Pistons, Pacers are banking on lottery selections to provide immediate help on defense

By STEVE MEGARGEE
AP Sports Writer

The Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers used lottery picks on players who should make their biggest early impact on defense while the rest of the Central Division teams sat out the first round of Thursday’s draft. Detroit selected wing Ausar Thompson of the Overtime Elite developmental program with the fifth overall selection. Indiana took Houston forward Jarace Walker, who went eighth. Both the Pistons and Pacers ended up with two first-round picks. The Pistons added Houston guard Marcus Sasser and the Pacers landed Belmont forward Ben Sheppard later in the first round.