Detroit Pistons Draft Dreams: Trey Thompkins

Trey Thompkins might fit more into the hybrid forward definition, which the Pistons already have in abundance, but at his size, he might be a player worth considering in the second round.

Info

Measurables: 6-foot-10, 240 pounds junior F from Georgia

Key stats: 16.4 points, 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting 48 percent from the field

Projected: Second round

How would he help the Pistons?

The upside with nabbing Thompkins in the second round is the fact that after his sophomore season, many scouts believed him to be a first round talent. He’s dipped into the second round because he had an up and down year shooting-wise as a junior and a lingering ankle injury robbed him of some of his explosiveness.

But Thompkins has good size for a power forward, he’s already got a bigger frame than many of the other bigs in the second round and his ability to knock down shots from the perimeter could provide a nice compliment to Greg Monroe, who was more comfortable either crashing the offensive glass or cutting to the basket to get his offense last season.

How wouldn’t he help the Pistons?

Thompkins won this year’s DeMarcus Cousins Award for having the highest body fat percentage at the combine. That doesn’t necessarily mean Tompkins can’t be a productive pro, but I think any team drafting him would like to see an early commitment to getting in better condition.

Although Thompkins isn’t a chucker from 3-point range, his percentage did dip significantly as a junior, from 38 percent his freshman and sophomore seasons to 31 percent last season. The Pistons have always been comfortable with perimeter oriented bigs, even going back to Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess, but Thompkins will have to knock down that 15-18 footer at a much more reasonable clip if he’s going to help a team as a rookie. His effort defensively also was sometimes a question at Georgia.

What are others saying?

From DraftExpress:

"On a positive note, Thompkins has continued to become more efficient in the post, scoring an impressive 1.1 points per possession this season, up from the .9 points per possession on his post up opportunities as a sophomore. He continues to display good footwork, a high skill level, and the soft touch we saw from him before, and although he still probably relies a bit too much on his turnaround jump shot – often fading away from the basket – he does have a refined post game for a player his age, and has the potential to continue to improve and become an effective weapon on the block."

From ESPN:

"A smooth, versatile forward who can play both inside and out, Thompkins never quite bounced back from an offseason injury — his numbers were down across the board. If he did one thing at an elite level, he’d be a lottery pick."

From Hoopsworld:

"Any possible confusion over which position Thompkins should play is attributable to his high skill level. Good footwork in the post, soft hands, and the ability to knock down shots out the three-point line make him an offensive threat from anywhere on the floor, but Thompkins wants to be known for more than this."

Hickory High’s Similarity Scores

Here’s a breakdown of how Ian Levy from Hickory High came up with his similarity scores.

Previously

Home/Pistons News