2017 NBA Mock Draft: Post-Lottery edition

Zach Collins. 12. player. 64. <p>Zach Collins is a top-10 talent that would make the Detroit Pistons very happy. The Pistons are in a weird position where they are young and talented, but going nowhere at the moment. Reggie Jackson and Stanley Johnson have been disappointing, and Andre Drummond has yet to become a franchise player. They have a plethora of solid wings and stretch-4s, but they struggled whenever Drummond left the floor. Not to mention, he often hurt the team by missing so many free throws.</p> <p>A teenager from Gonzaga won’t be able to fix any of that right away, but he provides a long-term backup policy on Drummond. Stan Van Gundy could be the right coach to push the right buttons with Collins. While raw, Collins has the potential to be a complete big who can pass, shoot and protect the rim. If he can nail down Detroit’s defensive concepts, there’s no reason he can’t take Boban Marjanovic’s minutes.</p> <p>While Drummond will be locked up for a while, Collins can either become one of the league’s best backups, trade bait, or Drummond’s eventual successor. It’s not the best fit, but Detroit doesn’t have too many other needs with so many point guards gone at this point in the draft. If Mitchell slides past everyone, he’d be a good pick here too. If Collins can make the bigs of Gonzaga obsolete, there’s no telling who can hold this kid back with age.</p>. PF/C. Gonzaga