Detroit Pistons: 5 options for pick No. 42 in the 2018 NBA Draft
By Amaar Burton
1. Brandon McCoy, C — UNLV
Almost every mock draft I’ve read have the Pistons using their lone pick to address the backcourt or the wing positions, but from a positional depth perspective, Detroit’s biggest need is at center, where franchise building block Andre Drummond doesn’t have a real backup.
McCoy is a legit 5; he measured 6’11” without shoes on at the NBA Draft Combine, where he performed well in shooting and speed/agility drills.
This past season, McCoy averaged 16.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game for the Runnin’ Rebels, earning Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year. His 18 double-doubles ranked 11th in the country.
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In a head-to-head matchup with Arizona freshman center DeAndre Ayton, who is universally projected as a top-three pick in this draft, McCoy recorded 33 points and 10 rebounds in an overtime loss.
In another game against a Pac-12 opponent, McCoy had 26 points and 17 rebounds in UNLV’s win over Utah. In his last college game, McCoy grabbed 14 rebounds and had four blocks in a loss to nationally-ranked Nevada in the conference tournament.
Once upon a time, a 20-year-old mobile seven-footer with an impressive college stat line wouldn’t be waiting very long to hear his name called in the NBA Draft. So why is McCoy possibly going to be available when the Pistons come up at No. 42?
The knee-jerk answer is that the NBA game has changed and centers aren’t as valuable as they once were. But look at this year’s draft board: From Ayton to Mo Bamba to Jaren Jackson, bigs are dominating lottery projections.
McCoy’s issue is that he’s a raw prospect. For as big and quick as he is, he doesn’t have a lot of polish to his game, and in 2018, NBA teams want bigs who are skilled and not just … big. In some ways, McCoy is like JaVale McGee.
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However, if you’re being optimistic, another word for “raw” is “potential.” McCoy has potential to be a valuable player, and in Detroit he would have an opportunity to develop his big man skill-set learning under All-Star veterans Drummond and Blake Griffin. It looks to be a good fit for both sides if he’s still available here.