NBA Fans Troll Pistons for Landing No. 5 Pick in 2024 Draft After Having Worst Record

For the second consecutive season, the worst record in the NBA wasn't enough to earn the Detroit Pistons the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

During Sunday's NBA draft lottery, fortune favored the Atlanta Hawks as they were awarded the No. 1 pick despite having just a three-percent chance of getting the top selection. Meanwhile, the Pistons will be drafting with the No. 5 pick for the second year in a row despite having the best odds of landing the top pick.

Of course, fans on social media wouldn't let the Pistons off the hook after a second straight year in which their abysmal record didn't reap any benefits:

The Pistons went 14-68 in 2023-24, actually regressing from their 2022-23 campaign in which they posted a 17-65 record. Detroit was expected to turn things around under new head coach Monty Williams, but the veteran struggled to bring the best out of the young roster filled with former lottery picks.

This will be the fourth year in a row that the Pistons have a top-five pick. The team selected forward Ausar Thompson at No. 5 last year and point guard Jaden Ivey at the same spot in 2022, and used the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft to select shooting guard Cade Cunningham.

Luckily for Detroit, the sting of losing out on the No. 1 pick won't hurt as much as it did last year, as this year's draft class doesn't include a generational prospect like Victor Wembanyama, who was selected by the San Antonio Spurs and went on to be unanimously voted 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year. The team should have a shot at a talented player who can fill a hole on the roster.

In his latest mock draft, B/R's Jonathan Wasserman predicted that the Pistons would select French forward Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 9 player on his most recent draft big board.

Detroit is certainly hoping that whoever is chosen with the No. 5 pick in this year's draft is the right player to help lead the franchise out of its lengthy rebuild.