LeBron James is the acknowledged No.1 draft choice, but a kid who turned 18 Friday, six days before the NBA draft, might turn out to be every bit as valuable.

The Detroit Pistons, with the second selection in Thursday's draft, will take Darko Milicic, a 7-footer from Serbia and Montenegro with much potential.

Coach Larry Brown is expected to ease Milicic into a front line that already includes two-time NBA defensive player of the year Ben Wallace and playoff standout Tayshaun Prince. Given time to mesh, that unit could make the Pistons Eastern Conference championship contenders by next spring.

"Technically, he is ready for play in the NBA. Mentally? Well, he should prove himself. He is very competitive," said Antonio Rodriguez in an e-mail interview. Rodriguez writes for ACB.com, a website that covers Spanish and European basketball.

"This year, Milicic showed tremendous growth," Rodriguez said. "Last year, when I saw him for the first time, he was a youngster with a youngster's body. He was a 7-footer with tremendous speed and coordination who handles the ball well, can shoot from the outside and can drive inside. This season the change is that his game is even more complete, he rebounds better and he takes advantage of the low post much more."