2023 NBA Draft: Detroit Pistons trade back into the first round to take Marcus Sasser at No. 25

The Detroit Pistons took a huge swing at No. 5 by picking the upside of Ausar Thompson, but when they traded back into the first round at No. 25 to select four-year point guard Marcus Sasser.

Sasser played for Houston and shot nearly 37% on seven 3-point attempts per game. He’s the type of player who can play off the bench from day one and provide minutes at backup point guard and can play off the ball next to Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey or Cade Cunningham.

He’s one of the most dangerous catch-and-shoot players in college basketball. He shot 46% on catch-and-shoot 3s.

He’s also a bulldog of a perimeter defender averaging 1.6 steals per game and has a 1.95 assist-to-turnover ratio. He helped lead a defensive attack that saw Houston holding opponents to a league-low 36%. The biggest things holding Sasser back from landing even higher in the draft are his 6-foot-2 size and his age. Sasser is older than incumbent backup point guard Killian Hayes.

Now, Sasser will look to either play alongside Hayes in a two-point guard attack off the bench or supplant Hayes as the team’s backup point guard role. While he is short at just 6-foot-2, he does have a 6-foot-7 wingspan.

He will help lift the defensive potential of a team that ranked 28th in defensive rating, per basketball reference.