Sports
NBA Draft 2020: Date, Selection Order, Lottery Predictions and Top Prospects
Michael Hickey/Getty ImagesThe 2020 NBA draft is full of intrigue. There’s the normal intrigue that most drafts have. Who’s going to go No. 1? Which team will win the lottery? How will the New York Knicks mess things up?Then there’s the intrigue around the actual event this season. With the NBA still on pause due to…
Michael Hickey/Getty Images
The 2020 NBA draft is full of intrigue.
There's the normal intrigue that most drafts have. Who's going to go No. 1? Which team will win the lottery? How will the New York Knicks mess things up?
Then there's the intrigue around the actual event this season. With the NBA still on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, it's unclear how everything will affect the draft in terms of the schedule, lottery and the when and where it will be conducted.
For now, let's just focus on what we know. The draft is still scheduled to go on as planned, and with the college basketball season and leagues abroad all shut down, the prospects are done using basketball to move up the draft boards.
Here's the vital information concerning the draft as it stands including the first-round order, predictions for each lottery selection and the top prospects.
Date: June 25 (teams are pushing for the event to be moved back to no earlier than August 1, per Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony of ESPN)
Lottery Predictions and Current Order
1. Golden State Warriors: Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: Deni Avdija, SF/PF, Maccabi Tel Aviv
3. Minnesota Timberwolves: LaMelo Ball, PG/SG, Illawarra Hawks
4. Atlanta Hawks: Obi Toppin, PF/C, Dayton
5. Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes, PG, Ratiopharm Ulm
6. New York Knicks: Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina
7. Chicago Bulls: James Wiseman, C, Memphis
8. Charlotte Hornets: Onyeka Okongwu, PF/C, USC
9. Washington Wizards: Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Iowa State
10. Phoenix Suns: Isaac Okoro, SF/PF, Auburn
11. San Antonio Spurs: RJ Hampton, SG, New Zealand Breakers
12. Sacramento Kings: Precious Achiuwa, PF/C, Memphis
13. New Orleans Pelicans: Tyrese Maxey, SG, Kentucky
14. Portland Trail Blazers: Jaden McDaniels, SF/PF, Washington
15. Orlando Magic
16. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Brooklyn Nets)
17. Boston Celtics (via Memphis Grizzlies)
18. Dallas Mavericks
19. Milwaukee Bucks (via Indiana Pacers)
20. Brooklyn Nets (via Philadelphia 76ers)
21. Denver Nuggets (via Houston Rockets)
22. Philadelphia 76ers (via Oklahoma City Thunder)
23. Miami Heat
24. Utah Jazz
25. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Denver Nuggets)
26. Boston Celtics
27. New York Knicks (via Los Angeles Clippers)
28. Toronto Raptors
29. Los Angeles Lakers
30. Boston Celtics (via Milwaukee Bucks)
Top Prospects
Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia
Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
This draft is short on consensus superstar prospects, but it would seem that teams can't go wrong with Edwards. There's a lot to like about the 2-guard out of Georgia.
Edwards was third in the SEC in scoring as a freshman this season at 19.1 points per game. At 6'5″, 225 pounds with a 6'9″ wingspan, he has an NBA-ready body for his position. He is adept at getting to the rim and is expected to develop into an all-around scorer at the next level.
The freshman shooting percentages don't look great. He shot 40 percent from the floor and 29 percent from three. However, he didn't have a lot of talent on the perimeter at Georgia. The Bulldogs didn't have another guard who averaged double-digits on the roster.
That could also explain his low assist rate (2.8 per game), as he has shown flashes of being a strong passer.
Bleacher Report's lead NBA draft writer Jonathan Wasserman sees a lot of Zach LaVine in Edwards' game:
“LaVine's and Edwards' scoring attacks are fueled by perimeter shot-creation and shot-making. Both love their three-balls and pull-ups. Their shot selections are similar. And when they're locked in, LaVine and Edwards share the ability to catch fire and drill jumpers in bunches.”
In a draft devoid of stars, someone with Edwards' scoring ability makes a strong case for the No. 1 pick. His physical gifts and production in college showcase a talent that can be transferred to the NBA.
LaMelo Ball, PG, Illawarra Hawks
Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images
LaMelo Ball took the alternate route to the NBA and played professionally in Australia as he prepared to make the leap. While big brother Lonzo took the traditional path and wound up going to the Lakers with the second selection in 2017, LaMelo may find the same (or better) result in 2020.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has Ball as the No. 1 overall prospect on his big board. He projects Ball as one of the top passers in the league upon his arrival:
“His wiggle with ball in hand is elite. He can change pace and direction at a high level, and he collapses defenses with ease. And once he does that, he's also elite at making plays for others. Ball is a good enough passer that it's my opinion he'll enter the league as one of the 10 or so best passers and playmakers for others from Day One.”
Older brother Lonzo was heralded for his passing coming out of UCLA. He has averaged 6.6 assists per game in his three seasons with the Lakers and Pelicans. While Vecenie says he doesn't see a lot of the little brother's game in the older Ball's game, it's hard to ignore the similarities.
ESPN's big board ranks Ball as the No. 2 overall prospect. His play-making abilities could make him a “franchise point guard,” but his disinterest on the defensive end of the floor and a lack of strength for the 6'7″ 190-pound guard are also noted.
Ball is a unique prospect, and much like Lonzo, his shooting mechanics are non-traditional to put it kindly. Whether that matters to teams in a class that has few players with star potential will be one of the major storylines of the event.
Obi Toppin, PF/C, Dayton
Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Obi Toppin figures to be one of the more polarizing prospects available. Coming out of Dayton, the stretch-forward was one of college basketball's emergent stars this season as the Flyers were headed toward a top-seed before March Madness was canceled.
Toppin was highly productive, averaging 20 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. But more importantly, he checks a lot of the boxes teams are looking for in a big. He's strong enough to get to the rim having led the nation in dunks this season.
He wasn't just dominant around the rim, though. According to Tankathon, 21 percent of his shots came from three-point range, where he hit 39 percent which showcases his ability to knock down shots from three and stretch the floor with somewhat regularity.
The questions for him are on the defensive end, where the 6'9″ 220-pound big isn't exactly a stalwart.
“Lacks a degree of versatility and upside on the defensive end. Upright mover with choppy strides. Struggles to sit down and slide with perimeter forwards,” Mike Schmitz of ESPN noted in his scouting report on Toppin. “Doesn't change direction all that well. Discipline comes and goes as a pick-and-roll defender. Has issues with more physical bigs given his light base.”
While Toppin is expected to be a top-10 pick, age is also a concern. As Wasserman noted, the track record for lottery picks who are already 22 isn't great:
Jonathan Wasserman @NBADraftWass
Obi Toppin turned 22 last month. List of most recent lotto picks (since 2007) who turned 22 before their draft:
Cam Johnson, Dunn, Hield, Taurean Prince, Valentine, Kaminsky, McDermott, Olynyk, Jimmer, Wesley Johnson, Udoh, Thabeet, Hansbrough, Rush, Noah, Law, Thornton
In a draft of relatively risky prospects, Toppin seems like the safe pick. At the very least, he should be able to give minutes as a rim-running big with the ability to space the floor. At best, he either becomes a rim protector, or his defensive IQ and athleticism allow him to switch better on the perimeter to become a legitimate building block for a franchise.
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