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Detroit Pistons work out six prospects

By Duncan Smith

Apr 24, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy looks down during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy looks down during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Detroit Pistons continued to prepare for the draft on Monday, bringing in six prospects expected to go in both rounds.

The Detroit Pistons draft prep continued Monday as six prospects worked out for the team in Auburn Hills. Among the prospects were Kyle Wiltjer, Ivica Zubac (the only first rounder projected among the six), Nikola Jovanovic, Stefan Jankovic, Elgin Cook and Brannen Greene.

Wiltjer is a 6-foot-10 power forward out of Gonzaga, weighing in at 240 lbs. He’s a big man who can shoot and score, averaging 20.4 points per game in his senior season on 49.1 percent shooting from the floor and 43.7 percent from three-point range. He added 6.3 rebounds per game and is ranked #75 in DraftExpress’ top 100 prospects.

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Ivica Zubac stands 7-foot-1 and weighs 265 lbs. He is ranked #21 in DraftExpress’ top 100 prospects, and has been a standout for Croatia in international competition. In the 2015 U18 European Championship, Zubac averaged 15.8 points and 12.9 rebounds per game, and in the 2016 FIBA Europe Cup he averaged 12 points and six rebounds per game. Zubac draws comparisons to Marc Gasol.

Nikola Jovanovic is 6-foot-11 and 230 lbs and averaged 12.1 points and seven rebounds per game in his final season at USC. He shot 52.4 percent from the floor on 8.6 shots per game.

Stefan Jankovic stands 6-foot-11 and weighs 235 lbs. He played at Hawaii and was the Big West player of the year, averaging 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He played an average of 24.7 minutes per game and shot 54.3 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three-point range. He is ranked #91 by DraftExpress in their 100 prospects.

Elgin Cook is a 6-foot-6 forward out of Oregon, weighing in at 212 lbs. In his final season with the Ducks, he scored 14.7 points per game on 46.8 percent shooting and 33.9 percent from three-point range. He added 5.1 rebounds per game and was named the MVP of the Pac-12’s conference tournament. He is ranked #74 by DraftExpress.

Brannen Greene gained renown this past season for dunking at the end of a blowout win for his Kansas Jayhawks against the Kansas State Wildcats. Nobody for Kansas State was playing defense as the clock ran down, and Green took off for the basket unabated for a meaningless dunk. Kansas head coach Bill Self called him out after the game:

"“Brannen Greene … we’ve put up with him doing some stuff in the past, but that was probably the biggest (bleep) move I’ve ever had a player do during a game,. To dunk the ball like that when the other team — even their players are going, ‘How disrespectful to the game.’ It certainly showed unbelievably poor sportsmanship. I apologize to K-State and their players. I guarantee that will never happen again or he will never be in the game at the end of the game.”"

As for his play on the floor, the 6-foot-7, 215 lbs Greene averaged just 5.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game. The small forward is ranked #66 by DraftExpress.

Next: Should the Detroit Pistons make a play for Kevin Love?

Keep an eye out to see if buzz grows for any of these late round prospects.

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