Detroit Pistons: Three players to avoid in the NBA Draft

Obi Toppin

It’s entirely within the realm of possibility that Obi Toppin will be off the board when the time comes for Detroit to make their selection. However, given the uncertainty of his stock, and the stock of others projected to go inside the top ten, he could easily fall to the Pistons.

In an ideal world, this isn’t a decision that would require much thought. The issue with Toppin isn’t his ability on the offensive end, but on defense. No one has questioned his ability to score in the NBA, it comes down to whether or not he can stay in front of anybody.

His defensive performances at Dayton last season were perfectly indicative of what the fear has become with him. Toppin has an extraordinarily difficult time keeping his feet and his hips alligned with player movement.

He gets beat off the dribble easily, and he closes out on perimeter shots too slow. He isn’t a shot blocker, nor does he disrupt passing lanes as easily as he should be able to given his length.

Dwane Casey has religiously preached defensive effort, and rewards young players for it when they show positive signs. Toppin, as explosive as he may be offensively, has seldom shown those signs.

Additionally, while his sheer size allows him to bully his way to the rim and back players down in the post, he otherwise can’t create his own shot. Toppin almost exclusively uses his right hand, and could be proven to be all too predictable at the next level.