NBA Draft: More prospects Detroit Pistons can draft-and-stash

Amar Sylla could be good Detroit Pistons draft and stash

Sylla has been on most NBA team’s radar for several years, even though he does not turn 20 years old until October 1. He is 6-foot-10, 200-pounds, with tons of upside as a rim-protecting power forward.

The NBA Draft Room lists Sylla as the ninth-best power forward in the draft.

Like Hukporti, he has African roots and also traveled a lot for someone that young.

Sylla grew up in Senegal and was discovered at a camp run by NBA player Gorgui Dieng. He went to Spain and played for Real Madrid, one of the top club teams in Europe. He was on the second team there and, this past season, was with Oostende in the Belgian first division.

Sylla has a 7-foot-2 wing span and is athletic. In club ball he has stood out as a weak-side rim protector. He averaged 8.7 point, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks for Oostende. He did much better in the Belgian League than in their EuroLeague games, where he faced much more experienced competition.

Draft experts are very split on Sylla. Some think he will develop into a solid NBA player, others, like John Hollinger of The Athletic (PAID SUBSCRIPTION needed), think he is more a training camp body than a draft and stash guy.

The thing about Sylla is, while presently not great at any one thing, he looks like, in the future, he could very well put it all together, and be a steal in this draft. That is the tantalizing thing about Sylla. He projects so much potential, but he struggles right now.

Like, Hukporti, he would be eaten alive if he was thrown into an NBA game this year. But, in a few years? That could be a very different story.

One interesting sidelight is that George David was one of Sylla’s agents. We say was, because he was recently hired for his second stint as assistant general manager with the Detroit Pistons.

Sylla is tall and athletic but will he pick up the necessary skills to be an NBA player? If the Pistons draft and stash him, they can find out.