Newly selected Basketball Hall of Famer Ben Wallace tapped his fist on the table a few times, then clapped his hands and pointed one finger skyward.
After one of the worst seasons in franchise history, Detroit has something to celebrate.
The Pistons won the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday night, meaning they’ll have the No. 1 pick on July 29 – and, presumably, the chance to take Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham.
“We get to add another young player to the restoration process,” Pistons general manager Troy Weaver said. “We’re excited to be in this position. But it means that we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’re going to be diligent about it, but it always helps to be able to add a No. 1 pick from a talented group of players to choose from.”
Houston – which basically had 50-50 odds of picking in the top four – got the No. 2 pick. Cleveland will pick No. 3 and Toronto will pick No. 4, after both of those franchises got some lottery luck to move up in the order.