NBA Draft: More prospects Detroit Pistons can draft-and-stash
Detroit Pistons: Arnas Velicka might be short stash or the longest
Unlike most draft-and-stash prospects, Arnas Velicka is old enough to drink a beer to celebrate getting drafted. The 6-foot-4 guard turns 22 in December.
Velicka was an early entrant in the 2019 and 2020 drafts but withdrew. This time, he is staying in.
NBA Draft: Who can Detroit Pistons draft and stash? Part 1. light. Related Story
Verlicka played for two club teams this year. He began with Chalons in the French League before moving to Lower Braunschweig in the German League. Combined, Verlicka averaged 13 points, 5.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds. He also had a solid 2-to-1 assists to turnover ratio.
He is very familiar to the European scouts of NBA teams. A native of Lithuania, Verlicka had played on junior national teams since he was 15-years-old. He even got some time with the senior team at the 2020 EuroBasket qualifiers.
Verlicka is a crafty guard who makes up for his lack of athleticism with a high basketball IQ and skills. Kind of like Luka Doncic, without the great shooting ability.
He does not get rattled, which would help him greatly in the NBA. But, if his lack of athletic ability is a problem in European Leagues, it would only be more so in the NBA.
Verlicka could be one of those standout European guards whose game does not translate to the NBA. But do you ignore a highly-skilled guard who will be just 21 on draft night? Verlicka has already had a tryout with the Denver Nuggets, so other NBA teams are showing interest.
Verlicka might be the kind of player who could surprise you after another year in Europe, and want to bring over. Or, he could be one of those shifty guards who makes a nice living for many years overseas.
What to do with Verlicka? That’s why they pay Troy Weaver the big bucks.
Next. Detroit Pistons: Pre-draft Q and A with The Athletic’s James Edwards III. dark
While a lot of the attention has been on Detroit’s No. 1 draft pick, most of the decision-making on draft night will involve its three second rounders (not saying more important, but more time consuming) and what to do with them.
It would not be a shock, if those we have written about, become a Pistons draft pick … and then stashed.