College basketball player of the year and highly touted NBA Draft prospect Frank Kaminsky was in Auburn Hills, MI on Saturday for a visit with the Detroit Pistons.
Kaminsky is someone the Pistons fan base is likely very familiar with as he led the Wisconsin Badgers to the NCAA title game just last year. He is now projected as a borderline top-10 pick.
He was joined by fellow draft hopeful Myles Turner last week in what was discovered to be the final pre-draft workout that will be held in the Motor City’s suburbs.
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Kaminsky is a frontcourt prospect, which may have thrown some people for a loop considering Detroit just recently traded for Ersan Ilyasova — who head coach Stan Van Gundy says will start for the Pistons in 2015-16.
“I feel like I can play pretty much alongside anyone. Just fit in the system and try to find my way. I would do the same here. I am willing to do anything given to me. I will accept anything given to me and do the best I can.” – Kaminsky’s comments on his fit with the Detroit Pistons
So why work out Kaminsky?
Perhaps Van Gundy is open to the possibility of adding additional depth to the power forward position in either the form of Kaminsky or Turner?
Both are 6’11” and are considered good perimeter shooters. Likewise, like all other prospects, both have their flaws. For Turner, it’s his fluidity when he is on the move. For Kaminsky, it’s his weak defensive skill set — especially on the outside.
If Detroit were indeed targeting Kaminsky, the likelihood that they would take him at No. 8 overall is not very high. That means that they would likely have to trade down to the area that Kaminsky is projected to be selected — somewhere between picks 11 and 16.
One team that has been rumored to be wanting to move up in the NBA Draft is the Boston Celtics. They have four total picks, future assets and a real need to add serious talent. A scenario where Boston moves several of its picks in this draft for Detroit’s lone first-round selection was recently presented by MLive’s David Mayo:
"“Sounds strange, but if the Celtics move up from No. 16, their No. 33 pick may have more trade-package value than No. 28. It’s only five spots, but it’s a guaranteed contract vs. a non-guaranteed one. From the Pistons’ perspective, they would have two of the first eight picks in the second round, would not be locked into another first-round contract, and could stash one of those second-rounders in international reserve. The Celtics can’t keep all their assets but those are pretty strong offers to move up eight spots.”"
The 16th pick may be a good spot to snag Kaminsky.
Then again, No. 8 is also a good spot to grab any of the available franchise-altering talent.
The truth is, these workouts are scheduled weeks in advance. More than likely, these particular visits were planned prior to the Ilyasova deal and coach Van Gundy is simply doing his due diligence.
But that’s certainly not a bad thing.
If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on Arizona small forward Stanley Johnson ending up in a Detroit Pistons uniform on Jun. 25. He is a great fit in Detroit, and is the type of perimeter shooter that Van Gundy is looking for.
Next: Detroit Pistons: Top 5 NBA Draft Prospects
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