Most of the intrigue surrounding the Pistons in Thursday night's NBA Draft revolves around the No. 5 pick. But they also have a potentially big decision to make at No. 31 -- where former consensus No. 1 pick Emoni Bates should be on the board.
And if he is, Gator says the Pistons should take him:
"I think he’s got a ton of upside. I don’t know if he’s all that mature, but he’s had a pretty tumultuous two years, so maybe he has grown up a little bit. And with the leadership of Cade Cunningham on this team and the fact that you have a coach (Monty Williams) who works well with younger players and helps develop those players, you might end up with a steal.
"It’s taking a chance. Second-round picks are fliers for the most part anyway, but this guy four years ago was considered the No. 1 pick in the draft. What changed? It seems like what held him back was attitude more than anything else."
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A Michigan native who was splashed on the cover of Sports Illustrated and likened to LeBron James (and Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan) at the age of 15, Bates' college career didn't go as planned. After de-committing from Michigan State and graduating high school a year early, he spent an injury-marred season at Memphis, then transferred to Eastern Michigan where he scored a lot of points last season by taking a lot of shots.
But Bates redeemed some of his draft stock with a strong showing at the combine, and he's been open about his desire to play in Detroit alongside his longtime friend and former Memphis teammate Jalen Duren.
Karsch says "Bates is tempting because it feels like his skillset is one that he could be an elite player:"
"If you get him with the first pick of the second round, you’re talking about a low risk, high reward. He can shoot, he’s got an incredibly quick trigger, he gets that shot off so fast that he just needs a little bit of daylight. The rest, the defense, the effort on that end, the ability to play team basketball, which is something that is probably less emphasized in the NBA than the collegiate game, I don’t know, it’s a totally intriguing risk. I might not be able to pass on Emoni Bates."
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