Pistons draft: The strongest man in the 2022 NBA Draft
The Detroit Pistons could use the 46th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft to bolster their big man ranks, and there are some investing players in that range.
Yesterday we looked at a skilled stretch big who profiles as a guy who will shoot 3-pointers, so today we’ll look at a big man who is holding it down for the old school center.
Detroit was probably too small this season, which 6-foot-8 Isaiah Stewart as their only real big man (until the trade for Marvin Bagley III) and they could use a guy who can grab rebounds, defend the rim and catch a lob.
Bagley III and Kelly Olynyk are offense-first bigs, so the Pistons could use a tough defender off the bench to take on some of the giant teams in the Eastern Conference.
They could grab a low-cost veteran in free agency to fill this role, land the big time free agent that would push everyone back on the depth chart, or draft a player who profiles as a 3rd center.
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They need to get more than Luka Garza gave them this season and could once again turn to the second round of the draft to try and find their guy. I don’t think this is a bad strategy, as you don’t want to invest heavily in a center unless he is elite.
There is one interesting name who also happens to be the biggest and strongest man in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Detroit Pistons draft: Kofi Cockburn
If you drafted players on looks alone, then Cockburn would be going #1, as he is one of the biggest, strongest guys to come out of college in a long time.
The 7-foot, 298 lbs. center is pretty much pure muscle and looks like the kind of guy who could rip the rim off it he wanted to.
He’s a 22-year-old junior who played for a very good Illinois team this season, averaging 20.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and a block per game for the Illini.
Cockburn is one of the most interesting players in the entire draft, as he is a test case to see if an old school center will still get drafted in the NBA.
Here are his strengths and weaknesses, as well as how he might fit on the Detroit Pistons.