Warriors on the clock: NBA Mock Draft 1.0

The 2020 NBA Draft may take place in isolation, with players showing off their draft fits over Zoom and the requisite Adam Silver handshake replaced by a virtual fist bump. But it’s going to happen sometime this year. And with top prospects Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman and Obi Toppin already declaring, it’s never too early to take a crack at predicting which prospects go where. For simplicity, we’re using the current standings as our guide.

While the Warriors will almost certainly try to deal this pick to get a player who can help them immediately, they could do worse than drafting Edwards. He’d give the aging Warriors an instant injection of athleticism, not to mention some prolific, if inefficient, scoring off the bench. Plus, they may be anticipating a post-ACL Klay Thompson shifting to small forward, leaving an opening at two-guard, not the NBA’s deepest position. If they do trade down, Obi Toppin seems like an excellent fit.

Avdija is the best international prospect in the draft, a smart offensive player and skilled passer who could play either forward position. His passing will open up Cleveland’s offense, and he moves so well without the ball that he complements the ball-dominant guards Colln Sexton and Darius Garland in the backcourt. They could go for Wiseman here, but Cleveland already has $72 million tied up with three centers (Andre Drummond, Larry Nance and Kevin Love), and it’s not a coincidence that GM Kobi Altman spent six days scouting Avdija earlier this year.

The Timberwolves went all-in on offense at the trade deadline, shipping out defensive standout Robert Covington and adding defensive sieve D’Angelo Russell. So why not take a chance on a generational playmaker in LaMelo Ball, whose height (6-foot-7) and court vision should make him a great complement to Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns. Ball hasn’t shown a commitment to playing defense, so he should fit right in! 

The Hawks want wings who can play defense alongside Trae Young, and Okoro is the most promising perimeter defender in this draft class. He’s only 19, but he does little things and makes winning plays like a veteran. The Hawks will hope that simply being around Young will help his erratic jumper, but Okoro will go a long way to fixing Atlanta’s leaky defense.

Wiseman is a polarizing prospect, a physical marvel at 7-foot-1 who runs well, but whose athletic attributes haven’t translated to on-court results yet. Due to eligibility issues, he played only three games in college this season, but he flashed the potential to be an outstanding defender and finisher on pick-and-rolls. Detroit traded Andre Drummond, so there’s a hole at center, but the talent-poor Pistons should take Wiseman simply because he has the best chance at stardom of anyone left. 

Killian Hayes may be the more intriguing prospect at point guard, but after the Frank Ntilikina selection, the Knicks are going to be hesitant to take a French point guard in the lottery. It doesn’t hurt that Anthony’s dad was also a Knicks point guard.

Maxey is a great playmaker from Kentucky who is one of the best players in this draft in terms of getting his own shot, and his floater game is beautiful. For the Bulls, it’s important that he’s a solid and committed defender, because they’ll need that alongside either Zach Lavine or Coby White in the backcourt. 

The question of what position Toppin plays in the NBA is secondary for a team like Charlotte, who just needs talent anywhere. Does he defend enough to play center? Does he shoot well enough to play the four? Toppin was the best player in college basketball this season, scoring at will near the basket (he led the nation in dunks), making shots from the perimeter, and passing well. And Michael Jordan loves good college players. 

A late-season surge answered questions about Hayes, who was already well-established as a quality ball handler and passer, and who won’t turn 19 until July. His outside shooting improved and he cut down on his turnovers, which were the biggest knocks on his game besides a slow first step. He should be able to contribute next year 

The biggest analytics darling of this draft is Haliburton, who put up ridiculous shooting efficiency numbers and impressive defensive numbers as well. Where he doesn’t look as good is the eye test, as he struggles to get to the basket and has a slow release on his jumper. That’s why he’s ideal next to a player like Devin Booker, who does get his own shot but tends to be less than committed on defense. Haliburton’s IQ and good height for the guard spot make him too tempting for Phoenix to pass up.

San Antonio would be thrilled if USC’s star freshman drops to them. He had an excellent first season, and has a ton of defensive potential. Okongwu put up 16.2 points,8.2 rebounds and almost three blocks a game, and he’s reportedly a hard worker, which will endear him to Coach Pop almost as much as if he had an impressive wine cellar.

The Kings are in an unusual position for them where their starting five is set, and they’re well-covered for big men. This puts them in a unique position to take a flyer on a prospect like Hampton, who played in New Zealand instead of in college last year. Hampton didn’t do much in an injury-shortened year, but he can play both guard spots, he’s an excellent ball handler, and he didn’t look in over his head playing in a pro league at 18.

When you’re looking for pieces to surround a talent like Zion Williamson, the words “three” and “D” come up all the time. That’s Vassell’s bread and butter, as he was an excellent catch-and-shoot player while winning an ACC title at Florida State, and he was even better in transition. For a team that runs as much as New Orleans, that’s perfect.

Despite having Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, the Blazers are always looking for more shooting on the wing. And with Rodney Hood out for a while and Carmelo Anthony unlikely to return, Nesmith is the best wing shooter available. He shot a scorching 52.2% from deep in his 14 games last season. Plus, he’s big and strong enough to contribute right away.

You can always count on Orlando GM John Hammond to take the tallest, rangiest athletes available, and that’s going to be the case this year with McDaniels. He’s a 6-foot-10, 200-pound guy who can do a little bit of everything – shoot, pass, handle the ball – just none of it particularly well yet. But if they get him in Orlando’s system and he starts to defend, there’s a lot of upside with McDaniels.

Achiuwa had an excellent freshman year at Memphis, where he played center in James Wiseman’s absence, which showed off what should be his primary pro position. He’s 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-2  wing span, and plays with an incredible motor on both ends, something that is not always the case with young players in Minnesota. Achiuwa represents frontcourt depth alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, and if his outside shot develops, he’s a very useful stretch big.

Theo Maledon is a 6-foot-5 point guard from France who isn’t going to overwhelm anyone with his athleticism. Instead, he’s going to carve out a spot in the league with his outside shooting and his unselfish ball distribution, perfect for a team like Boston where he’s not going to be a second or even third option anytime soon.

Dallas is building around Luka Doncic, a dynamic playmaker and distributor who isn’t quite as good on defense. So Bey, Villanova’s top defensive wing and a good shooter from three, fits in perfectly on the wing for the Mavericks.

The Bucks are an absolute powerhouse this season, but there’s always room for improvement, especially when it comes to shooting from their guards. Enter Ramsey, the long-armed combo guard who hit 42% of his three-pointers at Texas Tech. So far that’s his primary skill offensively, but it’s also the main thing he’d be asked to do next season, while he develops the rest of his game.

This pick may come down to whoever co-GMs Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant want to draft, but with the Nets set at point guard, they should go with the best wing available. That’s likely to be Patrick Williams of Florida State, a solid defender for an 18-year-old. He may not have star upside, but this Brooklyn team needs good role players, and Williams could become an excellent one.

It’s hard to anticipate what Denver’s frontcourt will look like when the dust settles from free agency, but no matter what happens with Jerami Grant and Paul Millsap, the Nuggets could use Jalen Smith. He showed a Myles Turner-esque skill set last year, blocking shots and making 36% of his threes. If he can continue to protect the rim in the NBA, he’s an intriguing long-term fit next to Nikola Jokic.

The younger brother of Tyus, Tre Jones shot quite well off the catch at Duke, including some extremely clutch shots. He’s a good playmaker and won Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the ACC. The knock on him is his ability to create for himself, but his spacing is much more crucial for the Sixers while he’s backing up or playing alongside Ben Simmons.

Though he didn’t finish the season well for Arizona, Mannion still has a lot of potential as a prospect, with a great deal of shot-making ability. One knock on him is a lack of strength, but that should be less of a problem once he gets in with Miami and their maniacal conditioning program.

The Jazz add another Australian player to replace Dante Exum and give Joe Ingles someone to eat Vegemite with. Green plays tough defense and sets screens, and while he has a weird-looking jumper, it was good enough for him to make 36% of his threes last season.

Stewart was once the No. 2 recruit in the country, and while his stock has fallen, he had an excellent year with a mediocre Huskies team. While he won’t feast on post-ups the way he did in college, he’s tough and competitive, and his excellent hands and shooting potential could make him an excellent pairing with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Another center who relied on post-ups during an excellent freshman campaign (17.8 points, 8.8 rebounds), Carey simply has too much upside for the Celtics to pass on here. If he can expand his shooting range, Boston’s the perfect situation for him to develop as a defensive big.

Yes, it’s a second point guard for the Knicks, but they need playmakers, and Lewis could be a good one. He’s extremely fast, gets a lot of steals, and shot over 36% from three as a sophomore. If the Knicks decide they want to run with R.J. Barrett and Mitchell Robinson, Lewis is the perfect guard to push them to it.

In college, Tillman already looked like a Raptor. He defends hard in the post, but he can switch onto the perimeter. He sets screens, blocks shots and shoots well. The reason he dropped this far is that he’s already 21 and seemingly hit his ceiling, but this is a guy who’s a useful backup big right now.

The Lakers are likely to lose JaVale McGee or Dwight Howard this off-season, and Oturu would be an excellent long-term replacement at center. He had a monster season, with 20.1 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. While he’s slightly undersized (6-foot-10 and 240 pounds) and seems allergic to passing, he’d be great as an active big man to grab rebounds and catch lobs from LeBron.

Bolmaro is an Argentine-Italian forward currently playing in Spain, where he’s shown more potential than production so far. He has great ball skills, he’s tall, and he’s creative – and for a team such as Boston facing some cap and roster limitations, he’s a perfect guy to leave in Europe to develop for a year or two.