2020 NBA Mock Draft: Predicting Round 1 of the NBA Draft (V.2)

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After going fourth overall in our first mock of the year, the lottery shakes out a little bit better for Edwards this time around. The Wolves totally remade their team this past winter to try and add as much shooting as possible with guys like Malik Beasley and D’Angelo Russell. While Edwards likely won’t come in as a knockdown shooter from the outside, he should be able to create an impact right away by getting to the rim at a high frequency. 

Edwards has an NBA-ready body right now and the strength and quickness to go with it. His shooting needs to improve, but the root of that problem may very well be his shot selection – he shot 29.4% from beyond the arc, but roughly 49% of his attempts were threes. With Russell around, the Wolves don’t need a lead guard, but Edwards would fill in rather nicely as a secondary creator. He has a strong enough handle for that type of role in the NBA.

With the hope to play a five-out style in Minnesota, Edwards should have plenty of driving lanes to the rim to wreak havoc. On the defensive end of the floor, he has all the tools to become a plus defender in the NBA, but he hasn’t put everything together yet. Edwards and Jarrett Culver could be a strong tandem on the wing defensively for years to come if he does. 

Ball slides to the second pick in this mock, but the Pistons are certainly happy about it. It finally looks like Detroit is going to enter a rebuild and Ball is a strong piece to add to that mix. While they still employ Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose, it’s hard to envision Detroit getting back to winning playoff games anytime soon. They’ve been swept in the first round in each of the last three playoff appearances and the last postseason win was in 2008, so what’s a little more waiting? 

Ball has great size for a guard at 6-foot-7 and a wingspan reported at 6-foot-10, which should lead to him being a good defender in the NBA when he puts things together. The issue with his defense last year professionally with the Illawarra Hawks was his attentiveness at times. Ball is the best passer in this draft, and it’s not really close. There isn’t a pass that he can’t make on the court, but the downside to that is there isn’t a pass he won’t try, either. His decision making is something that needs to improve as he matures. As far as scoring goes, he’s a better finisher than his brother, Lonzo, but his jumper is in pretty rough shape right now. He shot just 25% from deep this season as a pro in Australia. 

Vassell is admittedly not the best player on the board at this spot. But, with Atlanta drafting for need last year with De’Andre Hunter and trading for Clint Capela to pair with John Collins in the frontcourt this winter, it’s tough to envision the Hawks going with a center at this spot, even with James Wiseman on the board. 

Vassell will look to provide more defense on the wing. If the Hawks are going to build a contender around Trae Young, the defensive end of the floor is going to have to improve drastically, and he might be the best fit to help that happen. Offensively, Vassell wasn’t a super high-volume guy at Florida State, but he was efficient from the outside, knocking down 41% of his threes in both of his college seasons. While the jury is still out on Hunter, Vassell gives Atlanta more depth on the wing while having a pretty high upside as an elite role player. 

While Vassell wasn’t the best player left on the board at No. 3, Wiseman certainly is at No. 4. It’s hard to tell what direction the Bulls might lean right now. For the first time in forever there’s someone different running the front office with the hiring of Arturas Karnisovas as the GarPax regime finally had its plug pulled. Zach LaVine and Coby White should still be part of the future in Chicago, but the biggest question seems to be in the frontcourt. It’s certainly too early to tell on Wendell Carter Jr. – although being hurt as often as he has hasn’t helped his case – and Lauri Markkanen hasn’t taken the leap forward that he was supposed to by now.

Wiseman brings plenty of star potential to Chicago with this pick. It’s tough to evaluate his tape at Memphis due to the fact that he played in just three games before his season was shut down to focus on the NBA Draft (partly thanks to the NCAA). He’s got great size at 7-foot-1 and a 7-foot-6 wingspan to fit in right away in the NBA. He should be able to add muscle to his frame, if needed. For his size he’s freakishly athletic and runs the floor really well. In his three collegiate games he averaged a double-double and should project as a strong rebounder at the NBA level. The competition wasn’t high, but he did connect on over 70% of his shot attempts as well. 

The Warriors aren’t exactly overwhelmed with needs, at least not in the way most lottery teams typically are. They have the nucleus of a championship contender that should all be returning in full health for the 2020-21 season. The Warriors also have Andrew Wiggins, which might not be the best thing as a Harrison Barnes/Kevin Durant replacement, but it’s what they have. Essentially, they don’t need a star to win this draft, they need a high-level role player in the front court that can contribute right away. 

