Detroit Pistons draft Vernon Macklin

Well, unfortunately I didn’t get to Vernon Macklin in the Draft Dreams series, so I can’t pull from that. But here’s a little but about the F/C out of Florida who the Pistons took 52nd overall:

Info

Measurables: 6-foot-9, 243 pounds senior F/C from Florida

Key stats: 11.6.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 59 percent shooting

How does he help the Pistons?

Well, the Pistons have a theme. They drafted three players who are known for having good attitudes and for working hard. Macklin is a big bodied four-year player who will battle on the boards and hustle. Clearly, based on the three guys Joe Dumars took in this draft, the problems that watchers of the team seemed to notice — malaise, lack of effort, lack of energy — were all things noticed by Dumars as well. I don’t know if Macklin or Singler will contribute much, but both should at the very least make Pistons practices more intense.

Skill-wise, Macklin is athletic, strong, runs the floor and he’s a good finisher. He’s not completely devoid of post moves, but he’s also not projected to be a threat the Pistons are going to dump the ball into. He should, however, be a nice target for Greg Monroe, since he’s always active and around the basket. He didn’t block a lot of shots, but his 7-foot-3 wingspan and athleticism suggests he should at least be able to bother some.

How won’t he help the Pistons?

He’s not particularly polished offensively, although at least he doesn’t seem to take poor shots or force the issue. He’s also a bit less of a prospect than some others in the draft because he’s a fifth year senior who sat out a year after transferring from Georgetown to Florida. Also, he shot just 49 percent at the FT line, so if he and Ben Wallace get minutes together, that should be fun.

What are others saying?

Chad Ford, ESPN:

Positives:

• Long, athletic forward
• Can really finish around the basket
• NBA body
• Runs the floor well

Negatives:

• Lacks focus
• Can get sloppy
• Old for his class

From DraftExpress:

On the defensive end, Macklin had some impressive moments using his near 7’4 wingspan to adjust shots around the basket, though he didn’t come up with blocks. He’s very good when he’s dialed in, especially when defending the post one-on-one, but it would be nice to see him show more intensity on the defensive glass. Macklin averaged a respectable 8.0 rebounds over the week here, but seemed capable of more after looking terrific cleaning the boards in the first game. Mostly an area rebounder at this juncture, it would be nice to see Macklin show the aggressiveness on the glass that he showed on the offensive end this week.