In Tom Ziller's latest 2012 NBA Mock Draft, the Detroit Pistons once again go with for the 'Pistons going to grab size' meme that has been filling mock drafts for quite a while now. This time it's in a bit more of a high-risk form as they grab 7'0'' center Andre Drummond out of the University of Connecticut.
As I remain convinced that Lillard and Marshall will go inside the top 10, I'm pretty confident that Drummond will drop. "Unskilled with an embattled reputation as a hard worker" isn't a red flag. It's a poison label. But at some point in the first round, the potential reward outweighs the risk. I think it's right around here. (And I think Ben Wallace gets hired as a big man coach specifically to work with Drummond on everything but free throws.)
Drummond has been projected to go all over the place since he's been tagged with the 'high risk but potential high reward' tag. Kind of the new, slightly lesser Hasheem Thabeet, if you will. Lots of size, lots of potential but a lot of ability that is usually described as 'raw' more than anything.
Pick No. 9 might actually be a bit too high for Drummond in the eyes of some scouts and analysts but at some point higher up in the draft, a seven footer out of a school like UCONN is going to go and ninth overall is as good a time as any for a team like the Pistons looking for big guys.
For more 2012 NBA Draft coverage, stay with SB Nation Detroit's StoryStream. For more on the Pistons, check out Detroit Bad Boys. And for more NBA coverage, be sure to visit SB Nation's NBA hub. You can also watch SB Nation's YouTube channel: