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Detroit Pistons Draft: Evaluating the All-Atlantic 10 team

By Jonah Kubicek

Saint Louis Billikens guard Jordan Goodwin (0). Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Saint Louis Billikens guard Jordan Goodwin (0). Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Osun Osunniyi St. Bonaventure
St. Bonaventure Bonnies forward Osun Osunniyi (21) dunks for a basket. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /

Osun Osunniyi, Forward, St. Bonaventure

While he was not named to the All-A10 first team, but Osun Osunniyi was the Defensive Player of the Year for the conference, and for good reason.  The 6-foot-10, 220-pound junior averaged three blocks and almost 10 boards to go with 10 points a game.

In the NBA, I expect him to be a pick-and-roll player, which would fit in great with Killian Hayes. But he will be a defensive specialist first and foremost. Perhaps the next DeAndre Jordan or Andre Drummond if all things fall in the right place.

If he were not the first option he could be a very good role player or second-string center for a defensive-minded team.

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Against LSU in St. Bonnie’s NCAA Tournament loss, Osunniyi scored 15 points, grabbed nine rebounds, had three blocks, three assists, and a steal for good measure. Not a defining game by any measure, but a solid all-around performance.

Probably not this year, but when he declares, he will be an interesting prospect, especially if he can earn All-Conference first-team honors.

Nah’Shon Hyland, Guard, VCU

After two seasons, Nah’Shon Hyland has called it a college career and is NBA bound. The A-10 player of the year is one of the best shooters in the country, with a .371 percentage on 7.8 shots a night. Projected to go in the second round, I personally doubt he’ll be there for Detroit but if he is he’s a no-brainer in the second round.

As the primary ball-handler at VCU who had the green light to fire away, naturally, he threw up some iffy shots, and he is not good about drawing contact, let alone finishing through it. That being said, he does everything else well on both ends of the floor.

In Detroit, Hyland will not be the first option–he may not even start, but he would be a good three-and-D player who can provide valuable floor spacing.

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He’s one of the safer options on this list and would fit in well with the vision Weaver has of emphasizing defense and outworking other teams.

For more information on Hyland and his chances with the Pistons, you can go here.