Enter Toppin. At the University of Dayton, Toppin was the main piece of a team that was headed to a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament and had its eyes set on a Final Four. While he carried a big load for that squad, his game shows that he’ll be more than okay not doing that in the NBA. Offensively he makes good, quick decisions with the ball in his hands, can shoot at an adequate clip, and is freakishly athletic both on the wing and near the hoop. The defensive end of the floor is where he might struggle in the NBA, but given a dedication to that end of the floor and his athleticism, he should be able to work his way into a league-average defender at some point. 

Whether you think the Cavaliers have their backcourt of the future in Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Kevin Porter Jr. or not, they have depth at that position that they seem intent to build around. The Cavs also have quite a bit of depth in the frontcourt with Kevin Love, Andre Drummond (he has a player option, but it’s hard to see him declining), and Larry Nance Jr. Point being, this Cleveland team has a pretty big need on the wing. 

Avdija isn’t Luka Doncic-level talented, but he’s pretty good already. He’s going to be a strong passer in the NBA, and despite not being the most athletic guy around, he does little things correctly to help put himself in the best position to be successful. His passing is a plus – which is something badly needed in Cleveland – and he should be an average defender thanks to his IQ and his size right away. That could improve if he can improve his quickness while in the NBA. His shot isn’t where it needs to be, but if that improves, he could find himself as more than just a role player down the line. 

The Knicks are always looking for a star. There’s definitely things to like about RJ Barrett after his first year in the NBA. While it’s still unclear if he’ll develop into an All-Star level player, there’s little doubt he should be at least serviceable for the Knicks. Mitchell Robinson is another guy that looks like a building block for the future, too. After that, things get really murky for the Knicks. 

If Barrett is going to be as successful as possible, he’ll need a strong pairing in the backcourt. Hayes could be that guy. When watching his tape, he looks like he could be a mirror image of D’Angelo Russell, and has a lefty step-back that looks like a super-light version of James Harden’s. Hayes can operate in the pick-and-roll really well both as a scorer and passer. He is left-hand dominant to a point where it’s something he needs to improve on to be successful in the NBA. 

The Hornets may have found a diamond in the rough with Devonte’ Graham this year, and PJ Washington looks like he should be a contributor for a while in the NBA. Terry Rozier was decent in his first year in Charlotte even though the Hornets may have overpaid for him a bit, and he only has two years left on that three-year deal. 

Haliburton could be the point guard of the future for the Hornets. The biggest gripe with Haliburton is that his shooting form looks pretty wonky, but as he said on ESPN’s The Jump last week, the only thing that matters is that it goes in, and he’s got the shooting numbers to back it up. This year at Iowa State he averaged 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game on 50.4/41.9/82.2 shooting splits. Odd form and all, that’s pretty impressive. His 7-foot wingspan is something that could help him be a plus-defender in the NBA, or at least help to make up for the fact that he won’t be one of the better athletes in the league. While Ball might be the best passer in this draft, it’s not a crazy thought that Haliburton might be the next best guy in that area. 

So much of what the Wizards become in the next couple of years is going to depend on the health and performance of John Wall. He hasn’t played since the end of 2018 thanks to an Achilles tear and was scheduled to miss this entire season, even before the COVID-19 pandemic started. Bradley Beal did sign an extension prior to this season, but it’s plausible to think that his happiness could partly hinge on Wall returning something close to All-Star form. If that happens, the Wizards could find themselves back in the playoff picture sooner than later, if it doesn’t, it will be sometime. 

With the Wizards also drafting a wing last year in Rui Hachimura, it might make sense for them to go with a big in this draft. Okongwu should be a plus defender for the Wizards, which is something so very badly needed. He won’t likely ever be a focal point on the offensive end of the floor, but if everything goes well for the Wizards, he won’t need to be. 

The Suns took a step forward this season but are still far from where many have expected them to be with Devin Booker leading the way. The additions of Aron Baynes and Ricky Rubio certainly aren’t ones that put them over the top, but they are competent basketball players, and the Suns have lacked that around Booker prior to this season. 

