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Well, it finally happened. The Detroit Pistons fans put a center on the big board. After a run on point guards and wings with ball handling skill sets, the fans looked around and decided it was time to take James Wiseman.
Are they crazy or is this just an example of taking the best player available when he’s staring at you in the face? I’m unsure. There are huge Wiseman believers out there, and they are getting more vocal as former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton seems to be growing into an impact player for the Suns. I’m a little more skeptical, but it wouldn’t be the Official Detroit Bad Boys Big Board if it wasn’t a little schizophrenic.
The fans seem to be swinging back and forth between completely outside the box, home run swings and completely conventional choices. That’s not a criticism, just an observation. My worry with Wiseman is that I’m not sure he’s the best center in the draft class.
That honor might go to Onyeka Okongwu, who placed fourth in the overall voting behind defensive-minded big men Obi Toppin and Isaac Okoro. Those players have the athleticism and foot speed to guard out to the perimeter and to run the floor and cause havoc. They are more in line with modern NBA big men and, hell, would probably play a healthy dose of center as well.
Wiseman is a true blue center and nothing else. Again not a criticism, just an observation. I’ll be curious where the vote goes from here. It appears to be a battle between Toppin, Okoro and Okongwu. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a surge from Kira Lewis Jr., who would continue a run of point guards for this speed, athleticism and lead ball handler starved franchise.
The next pick also represents something of a floor for the Pistons. They have an 8.7% chance of picking eighth and only a 0.6% chance of picking ninth, their actual, technical, something has gone horribly wrong floor.
The next vote will be open until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday. If you are reading this and you don’t see the poll, you can view the poll by clicking the link from the DBB homepage, which bypasses Google Amp and Apple News layout restrictions.
Official Detroit Bad Boys Big Board
- Anthony Edwards
- Killian Hayes
- LaMelo Ball
- Deni Avdija
- Tyrese Haliburton
- Aleksej Pokusevski
- James Wiseman
- ???
Poll
With the eighth pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons should select ...
This poll is closed
-
24%
Obi Toppin
(40 votes) -
18%
Onyeka Okongwu
(29 votes) -
14%
Isaac Okoro
(23 votes) -
3%
Kira Lewis Jr.
(5 votes) -
27%
Devin Vassell
(44 votes) -
2%
Aaron Nesmith
(4 votes) -
2%
Saddiq Bey
(4 votes) -
0%
Cole Anthony
(1 vote) -
1%
Tyrese Maxey
(2 votes) -
1%
Patrick Williams
(3 votes) -
0%
Trey Jones
(0 votes) -
1%
RJ Hampton
(2 votes) -
0%
Precious Achiuwa
(1 vote) -
0%
Leandro Bolmaro
(0 votes) -
0%
Isaiah Stewart
(0 votes) -
1%
Theo Maledon
(3 votes)