As we close in on the NBA Draft, here are Rico Beard's six best picks for the Pistons with the fifth overall pick -- plus his preferred pick and his prediction of who the team will ultimately select.
Amen Thompson, SG/PG, Overtime Elite
Rico: "His pros, he’s quick, good to great passer, he can drive with the ball, he’s good on D. Cons, you can give him that Russell Westbrook treatment, meaning you don’t necessarily have to guard him. He needs to fix his shot."
Ausar Thompson, SG/SF, Overtime Elite
Rico: "6’7 wing, he’s an off-ball cutter, his scoring and three-point shooting went up in the G League playoffs, good on weak-side defense and help defense. Downside, he’s a 65 percent free-throw shooter, can’t really create his own shot, he’s turnover prone and has been known to play a little bit out of control."
Cam Whitmore, SF, Villanova
Rico: "Has been compared to a Jae Crowder type of player. He can jump out the gym, he’s got a 40-inch vertical and he can take advantage of the mismatch and score the basketball. Problem is, when he’s being D’d up by somebody who’s just as good as him, he can’t create his own shot. He’s been known to over-dribble and take a lot of bad shots."
Anthony Black, PG/SG, Arkansas
Rico: "He’s a floor general -- but you don’t really need another floor general on this Pistons team -- he can finish through contact, plays good defense. A lot of people have compared him to Lonzo Ball-lite. Here’s the problem, he can’t create his own shot, opponents sag off him and he’s a 60 percent free throw shooter."
Jarace Walker, PF, Houston
Rico: "Would fit in with the Pistons as someone they could put at the rim. 7’2 wingspan, NBA body, he can do the pick and pop, fadeaway, he’s really good around the basket, plays good defense. But lacks lateral quickness when he’s on defense, meaning he can get crossed over or left in the dust. His ball-handling skills are to be desired. He’s got one move, bull rush to the basket."
Taylor Hendricks, PF, Central Florida
Rico: "Shot 40 percent from three, he’s a stretch 4 and he can switch with anybody on defense."
Valenti: "That’s the guy. You could tell me horrible human being and can’t dribble. If he can stretch the floor at the 4 and he can switch everything, if that’s what you’re offering me, that’s who I take."
Rico: "I want Jarace Walker. Because of all the guys, he’s the one that can come in and there’s a spot for him on this team. The betting favorite and who I think they’re going to end up taking, Ausur Thompson."
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