As far as Okoro goes, he is one of the best defenders in this draft and could help bring Phoenix along on that end of the floor. He’s not a great shooter by any stretch of the imagination, but he can attack the basket and finish in traffic. 

Okay, don’t lie, seeing the San Antonio Spurs in the lottery is a bit jarring and anyone that says otherwise is a liar. The Spurs are missing the playoffs for the first time in what feels like the entire history of the NBA. Last time they missed the playoffs, Tim Duncan was the result of it, but the Spurs aren’t getting that type of player here. 

That said, Williams is a wing that could turn into a pretty solid piece for the Spurs if he develops as well in that organization as many of their other draft picks. He’ll need to improve as a shooter and becoming more versatile defensively, but he is already a good finisher at the rim and makes good, quick decisions, which is a must when playing in San Antonio. 

The Kings have some nice pieces locked up for a long time in De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield and have Bojan Bogdanovic in the backcourt as well. After a surprisingly strong season in 2018-19, the Kings took a bit of a step back in 2019-20, in part due to a slow start.

The Kings still do have a need for depth on the wing and Aaron Nesmith would be the perfect pairing with Hield. Nesmith has an awesome jumper and shot over 50% from deep this past season at Vanderbilt. He won’t need the ball in his hands to be successful, and that won’t be necessary on a Kings squad that already has Fox and others for that duty. His role can essentially be ‘knock down threes and play defense’, and he can excel at that. 

The Pelicans have lots of young talent that they’ll be able to build their future around. Zion Williamson looks like he’s going to be an elite-level guy for a long time, Brandon Ingram made his first All-Star team, and even Lonzo Ball wasn’t bad this season. It might be difficult to find a starting-caliber player at the 13th pick in this draft, but in the same token the Pelicans may not need one for a while. Last year’s 17th overall pick, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, didn’t impress this season in any regard. While that doesn’t mean he won’t develop into something worthwhile at some point, he can’t be counted on to either. 

Grabbing a guard like Terry who can play a bench role early in his career could be huge. He’s got a stroke that should translate to the NBA without question after he shot 40% from deep on nearly five attempts per game at Stanford this past season. His size will limit him defensively in the NBA and might hamper him around the rim in a way that it didn’t in college, but he’s quick enough that he’ll be able to find space to shoot at the next level.  

This year didn’t go as planned in Portland. After last year’s run to the Western Conference Finals, a roster reshuffle, and a myriad of injuries this year the Blazers found themselves on the outside looking in at the playoffs when the season was suspended. They’ve got Damian Lillard locked up forever and CJ McCollum isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, either. If Portland adds in the backcourt, it would be a bench piece. While that’s possible, a wing might make more sense. 

Bey would come in and fill a Trevor Ariza type of roll for the Blazers. He has the size and athleticism to be switchable across four positions and won’t need the ball in his hands constantly to be a productive offensive player. He shot over 41% on over 300 3-point attempts at Villanova, even though his form could use some work. 

The Magic have somewhat successfully revamped Markelle Fultz through his first year with the team, but their identity is still one of a defensive team. There might be questions as to whether or not Aaron Gordon will be there for the long haul, but Jonathan Isaac seems to be a really strong piece for them now and in the future. 

Adding Maxey would be a perfect fit here for the Magic. He’s a good defensive guard that should be able to improve his shot (struggled with jumpers but was an 83% free throw shooter). That upside on the offensive end of the floor could help to make this pick look like a steal, but if nothing else, it stands to reason that Maxey will be a strong defender during his time in the league. 

Congratulations to the Wolves, as not only are they the team that won the lottery this time around, but they’re also the first team to make their second selection of the draft at this spot. They got this pick as part of the four-team trade that saw Robert Covington sent to Houston. With Covington gone, that spot needs to be filled by a guy that can be both a competent, low-usage shooter, and at least an above-average defender. 

Green has the potential to fill that role, and while he won’t be Covington on day one, it stands to reason that he could grow into that type of player at some point. He won’t be the type of player that can get much done off the dribble, but he’s got a fine outside shot and the size and athleticism to be a good, switchable defender. 

