Detroit Pistons take Italian wing Gabriele Procida at No. 36 overall in NBA draft Round 2
The Detroit Pistons were active early and often on Thursday night in the 2022 NBA draft.
Their third selection, in the second round at No. 36 overall, was wing Gabriele Procida, who played for Fortitudo Kiğılı Bologna in Italy's top league, Serie A.
Procida averaged seven points and three rebounds for Fortitudo Bologna in 18.5 minutes per game over 26 appearances. He is seen as a future 3-and-D player, having knocked down 38.3% (23-for-60) of his 3-point shots last season.
"He could wind up as one of the best shooters in this class," ESPN's Bobby Marks said.
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Standing 6 feet 7, the wing attended the draft combine in May in Chicago, and ran a 3.02-second three-quarter court sprint, tied for the fastest time of all attendees.
The San Antonio Spurs, known for scouting overseas as well as any team in the league thanks to draft gems such as Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, had the latter speak with Procida at the combine.
The Pistons are expected to treat Procida as a draft-and-stash — typically a move that keeps the player overseas initially before figuring into NBA plans in future years.
Gabriele Procida opened up some NBA eyes in Chicago, measuring nearly 6'8 in shoes and demonstrating his sweet shooting stroke and impressive athleticism at the Excel Sports Pro Day. The 19-year old shot 40% for 3 in Italy the past two seasons. pic.twitter.com/Wpn7WIPODq
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 21, 2022
The Pistons started the night grabbing Purdue star Jaden Ivey at No. 5 overall.
Less than an hour later, Detroit moved the 2025 first-round pick it acquired Wednesday when it traded Jerami Grant to Portland, for Memphis freshman Jalen Duren at No. 13 and veteran guard Kemba Walker.
The Pistons are expected to reach a buyout with Walker.
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As part of the Grant trade, the Pistons also got a pick swap from the Blazers — moving from No. 46 to No. 36 — and parlayed that into Procida.
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Contact Tony Garcia at apgarcia@freepress.com. Follow him on twitter at @realtonygarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons take Italian wing Gabriele Procida 36th in NBA draft
