The 2020 NBA draft class has repeatedly been referred to by analysts and league observers in recent months as subpar. However, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer doesn’t think that’s quite right.
As O’Connor explains, the 2020 NBA draft may not have the star power that some past drafts have — there’s no consensus future superstar like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, or Zion Williamson among this year’s top prospects. However, O’Connor believes it’s a deep class that features “a plethora of potential high-end role players who could develop into the missing ingredient of a championship team’s recipe.”
In O’Connor’s view, teams picking in the lottery this year will have to weigh certain players’ possible star upside with other prospects’ solid, high-floor skill sets. For instance, big man James Wiseman is at or near the top of most draft boards, but O’Connor has players like Tyrese Haliburton and Devin Vassell ranked higher than Wiseman on his own board, viewing them as safe picks capable of improving a team as complementary pieces. Positional value could also be weighed more heavily in 2020 than it typically is, O’Connor adds.
Here’s more on the 2020 draft:
- Following Sunday’s early entry deadline, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has again updated his mock draft, running a lottery simulation to set the order. Vecenie’s latest mock has Anthony Edwards going first overall to the Pistons, followed by James Wiseman to the Hornets, LaMelo Ball to the Bulls, Onyeka Okongwu to the Timberwolves, and Obi Toppin to the Warriors.
- Jeff Goodman of Stadium spoke to a handful of NBA executives to get a sense of which of this year’s 163 college early entrants should go pro and which ones ought to return to school.
- While 163 college prospects are either testing the draft waters or going pro, there are a number of notable underclassmen who decided to pass on the draft and will play at least one more year in the NCAA. Jeremy Woo of SI.com highlights 10 of those players worth keeping an eye on going forward, including UConn’s James Bouknight, Florida’s Keyontae Johnson, and Villanova’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.