The Celtics were hoping, once upon a time, that this pick would be one of the best in the draft. After it was protected from Memphis last year – and ultimately turned into Ja Morant – it rolled over this year and was protected top-6. If it didn’t convey this year, it was set to be unprotected next year. Unfortunately for Boston, this is all they’re getting. The Celtics aren’t a team with many holes, although bench scoring certainly is one of them. 

Anthony should be able to excel in that role for the Celtics. The team he was on at North Carolina this past season certainly wasn’t one of Roy Williams’ best and that meant Anthony had to do the bulk of the work during his time there. He’s an instant offense creator despite being undersized and should benefit from expanded space on the NBA floor and more talent around him. Plus, there wouldn’t be a better fit in the NBA for him than to be mentored by Kemba Walker.

At this point, everything Dallas is does should be with the thought of surrounding Luka Doncic with as much talent as possible. It could make sense for this pick to be dealt as part of a trade for another high-end piece, but as long as Giannis Antetokounmpo is slated to hit free agency in the summer of 2021, Dallas will probably look to keep a max slot open that summer. 

Lewis Jr. would be a good counter to Doncic on the floor. He’s got a solid jumper that could help open up the floor for the MVP candidate, but he also has the speed in the open court that Doncic doesn’t possess. Their styles certainly wouldn’t be the same, and this could bring a very nice change of pace for the Mavericks at times. 

The Bucks are in the position where everything they do has to have two questions in mind. 1. How does this help us win a title right now? 2. How does this help us keep Giannis Antetokounmpo as a member of our franchise? Those questions are obviously intertwined, if the correct answers for No. 1 are found, No. 2 will almost certainly follow. 

Woodard fits in with Milwaukee’s system offensively of only shooting 3-pointers (shot just under 43% from deep) and layups and should be a help defensively to an already really strong team on that end of the floor. He’s got the height (6-foot-7) and wingspan (7-foot-1) to be a good, if not great defender in the NBA.

The Nets are likely going to want a third star to pair with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and it would make sense for the package to acquire that star to begin with Caris LeVert, this pick certainly would have to be part of the deal, too. With that said, a team that has two ball-dominant isolation assassins can always use help on the perimeter with more shooting. 

McDaniels shot just a shade under 34% from deep at Washington  but should be able to improve upon that number with less of a burden on him offensively and continued work. He can put the ball on the floor if he needs to as well. As far as things go on the defensive end of the floor, he needs to add weight as soon as possible, but he has the frame (6-foot-9, 200 pounds) to do so. 

Denver has a team with almost all the pieces necessary to be a contender. Whether or not they have the star-power to compete at that level is a different discussion not meant for this post. The Nuggets are going to have a difficult time getting this draft pick significant time on the floor early in his career. 

Bolmaro is coming to the NBA as a 19-year-old that might not even be ready to be an NBA contributor anyways. He’s a very good passer right now and that is his best skill, but it seems like some of the other skills have to catch up to that in order for him to be effective on the NBA floor. 

Note: OKC retains this pick if they draft higher than 21st

The Sixers are one of the most interesting teams of this offseason. There’s a number of different directions they could go, including trading one of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. While this pick is going to have no bearing on what happens there, we’re going to make it with the assumption that the pairing of Simmons and Embiid stays together. 

The Sixers have been a team that is too light on shooting right now and doesn’t have enough depth, either. The addition of Hampton won’t do a ton by way of helping the shooting immediately, but it certainly would help the depth of the team. It’s a pretty far slide for Hampton down the first round, meaning this could be a steal for Philly. He has relatively high upside and does have a ton of athleticism. While playing in the NBL this past year he averaged less than 20 minutes per game, making it sort of difficult to gauge just how good he can be. 

Just like with the Nets, this pick could ultimately be part of a move that grabs a third star for Miami. With Jimmy Butler and the emergence of Bam Adebayo, the Heat have become a really strong team in the East, although they’re not truly a championship contender quite yet. But if they do keep the pick, adding a guard here could be a strong play. Goran Dragic is a free agent this offseason and the team’s only other true point guard at the moment is Kendrick Nunn. 

Maledon could be a piece that the Heat sprinkle some of their magic culture dust on and turn into a real player. He can already come in and shoot the basketball at a solid clip having shot over 40% from deep for Lyon-Villeurbanne in the LNB Pro A league in 2018-19  and followed that up with a 36.7% mark for ASVEL in the EuroLeague this season. 

