What if I told you there is a wing in the 2020 draft, who can defend at a high level, knocks down threes at an impressive rate, and shows signs of becoming a quality off the dribble shot maker. The perfect wing player in today’s NBA, an athletic wing, with good speed and size. Standing at 6’7, meet 20 year-old, Devin Vassell, who certainly has the potential to be the biggest steal of the 2020 NBA draft. But before you take the time to go watch some of his highlights, let me make it easy for you and tell you why I think the Pistons should draft Vassell with the 7th pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
The Perfect Two-Guard
If you were describe the perfect two-guard in today’s NBA, what would that player look like. How tall would he stand, what kinds of qualities would he have and what would he do to help his basketball team win games. To me, a shooting guard, that plays defense and shoots threes is any teams ideal fit. Look at a player like Klay Thompson, who can literally fit on any NBA team, no matter what players are surrounding him. Vassell looks like he’s going to be that type of player, a player who fits on any NBA team, and will instantly make that team better.
Track Record
While Vassell’s stats of, 12.7 points, 5.1 reb, 1.6 ast, on 49.0 fg% doesn’t scream top 10 pick, he put up those numbers in just 29 minutes a night. His Florida State team went an impressive 26-5, as well. Perhaps the most eye popping stat, is his 41.5 3P%. He attempted 3.5 threes a game. Also, Vassell shot 53% on 2-pointers, which is encouraging as well. The defensive numbers look good too, as Vassell averaged 1.4 steals a night, while also averaging a block a game. Again doing this, in under 30 minutes a night, Vassell’s averaged 17.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per 40 minutes (via Sports Reference), add 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block, and you have a complete player, if Vassell is ever able to be a guy who plays anywhere from 33-36 minutes a game.
Where He Excels
Vassell’s two biggest strengths have to be his defense and his three point shooting. He is a very good team defender who makes good reads and is able to make reads to help his team get stops. While he most likely will never be an All-NBA defender, his 7 foot wingspan along with his solid athleticism will help him be a very good defender at the NBA level. He should be a guy who can defend multiple positions, and hold his own when he is switched onto taller players. Vassell has a very high release point on his shot, which will aid him in shooting over defenders and getting off tough shots. We recently saw in the 2020 playoffs, as great as players like James Harden, Kyle Lowry, and Fred Van Fleet are, they are limited on the offensive end because they are too small to get shots off over bigger defenders.
Areas to Improve
The two areas of Vassell’s game that must improve, if Devin is to become an All-Star level player, is his passing and shot creating off the dribble. If not, he will most likely be no more than a guy who averages anywhere from 12-15 points a game. To become a 20 point scorer and a go-to guy on a competitive NBA team, he will need to create his own shot more frequently at the NBA level. While I’m sure NBA teams would love a two-guard, who can serve as a playmaker as well, it’s likely that creating shots for his teammates will be one of Vassell’s weaknesses. At best he could average 3-4 assists a game, but I think he would be more effective playing off the ball, or focusing on putting the ball in the basket himself.
Comparisons
I found it hard to find players to compare Vassell to. I mentioned Klay Thompson, but Vassell will never be the shooter or on-ball defender that Klay is. On weird comparison I came up with was a alternate version of Demar DeRozan. It’s DeRozan, but instead of being a great isolation player who can get buckets off the dribble with ease, he excels at being a catch and shoot player instead. Also, Vassell’s defensive ceiling is higher than DeRozan’s. Another player I came up with, is Avery Bradley, but on steroids. Bradley is only 6’2, so Vassell has an extra 5 inches and about 15 pounds over Bradley. Vassell might not be the tenacious on-ball defender that Bradley is, but he will be a much better three point shooter then Bradley as well.
To Detroit?
The reason you most likely read this article, is because you are a tortured Pistons fan who wants nothing more than to see winning basketball in Detroit again. Listen, don’t expect Devin Vassell to make the Pistons a 50 win-team or save this franchise from irrelevance. Many fans I’m sure think the Pistons are gonna hit some kind of homerun in this year’s draft, and BOOM, the Pistons are good again. That’s just not going to happen, and in reality, this is just the beginning of a long road back towards glory. I think the reason I’m drawn to Vassell so much is because he reminds me so much of Richard Hamilton. Hamilton was never good enough to make the Pistons a contender or even a solid playoff team in the Eastern Conference. But what made Rip so good, was that he was a piece. He was part of something bigger. He was a part of a team. In today’s NBA its’s all about players. You win because of this player or that player. All you need is this star or that star. But the Pistons didn’t try to recreate other teams success, they created their own. They were different, they were unique. I want the Pistons to be like that again. That’s why the Pistons should draft Devin Vassell, because he has the chance to be very good player, not a great player. So instead of trying to draft a great player and pray he turns out to be a star, I say we start drafting very good players who have the potential to create something great in the city of Detroit. That’s why I’ll be rooting for the Piston’s to draft Devin Vassell in this year’s NBA draft (whenever it happens). And that’s why I think you should too.
Piston Territory 