Draft Preview: Ivica Zubac, Ben Bentil

First-Round Candidate: Ivica Zubac

ID CARD: 7-foot-1 center, Bosnian national playing professionally in Croatia, 19 years old  

DRAFT RANGE: Ranked 22nd by DraftExpress.com; 25th by ESPN.com; third among centers by NBA.com

SCOUTS LOVE: Zubac, one of the youngest players in the draft as he just turned 19 in March, has great size, great hands and above average athleticism. In other words, there’s a lot to like. His greatest potential is on the offensive end, where he already has very good footwork and a couple of go-to moves. He’s also a superb offensive rebounder and runs the floor well.

SCOUTS WONDER: There aren’t any serious red flags with Zubac, though he might not be ready to contribute as a rookie. It will take meticulous projection by personnel executives to figure out where Zubac could wind up defensively, though his size, strength potential and solid frame give him a chance to be no worse than average at that end. He’s not an explosive leaper, so he’ll need to adjust or risk having his shots blocked or altered around the rim – and around the rim is about the extent of Zubac’s scoring arsenal at this stage.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 265 – that’s Zubac’s weight and there doesn’t appear to be much in the way of baby fat on him. Natural maturity and a sophisticated NBA weight program might or might not add much in the way of bulk, but Zubac at 22, 24 and 26 figures to be an immensely powerful man who could be a premier NBA center, given his physical tools.

MONEY QUOTE: “Zubac was a hot name at the combine with several scouts (though not the majority) claiming he was the third-best international prospect in the draft. … Zubac is in many ways the opposite of (Ante) Zizic (another 19-year-old center prospect). He excels offensively as an old-school low-post player. But his heavy feet and lack of rebounding do raise some concerns, as well as a history of foot and knee injuries. Still, in a draft lacking real center options, he’s looking more and more like a lock for the first round.” – Chad Ford, ESPN.com

PISTONS FIT: The Pistons have the ability to return all three centers from last year’s roster should they pick up their option on Joel Anthony’s contract to return behind Andre Drummond and Aron Baynes. There’s a decent chance they decline the option and look to a cheaper replacement as the No. 3 center. Anthony played only 96 minutes last season. Zubac might not be ready for regular rotation minutes, but he’d be perfectly adequate as the No. 3 center with the potential for growing into the backup quickly.

BOTTOM LINE: If the Pistons were to draft Zubac with the 18th pick, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they pushed for him to stay in Europe for one more year of development. Not only would that free up the $1.4 million cap hold for the 18th pick to use in free agency, it would also allow Zubac to come to the NBA next season when he might be ready to be Drummond’s backup at a time Baynes could leave as a free agent. Some of Zubac’s strengths – offensive rebounding, diving on pick-and-roll plays, running the floor – are a fit for what the Pistons do with Drummond.