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Draft Preview: Brice Johnson, Caris LeVert

(Editor’s note: The Pistons hold the No. 18 and No. 49 picks in the June 23 NBA draft. We’ll preview one candidate for each pick each Monday through Friday leading up to the draft. Players who are consensus lottery picks unavailable to the Pistons will not be profiled.)

First-Round Candidate: Brice Johnson

ID CARD: 6-foot-10½ power forward, North Carolina senior, 21 years old

DRAFT RANGE: Ranked 30th by DraftExpress.com; 32nd by ESPN.com; 9th among power forwards by NBA.com

SCOUTS LOVE: You don’t often see the type of athleticism and production combined in one package from a college senior in an era where players with Johnson’s profile usually spend no more than two years in college. Johnson brings strong measurables, standing 6-foot-10½ with a 38-inch vertical leap at the NBA draft combine in Chicago earlier this month. On a loaded North Carolina team that went to the NCAA title game, Johnson was far and away the leading scorer (17.0), rebounder (10.4) and shot blocker (1.5).

SCOUTS WONDER: He weighs just 209 pounds after four years in a high-level college program where you’d expect a sophisticated strength and training regimen. Can he hold up against much bulkier NBA big men? Johnson has a non-existent 3-point shot – he took zero in 1,121 minutes as a Tar Heels senior or in 148 games for his college career, for that matter. He’s unlikely to ever develop stretch-four qualities. In individual workouts in the weeks leading to the NBA draft, teams are going to want to gauge Johnson’s potential to develop a reasonable face-up and mid-range game.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 23 – the number of double-doubles Johnson recorded in 40 games as a Carolina senior, including 39 points and 23 rebounds in a win at Florida State and 29 and 19 against Duke. In those games, Johnson made 27 of 33 shots. There were plenty of other big games, too, and it bears asking if a player can be that productive at the highest levels of college basketball why his draft stock seems to top out at late first round.

MONEY QUOTE: “I love him. I know the knock is he disappears and he’s not the toughest at times. But he’s a freak athlete. He can shoot the jump hook. As athletic a 6-10 as I’ve seen in a long time. I think he’s got a chance just because of his athleticism alone. I think he can make elbow jumpers, go out to 17-18 feet. Decent touch. That’ll expand as he gets older.” – Anonymous opposing college coach as told to David Aldridge for NBA.com

PISTONS FIT: The Pistons could use another rangy, athletic big man in their frontcourt, especially one who could offer rim protection. The way the NBA is headed, Johnson’s lack of strength isn’t going to put him at a disadvantage nearly as much as it would have in previous eras. He could even play center in small-ball lineups. If he develops that 17-foot jump shot as an opposing college coach suggests, he could even line up alongside Andre Drummond at power forward in what would give the Pistons a superbly athletic frontcourt.

BOTTOM LINE: It’s not necessarily easy to judge Johnson, despite the 148 college games. How much more room for growth does he have? He’ll be good in transition and has all the tools to develop into an excellent dive man in pick-and-roll situations, which should at least make Johnson a good energy guy off the bench. But teams are hoping for a little more than that with the 18th pick. Figuring out what Johnson can do if his frame doesn’t allow him to gain substantial strength will be the mission of teams as they assess his future.

Second-Round Candidate: Caris LeVert

Caris LeVert

ID CARD: 6-foot-7 shooting guard, Michigan senior, 21 years old

DRAFT RANGE: Ranked 46th by DraftExpress.com; 42nd by ESPN.com; eighth among shooting guards by NBA.com

SCOUTS LOVE: There’s a lot to like about LeVert’s game and potential on the offensive end for his scoring versatility, ballhandling, vision and athleticsm. He was a late bloomer out of high school who was 17 when he arrived in Ann Arbor as a painfully skinny kid. As productive as he was when healthy at Michigan, there’s the sense that there’s more to come for LeVert.

SCOUTS WONDER: Health, health, health. Those are the top three concerns about LeVert, who has had three surgeries on his foot. The most recent had him in a walking boot and on crutches at the NBA draft combine in May. Foot injuries are worrisome to NBA teams because they often recur, most famously prematurely ending the career of Yao Ming as he was on the verge of dominance.

NUMBER TO NOTE: .416 – that’s LeVert’s 3-point shooting percentage for his final three seasons at Michigan. There aren’t a lot of players with LeVert’s size, ballhandling and perimeter versatility who also are elite 3-point shooters. That’s a major reason why LeVert was considered a potential lottery pick going into his senior season even despite the foot injury that cut short his junior year in Ann Arbor.

MONEY QUOTE: “If [team medical personnel] sign off and don’t think he’s a big risk, he has a lot of talent. He’s got size, can handle the ball, can create a shot for himself. He can become a little better distributing, but he’s got a real good feel for what to do with the ball. Reminds me of Alec Burks or, at times, Jamal Crawford. Those guys, when you get bogged up offensively, you can just give them the ball and they can create something for you.” – Anonymous Eastern Conference executive as told to David Aldridge of NBA.com

PISTONS FIT: LeVert’s injury was the same one that cost Jodie Meeks all but three games last season – a Jones fracture, which affects the fifth metatarsal, and is notoriously slow to heal. Their surgeries were performed by New York-based surgeon Dr. Martin O’Malley, who also operated on Kevin Durant. Besides the experience with Meeks, the Pistons might be further inclined to stay away from LeVert simply because of their roster situation with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Bullock and last year’s second-round pick, Darrun Hilliard, in addition to Meeks all at his position.

BOTTOM LINE: For all of the injury and roster concerns, could the Pistons afford to bypass a potential difference maker like LeVert if he’s still available with the 49th pick? Then again, if LeVert is still there at 49, it surely says that many teams were sufficiently concerned by the future of LeVert’s left foot to bypass him at a spot in the draft where there are no sure things.