NBA draft: Kaminsky, Turner battle at Pistons workout

Frank Kaminsky and Myles Turner are both borderline top-10 prospects for Thursday night's NBA draft.

They are both frontcourt prospects, competing with each other for draft position.

So it wasn't surprising that Kaminsky and Turner went against each other today during the Detroit Pistons' final predraft workout group. They also worked out against each other for the Indiana Pacers.

The Pistons are probably out of the market for a big man at No. 8 after the acquisition of Ersan Ilyasova. But these workouts are scheduled weeks in advance, and front office personnel can get a feel for guys who will eventually become free agents and trade targets a few years down the line.

Fans are familiar with Kaminsky, the sweet-shooting power forward who led Wisconsin to the NCAA title game. He said Turner, a center from Texas, provides stiff competition.

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"Both times with him the workouts have been very, very competitive," Kaminsky said. "That's just the kind of player we both are. We want to compete at the highest level and get the best of our opponent and that's the way it's always been. … Obviously there are projections and things and we're supposed to go in a similar place, but at the end of the day we're just working out and trying to find a good fit for us and any team that wants us."

Said Turner: "It's not just him, it's everybody — second-round guys, first-round guys, lottery guys. Everybody comes out here to compete. It's not just Kaminsky that I'm competing against for a spot, it's everybody in this draft. Kaminsky is a great player, college player of the year, he's very crafty, he's a good shooter. We do similar things"

■ Notables: French center Mouhammadou Jaiteh, a 6-foot-11, 249-pound prospect, also worked out for the Pistons and is distinct possibility for their second-round pick (38th overall). Jaiteh, 20, said he definitely wants to play in the NBA next season and doesn't plan on agreeing to remain overseas for another year. ...

Kentucky power forward Trey Lyles and center Willie Cauley-Stein didn't make it to Auburn Hills for a workout.