With the ninth pick in the FanSided NBA Mock Draft, Life On Dumars (representing the Detroit Pistons), has selected Arnett Moultrie of Mississippi State University.

Team Name (site name): Life On Dumars

Player name: Arnett Moultrie

Position: PF/C

Height: 6’ 11”

Weight: 249 lbs

School: Mississippi State University

Short summary of the player and his stats from college:

Moultrie played his freshman and sophomore years at UTEP, but transferred to Mississippi State as a junior and sat out a year due to NCAA transfer rules. After averaging 9.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as a Miner, he exceeded both of those numbers in his first and only season as a Bulldog, averaging 16.4 points and 10.5 rebounds. He earned recognition in all three of his collegiate seasons – Conference USA All-Freshman Team (2008-09), Conference USA all-tournament team (2009-10), and All-SEC men’s basketball team (2011-12).

Why the decision was made to select this player:

With the widely expected pick (John Henson) and the hyper-athletic potential pick (Andre Drummond) gone before the team picked, Detroit goes with the player who they feel has the highest ceiling at the PF/C spot. With the ability to play both positions, head coach Lawrence Frank will be able to mix and match lineups with Greg Monroe, Moultrie, Jonas Jerebko, Vernon Macklin, and Jason Maxiell (who recently exercised his team option for 2012-13).

How he will fit in with the team:

As mentioned above, he will allow a great amount of flexibility with the Pistons frontcourt. They can have Monroe bang down low and Moultrie play off the dribble. He can drive to the hole, use his athleticism to slam down put-back attempts, and has a decent jumpshot. His ability to play above the rim is his biggest contribution to this team, as they severely lacked players with that type of skill set last season. The major improvement he could make would be his back to basket game, but that’s something that can be learned through repetition.

Best case and worst case scenarios for this player:

Best Case: Jermaine O’Neal

Worst Case: Jason Thompson

The 20-year old big man has a massive frame for someone so young – 7’1” and 250 pounds – and that size is exactly what the Pistons have lacked for several years now. He could be the true center that the team has needed; they’ve been swapping power forwards in at the five spot for awhile now.

As with every draft prospect, there are going to be pros and cons to selecting one of the many young men who leave school for the NBA.

Leonard’s biggest pro is his size, obviously. He could immediately join with Greg Monroe to form a long, athletic frontcourt – again, something that Detroit hasn’t had in some time. I hate to sound like a broken record with that, but as someone who has watched countless Piston drafts go by without a significant big man selection, it’s encouraging to know that the team will work Leonard out.

The length that Leonard would bring immediate dividends on the defensive end, as the former Fighting Illini big man averaged 1.9 blocks a game last season, up from just 0.4 in his freshman year. He also grabbed 8.2 rebounds a game last season – an increase of seven rebounds from his first year in Champaign.

For someone his size, Leonard also has an extremely good shooting touch. Field goal percentage is generally pretty high, considering their proximity to the basket, but free throws always seem to be their undoing. Not so for Meyers – he has a career average of 72% from the stripe.

In terms of true shooting percentage (every shot taken, not just field goals), Leonard was eighth in the Big Ten last season at 61.8%. His ability to shoot should prove helpful on any pick-and-roll situations that come up once he’s drafted.

That combination of physical gifts and basketball skills aren’t common in most 20 year olds, let alone some older players. His ability to shoot so well likely comes from his past, as he entered high school as a guard, but experienced a six inch growth spurt.

As I said above, every player has their flaws. Leonard is no exception, as he has been described as a raw talent and someone that could use motivation at times. His youth definitely plays a role in that, as he will seemingly forget that he’s over 7′ tall, and fade away from the basket.

Weight is also something that could be improved upon by Leonard. Despite being 250 pounds, he could stand to add muscle, or else he’ll get pushed around in the NBA. That’s something that is definitely achievable, especially with all the resources available to pro basketball players.

Leonard will be able to show Joe Dumars and company exactly what he can do in an upcoming draft workout scheduled for next Monday, July 25. The workout – featuring Henson, Jones, Sullinger, Zeller, and Terrence Jones – could ultimately decide the fate of whoever the Pistons do or don’t pick just three days later.

ESPN analyst Chad Ford had this to say about Leonard:

At this point in the draft, Leonard is risky but could have huge upside. (He’s) a work in progress, but has the size and athletic ability to be a dominant big man down the road.

Will the Pistons be willing to take the risk and select Leonard at nine? Do you think they can afford to wait and develop him alongside Greg Monroe?