As the evaluation process begins to ramp up ahead of June’s 2023 NBA Draft, a former Aggie is drawing interest from at least one franchise.
Former Texas A&M guard Dexter Dennis reportedly went through a pre-draft workout with the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. At 6-5, 210 lbs, Dennis profiles as a quintessential two-way wing player that has increasingly become valuable in the NBA.
After spending four seasons at Wichita State, Dennis transferred to play for the Aggies with his final remaining year of eligibility. During his time in College Station, he averaged his second-best scoring average (9.5 PPG) while grabbing a career-high 5.7 rebounds per game.
The veteran guard also chipped in with 5.2 assists per game with a 1.6 defensive win share, with the latter ranking second-best among all Aggies last season.
6’5 Dexter Dennis will conduct a pre-draft workout with the Pistons tomorrow
He’s an extremely athletic W/G who was one of the best Glue guys in college basketball and one of the better defenders.
Averaged: 10/6/1 pic.twitter.com/3Jt1dMtmZb
— Pistons Draft Talk (@PDTScouting) May 30, 2023
Dennis’ veteran leadership and ability to impact both ends of the floor made him a seamless addition to Buzz Williams’ program while helping elevate a young Aggies team to a successful 25-10 campaign (15-3 SEC). A&M would go on to appear in their second consecutive SEC title game while punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018, eventually falling to Penn State in the first round.
Much like Dennis’ versatility helped strengthen an Aggies defense that allowed just 66.5 PPG (71st in the country), he has a great opportunity to provide a similar impact to a Pistons team at the NBA level.
Detroit is coming off a league-worst 17-65 record in which they ranked 28th out of 30th in defensive rating (118.9). The Pistons have a promising young core highlighted by Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey and would be wise to add some perimeter defense around those two. They currently hold the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft, alongside the 31st overall pick in the second round.
As we’ve seen throughout this year’s NBA postseason, having capable rotational players that can impact both ends of the floor can give a team a seismic advantage, or in the case of the Pistons, help bolster their roster toward future success.
While Dennis’ pre-draft workout with Detroit is encouraging news for his draft stock, the Pistons likely won’t be the only franchise with their eyes on the former Aggies guard. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as Dennis progresses further along in the evaluation process.
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