NBA Draft 2013: Anthony Bennett's DBB scouting report

What would Bennett bring to the Pistons?

Shinons*: A perimeter threat who would fit alongside either Monroe or Drummond. Athletic with an efficient inside-out game, Bennett would be a nice offensive weapon. He used his impressive wingspan to become a strong rebounder, and put up solid numbers in an underrated conference. Also, if we drafted him I could insist on calling him Tony Bennett and ask him to sing I Left My Heart in San Francisco.

Mike Payne: A shorter, chunkier Charlie Villanueva.

Sean Corp: The lack of size and long wingspan that Joe Dumars apparently loves so much. Bennett is the classic tweener -- a burly body without the size or low-post moves to play down low in the NBA. So he either has to develop his skills in the post or become more than just a respectable shooter from deep. He's only a freshman and very raw so there is no telling what skills he will be able to develop as he puts miles on his NBA odometer, but it would definitely be a high risk, high reward proposition as I'm not sure he has the talent right now to be an effective NBA player.

Kevin Sawyer: A little bit of everything, and a lot of nothing. Bennett was a reasonably efficient shooter and a fairly prolific scorer. His rebounding rate was reasonable for his position, and his defensive stats project solidly, and he has decent range. The latter attribute gives him the potential to create matchup problems. He fits the mold of a stretch four, which is still en vogue in the NBA, I guess.

Biggest red flag?

Shinons*: Defense. Players like Bennett are attractive as lottery picks because of their mismatch potential. Their athleticism and versatility make folks drool with the mismatch potential on the offensive end. But that same mismatch potential kills them on the defensive end.

Mike Payne: Two stand out-- first, his height. He's 6'7", which is barely below average for a small forward let alone a power forward, which is likely his NBA position. Second, he averages a lot more fouls and turnovers than he does assists/steals/blocks (4.3 : 2.8), which might seem a bit arbitrary but I see it as a suggestion that he's pretty one-dimensional. Points and rebounds are great, but they might not scale to the NBA given his height and lack of a clear positional fit.

Sean Corp: Lack of defensive knowledge and/or effort. Honestly, when you're 6-foot-8 with the kind of length and athleticism Bennett possesses you should dominate college basketball. Instead Bennett appears to be disinterested in that phase of the game. He gets pushed around by the big guys and gives up way too much space down low and he doesn't have the instincts to cause trouble along the perimeter. The Pistons are hypothetically "going for it" next year and the owner has publicly declared that his wallet is open. That means that Bennett probably wouldn't be able to play through his defensive mistakes and would be buried on the bench. Then all of a sudden the Pistons have yet another raw NBA talent who they refuse to develop.

Kevin Sawyer: His size. Sure, he can create matchup problems, but he will become a matchup problem on defense. That's a zero sum game, and recent precedent has not been kind to teams drafting tweener stretch fours. Moreover, I'm just not sure he's that good. His numbers were solid, but unspectacular. He seems like a nice pickup in the middle of the first round, not the potential #1 pick he is projected to be.

On a scale of 1/10, how would you feel about Bennett joining the roster?

Shinons*: 1/10. I don't like him. He feels like Charlie Villanueva, Michael Beasley, or Derrick Williams. Guys like him just never wind up being all that valuable. They tend to be defensive liabilities, not having the fluidity or ball-handling ability to use their athleticism to their advantage offensively, and just turn into shooters - yet not as good of shooters as a prospect who is a "pure shooter." In short, I'd take Erik Murphy ahead of him.

Mike Payne: 1/10. Detroit doesn't have a need for a shorter, chunkier Charlie Villanueva. Although he has great length, a nice stroke and he can play multiple positions, so he might certainly be on Dumars' radar.

Sean Corp: 3/10. The Pistons should definitely not be afraid about drafting a big man in the first round. The Pistons are set in the starting lineup but with Jason Maxiell moving on and my hope that Charlie Villanueva and Ktrl-V never see the floor in 2013-14, that means they need another big man to join their frontcourt rotation. They could use an athlete and a shooter and Bennett appears to possess both qualities. He also, it seems, should develop into a quality NBA defender, capable of guarding multiple positions. Bennett could be the steal of the draft or he could be like 90 percent of the big men who declare, tantalize with their measurables and scoring acumen but don't do anything in the league because they don't care about defense.

Kevin Sawyer: 4. He's a nice piece and the Pistons have a spot for his talents. However, he is clearly a second tier talent. He isn't top five among potential draft picks in any one category. I think he'll be a pretty competent player, but I can't get excited over him.

Now, your thoughts.