Kevin Huerter to the Motor City for a couple months before a left adductor strain ended his postseason rather abruptly.
As for the draft, Detroit is operating in the pocket between the mid-first round and late-first territory, which is a position that’ll afford a plethora of options for the Pistons on draft day. Given the team’s lack of three-point shooting depth outside of Duncan Robinson in the playoffs, Detroit can take a crack at an established perimeter threat like Isaiah Evans or Cameron Carr, but the organization also needs to locate an heir apparent to Tobias Harris at the power forward spot since he’s entering free agency.
With that crossroads rapidly arriving, Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon should consider Dailyn Swain, a 20-year old All-SEC talent who already has three years of college experience under his belt. Last year, Swain led the Longhorns in virtually every category in his first season after transferring in from Xavier and posted 17.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game to cap off a productive introductory campaign for the 6-8, 210 pound wing.
From an offensive perspective, Swain is crafty when driving the lane and has the athleticism paired with proper desire to take his defender off the bounce. Swain has increased his field goal percentage his season throughout his collegiate career, which shows that he’s continuing to take better and better shots, but he’s always shot above 81% from the free throw line and is loaded with shot-making talent. When crashing the rim, Swain possesses in-air creativity that cannot be taught, and his feel for the game is conducive to playmaking under pressure.
Overall, Swain is a talented wing prospect with an impressive college resume, but the Pistons might seek a more clear-cut fit for their current needs than what the Texas product offers for their first round pick. Detroit is seeking out an elite three-point shooter, but Swain only connected on long-range shots at a 34.4% rate last year, and he’d be slightly undersized to be a power forward in a J.B. Bickerstaff-coached squad. Those are the two glaring areas of focus for the Pistons outside of adding a consistent 20-plus point per game scorer in the offseason, and Swain looks like a skilled small forward who can be productive in the NBA, but it remains to be seen if that would happen in Motown.
Overall Fit: C-
The Pistons can find other players in the 2026 draft class who could project as a long-term answer at the four or address their need for three-point shooting better than Swain would, and for that reason this potential pick receives a failing grade.
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