Things didn’t go as well as many (guilty!) expected them to this year for the Jazz. Mike Conley didn’t fit in seamlessly, there’s been a rift between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert after both of them contracted COVID-19. This was a team that was expected to make a deep playoff run in the West, and while that is still potentially possible, it just feels difficult to envision, especially after Bojan Bogdanovich had season-ending surgery on his right wrist. 

The Jazz take a flier on Mannion here in part because of his ability shooting the basketball and the hope he can one day help Mitchell have more room on the court and facilitate things offensively. He didn’t have the year shooting the basketball that many expected him to at Arizona, but there’s plenty of hope he’ll be better in the NBA. Mannion is a solid passer and decision-maker that should be able to handle the ball in the NBA without problem. 

The Thunder are going to be making tons of draft picks over the next several years, so get used to hearing them being on the clock. Between the draft picks and pick swaps acquired from the Paul George and Russell Westbrook trades, it feels like no other team will even be invited to the draft because the Thunder just have all the picks. 

Oklahoma City has seemingly had an infatuation lately with drafting athletic wings that struggle to shoot. While Bey, to his credit, did shoot nearly 42% from deep in his third and final season with Colorado, it was on only one attempt per game. He’s one of the better athletes still available to this point, but will have to adjust his game when he reaches the NBA. He was the Pac-12’s Defensive Player of the Year for this season, but he was mostly used as an interior player. If he can make the switch to a wing, he could be a steal. 

We’ve now entered the Boston Celtics portion of this draft, with them having two of the final five picks in the first round. This is the spot where Boston could take a gamble on a relatively high-upside big that isn’t quite ready for the bright lights yet. 

Oturu spent two years at Minnesota and nearly doubled his production as a sophomore. His points per game increased from 10.8 to 20.1, his rebounds grew from seven to 11.3, and his blocked shots from 1.3 per game to 2.5. He did that while also expanding his range to beyond the 3-point line, shooting 36.5% on 1.7 attempts per game after only shooting a total of two 3-pointers as a freshman. 

The Knicks need a lot of things, and that was already touched on above. They’re not in a position where they can pass on a talent because of a positional fit. With this pick, there was an internal debate of whether or not to select Devon Dotson despite already taking a guard at the top of this round and already having RJ Barrett. 

Smith is pretty raw coming out of Maryland. Standing at nearly 7-feet tall and possessing the ability to shoot from the outside, rebound, and block shots gives the Knicks something to work with. At this point in the draft for a (perennially) rebuilding team it’s about taking guys that have pretty high upside, and Smith fits that build. 

The Toronto Raptors have a history of having tremendous success developing their players. Last year, they won the title without a single lottery pick in the rotation and seemingly see all their players – no matter where they’re drafted, IF they’re even drafted – improve every year. This isn’t a team that has a bunch of needs, but a strong developmental system to help turn this pick into a rotation player at the very least. 

Dotson is one of the quicker guards in this draft despite being undersized. He needs to work on his shot from outside, but he did shoot free throws well at Kansas, giving hope that the outside shooting will be improved. Being undersized means that he’s going to be targeted defensively, but that’s nothing new for the Raptors with Lowry and soon-to-be-free-agent Fred VanVleet both being around Dotson’s size. If those two are both on the roster next season, this could be a perfect situation for Dotson to grow. 

The Lakers don’t need a ton of help. They’re a true championship contender right now and very well could end up moving this pick for more of a ‘win now’ player, as has often been done with LeBron James-led teams in the past (for good reason). 

Winston is about as close to a guy that can contribute in a small role on day one as can be found at this point in the draft. He doesn’t have a particularly high ceiling and is already 22 years old having spent four years at Michigan State. But his floor also looks to be pretty high as well too. He should be able to run the offense at a high enough level to stick in the NBA. The biggest question that he’ll be asked to answer in year one is whether or not he can play better consistently than a 34-year-old Rajon Rondo. 

Stewart plays pretty strong down low on both ends of the floor. Isn’t as versatile defensively as someone that you would like to play his role, but his energy could help to fix that. The effort to get better sure looks like it will be there with Stewart. He should be able to carve out a role off the bench because of that. The Celtics don’t need much more than that at this point, especially with the final pick in the first round and their third pick already.