Detroit Pistons: West Virginia’s Derek Culver a good fit

The Detroit Pistons have four picks in the 2021 NBA Draft. With only one first-round draft pick, it’s pretty clear that the Pistons are going to select Cade Cunningham, a standout do-all star from Oklahoma State. What they do in the second round with their three picks is more of a mystery. Derek Culver could solve the mystery.

They could try and package some picks to get another first-rounder, but if that doesn’t happen then Detroit will have the task of finding real talent among a bunch of potential scrubs. In round two, the Pistons should draft for fit.

In an offseason filled with trade rumors, Mason Plumlee is a name that is brought up a lot. In many mock trades, he is the lone player Detroit sends out with the first overall pick.

I don’t think trading Plumlee is a great idea, but if Detroit opts to move on, then they need an offensive-minded big to pair with Isaiah Stewart. Preferably, this would be someone who would be ready to make an immediate impact.

Derek Culver, a power forward/center from West Virginia, has a high ceiling as an offensive weapon. In his junior season for the Mountaneers, he averaged nine rebounds and 14 points on 48% shooting.

He is a good low-post and midrange scorer, who can create his own space to shoot or back down opposing bigs. In the paint, he is an absolute force and a very good athlete. At 6-foot-10 and 260 pounds, he has the strength to overpower, making him an elite rebounder.

Isaiah Stewart is also a good offensive rebounder, so it will be second chance points galore in Detroit as he and Culver have fun with opponents shots.

As a high flyer, he immediately could establish himself as a pick-and-roll lob threat for dazzling passer Killian Hayes.

The downsides of his game are his total unwillingness to shoot from deep, and his only average defense. He will probably not evolve to be a two-way player, and he probably won’t be able to be an oversized wing.

Culver is a pure big man, and if Plumlee were to leave, then he would be a perfect offensive weapon to pair down low with ‘Beef Stew’. With a backcourt of Hayes, Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey plus a frontcourt of Culver, Jerami Grant and Stewart, the Pistons are poised to be one of the better dynamic young teams in today’s game.

Perhaps with the mentorship of Grant, Culver could evolve to be a three-level scorer and/or a better defender. In the second round, I’d be more than happy if he could add either of those aspects to his game.

I’m not sure where Detroit would pick him in the draft, the end of the first round and the second round are pretty fluid. But if Plumlee were to be traded away, and GM Troy Weaver wanted to draft for fit, the West Virginia All-Big 12 honoree is the farthest he needs to look.