If there is any way to turn the nightmare of falling to the fifth pick in the NBA Draft for the third consecutive into a dream scenario for the Detroit Pistons, it is Donovan Clingan falling to No. 5 in Wednesday’s NBA Draft.
It is the pick we made with the No. 5 pick in the SB Nation Community Mock Draft.
It’s not just that Clingan the player represents a potential elite rim defender on a team sorely in need of a defensive identity, it is that his availability opens up opportunities for the Pistons to trade the rights to Clingan to the highest bidder and net a bounty of future assets in return.
If the rumors are to be believed, there are plenty of quality teams desperate to get their hands on a defender of Clingan’s caliber. For once, the Pistons could be dealing from a position of strength instead of a desperate team sacrificing slivers of its future for some immediate gratification.
That’s not to say the Pistons definitely need to deal Clingan. He fits on the Pistons as a 15-year starting center. And if his defense is legit, it’s the kind of difference-making impact you wouldn’t mind giving a hefty second contract to.
Can we say the same about young incumbent Jalen Duren? It remains to be seen. He has plenty of promise, but he has a potentially fatal combination of no stretch to his game and no deterrence on the other end. If he remains exclusively a rim-running force and quality rebounder with the ability to pass out of the short roll — all great things, to be clear — I’m not sure the Pistons would want to give him a huge new contract when the time is right.
Clingan, though? He might just be that dude.
He measures in at 7-foot-3 with a 7-foot-7 wingspan and 9-foot-7 standing reach. He might not be the swiftest big man, but he has excellent awareness, strength, and body positioning. He finished the most recent NCAA season with an over 11% block rate. He also had a 26% rebound rate.
He could be the center of gravity (no pun intended) for a team’s entire defensive scheme, and single-handledly allow the Pistons to field a markedly improved team defensive rating form among the league’s worst a season ago.
The Pistons would then have to decide what to do with Jalen Duren — likely a trade to someone looking for more of what he offers, and while that might not return a bonanza, it represent another young, or maybe even veteran player, to add to the rotation.
As far as trades, the Pistons would be looking toward the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7, Memphis Grizzlies at No. 9, Chicago Bulls at No. 11, Sacramento Kings at No. 13 as potential trade partners.
The trick is what the Houston Rockets do at No 3. They could trade out of No. 3 to a team looking grab Clingan and then the Pistons will be out of luck.
What do you think of the Pistons’ pick of Clingan in this mock? The right pick on the right player? Trade the pick? Or would you pick someone else?