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The NBA Draft is Thursday and the Detroit Pistons will be picking fifth. It is now time to continue our NBA Draft odds series with a No. 5 overall selection prediction and pick.
Victor Wembanya is expected to be the top pick in the draft on Thursday. He will most likely be followed by Brandon Miller and Scott Henderson at the second and third picks. Recent odds have shown Miller is the heavy favorite to go second and Henderson to go third. While the top three seem to be decided, the fourth pick is looking like it will be Amen Thompson. This leaves plenty of great prospects for the fifth pick and the Detroit Pistons.
The No. 4 pick has produced some amazing players over the years. In 1984 a man name Charles Barkley was picked fifth overall by the 76ers. In 1987, it was Scottie Pippen going fifth. The 90's saw Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Vince Carter go as fifth overall picks. Then Dwayne Wade went fifth overall in the 2003 draft. There are 12 NBA titles between those six men, and the Pistons will be hoping to snag a man who can bring them a ring. In recent years, the pick has been solid as well. Both Trae Young and De'Aaron Fox were No. 5 picks as well.
The favorite to go fourth overall is the wingman out of the Overtime Elite League, Ausar Thompson. Jarace Walker out of Houston is a big forward who continues to improve. He would immediately bolster the Pistons' defense on day one. Cam Whitmore is another top option, as another wing player out of Villanova. Whitmore is a versatile player that could play different positions on this Detroit Pistons squad. Anthony Black rounds out the most favored options. This most likely requires a trade, but the Jazz have reportedly spoken to the Pistons about moving up to snag Black at five.
Here are the NBA Draft Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Draft Odds: No. 5 Overall Pick
Ausar Thompson -160
Jarace Walker +340
Cam Whitmore +470
Anthony Black +1100
Amen Thompson +1600
Taylor Hendricks +1600
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Favorites To Be Selected No. 5 Overall
Ausar Thompson is the favorite for the No. 5 overall pick. He has both good size and speed. Ausar is highly athletic and a quality finisher at the rim. He is a better cutter toward the rim than a pick-and-roll player. Ausar is also a quality passer that is highly creative with the ball. His jumper is getting better but is still not great. His biggest issue is he is not a primary play creator. That is not an issue for the Pistons. The Pistons' Cade Cunningham can do that, so Ausar will be focusing on defense and cutting to the basket. Ausar is also a quality rebounder who will spark transition for an offense.
Behind Ausar Thompson is Jarace Walker. Walker is amazing on isolation defense and is also great as a help-side defender. The switching defense is something Walker is good at and something Dwane Casey runs a lot in Detroit. Walker would be one of the top defenders on the floor immediately, if not the best for the Pistons. He may not be the prototype size-wise for his position, but his agility and versatility are a perfect fit for the Pistons. On offense, he will provide an interior presence for the Pistons. He does not have a proven record from three-point range, but that can be overlooked with the other playmakers for the Pistons.
Cam Whitmore rounds out the favorites for the No. 5 pick. He was the Big East Freshman of the Year last year, and at 6'7″ he is one of the best rim players in the class. Whitmore is solid on the defensive end, with 1.4 steals per game last year. He is a fair shooter and showed that last year, but at the rim, he hit 72.3% of his shots. Whitmore is more of a known commodity than the others, but with the Pistons being the worst team in the NBA last year, a known commodity may not be the right choice here, instead of going for a boom player like Ausar Thompson.
Sleepers To Be Selected No. 5 Overall
Amen, Thompson sits at +1600 odds for this pick. The reason is he expected to be gone by the time the fifth pick rolls around. If Amen Thompson is there, this will be the pick. It is highly unlikely though. There is the possibility that Amen slips into the top three, but in all likelihood, Amen is going fourth overall.
Anthony Black sits with slightly better odds. The main play here is a trade. The Utah Jazz hold seven first-round picks in the next three years, and 14 over the next six drafts. With a stockpile of picks, and the ability to pick up a bad contract if needed, the Jazz could be active in the trade market. One possible option for them in Anthony Black. Black has been connected to the Wizards who hold the eighth pick in the draft. Some mock drafts even have Black going as high as sixth to the Magic or seventh to the Pacers. Black is the betting favorite for both the sixth and eighth overall pick right now so if the Jazz want him, jumping to five seems like the best solution.
Rounding out the options is Taylor Hendricks. Hendricks is the long shot here. He is a quality forward who can drain a pull-up shot with ease. He is a two-way player that most teams would love to have. Hendricks can shoot from three, drive to the rim, and make some quality passes. The best part of his game i the defensive end. If the Pistons are looking for defense, Jarace Walker would most likely be the pick though.
No. 5 Overall Draft Pick Prediction and Pick
There are three main scenarios for this pick. First, the Pistons go with the consensus fifth-ranked player in the draft Ausar Thompson. Second, they take a risk with Jarace Walker who fits well with this team. Third, they trade the pick and Anthony Black goes here. Walker is just too good of a fit for the Pistons to pass up. With the No. 5 Pick in the NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons select, Jarace Walker.
No. 5 Overall Draft Pick Prediction and Pick: Jarace Walker (+340)
