Well here we are at the 2020 NBA Draft, which is being held in mid-November in the weirdest sports years, and life years, of all time. With the season starting in about a month, this is gonna be a quick turnaround for these rooks. I freely admit I didn't watch any college hoops this year because the class seemed uninspiring. I feel vindicated by that especially not having a March Madness and a lot of the top guys not playing in the NCAA or playing 2 games like Wiseman.
I picked 12 guys to watch film on this year. Below is the 12 guys along with ratings and my assessments. This draft is going to be one of the worst on the last 20 years. It's like a bad vintage of wine, just stay away from it because even the good ones aren't that good. Also, it seems like half the first round is all wiry ass dudes who will never be able to put on more than 10 more pounds. And just as a refresher, here is my rating system.
Grading System: 1-100
Anthony Edwards
I think he’s the best player in this draft. I just watched him critique himself openly and honestly for 22 minutes with Mike Schmitz and the fact that he could do that and know where he needed to improve, I really believed he would improve those areas. This kid has a fire in him that the other top prospects just don’t. Reminds me of Oladipo with shades of Westbrook, with the imposing athleticism (though I think he’s gonna be easier to coach than Russ, because who isn’t). He’s a combo guard at the next level and I think he can be an instant impact guy. The shot is going to take some time to develop as NBA players will dare him to shoot, but I think he’s willing to put the work in. Edwards will be a fun a player to watch and I personally think he can be a low 2nd or high 3rd best player on a championship team. I don’t see him as a perennial all star, but I could see him making 2-3 appearances in his prime and perhaps borderline for his mid-career. Rating 89
Lamelo Ball
These are the guys I used to think would be the best players because I love that flash and I love tall point guards. Lamelo has that for sure. The court vision is right up there with some of the best point guards in the league. Super accurate passes which is an underrated skill. He’s got the Busted Ball shot though, that runs in the family and I frankly think he’s pillowy soft the way he avoids contact. Doesn’t seem to take the game too seriously and while he has a lot of potential, I don’t know that he has the drive to realize all of it. We basically have the closest thing to Lamelo in the NBA already in Lonzo. I think Lonzo was a bit more mature, but Lamelo has a bit more upside due to his ability to break people down. In a normal draft I think he would be worth a lottery pick, but really I don’t see him being more than a point guard in the 15-35 range. He might have the highest upside, but if I had to set a line on all star appearances at 1.5, I’m taking the under. Average to below average point guard who will have some stats like 17-9-6 but shoot 40%FG 70%FT. This damn family is like the Kardashians of the NBA. They just keep popping out more of them. Lamelo is also the next NBA player who never closes his mouth, like Draymond. Rating 84
Tyrese Haliburton
Very interesting game with some definite pluses and minuses. As a shooter, he reminds me of Kevin Martin with the funny release and the lanky frame. Also works off screens in the same way. For sure has to tighten that form up, but just needs tweaking, not a full teardown to rebuild. He’s a much better passer than Martin though, making me think he is a potentially capable starter and at worst a really good backup at the 1 or 2. I like his feel for the game and think he can be one of the better players in this draft. Rating 80
Onyeka Okongwu
Like this kid. Bouncy athlete that is an elite shot blocker. Still needs to get stronger and work on him jump shot, but you can say that about almost any rookie. I’m getting some notes of Serge Ibaka more than I am of Bam. Don’t think he has Bam potential, but could possibly be as good as early Serge. Side note, Bam and Serge both excellent athlete names. Maybe they just call him On, which could be good too. Upside is there for him to be a top-10 pick. I would take him over Wiseman. Rating 79
Killian Hayes
I had to take my French bias out of the picture during this assessment, so hopefully Killian won't hold this against me. I'm down to go to a café with him and eat a pain au chocolat anytime. He seems to have some similarities to Lamelo. Both are tall point guards with good vision who are both lacking fire and intensity. I think Killian can be a solid rotation player at the next level, maybe as good as Evan Fournier, another baguette, but I don’t like his low release on his shot and I am worried about that weak handle and left hand domination. It’s gonna take time before we see whether he can make it or not. He’s pretty young though and seems to have gotten much better each year so maybe he can be a starter in 2-3 years. Not an all star, but there's upside. Rating 79
James Wiseman
A springy 7 footer with low basketball IQ and a low motor. Not a very fitting last name. Dude has that sleepy look and lacks any nastiness. I’m so underwhelmed by him. Sure he has length and agility, but he will only be as good as his mental game gets and I don’t see a bright future there. He reminds me of a chef with all the best ingredients, but can only make an average meal of out them. If a team like Golden State or another team with a good infrastructure drafts him, this will raise his likelihood of reaching his potential in a bigger way than other prospects, but he’s just another guy I don’t see making an all star team and will just be a below average starter, solid backup big. A dime a dozen. Rating 78
Isaac Okoro
Definitely agree with the Gerald Wallace comps and I think that’s probably his best case scenario. He will come to the league already an above average defender, but he really looks lost on offense. Could easily end up being a Thabo Sefolosha kind of guy who defends another team’s best player, but gets ignored on offense. The shot looks ugly and I would be amazed if he became a league average shooter. Guy is not an all star but another good rotation guy with upside if he can figure out offense. Gotta give him an extra point for the motor though. Can’t teach that. Rating 75
Devin Vassell
Haven’t seen any great comps for him, but I think he’s a player with some upside. The improvement he’s made from his Freshman to Sophomore season certainly points to that. Love his ability to shoot on spot ups and especially love his ability to defend on and off the ball. Really smart on that end. I could see him as a poor man’s Trevor Ariza in the pros. Just not as fluid an athlete. Rating 74
Obi Toppin
This guy terrorized my school, (go Rhody!), for the last two years so I am familiar with him. Already 22 which is hard to ignore, but after watching film on top prospects coming out after their freshman year, you can clearly see the difference in experience. Does a lot of little things well and seems to have a pretty good basketball IQ. The problem is, he’s a wiry guy with below average agility so he’s kind of caught in between positions. I don’t think he’s fast/agile enough to be a perimeter player and he will probably never be strong/tall enough to be a traditional big man. I think his best hope is he turns into some form of Lauri Markkanen. He’s not on the same level as a shooter though and not sure he ever will be. Could be more like a Trey Lyles type or a bit better. I think he can be a rotation guy, not a starter. Rating 74
Deni Avdija
So this is Dario Saric 2.0. I like his game but more as like a mid to late first rounder than a lottery player. Can be a solid rotation player, but isn’t good enough to be a starter. Limited upside from poor shooting and athleticism. Nice haircut though. Rating 73
RJ Hampton
Definitely has Dante Exum vibes with the quickness and explosiveness, but a much skinnier frame and a primadonna attitude. Think Bill Simmons eventually could rename the Dion Waiters award after him because he’s a classic overconfidence guy. I definitely see Jordan Clarkson and some JR Smith in his game, possibly even some Ricky Davis. Definitely has upside but it’s going to take a lot of things to go right for him to reach it, starting with his jump shot. I made a big mistake on the last RJ that came in the league, RJ Hunter, thinking he would be good and I think it's because I was rooting for a good RJ to enter the league after watching the great underrated MTV show RJ Berger. I can see clearly now and I think he more likely ends up RJ Shampton. At the end of the day, aren't we all rooting for a good RJ? Rating 70
Pat Williams
Great frame and looks like an NBA player, but I don’t see anything more than an energy guy off the bench. Classic Marcus Haislip vibes creeping up draft boards with big athleticism, but offering little else. Rating 69
And this concludes another entry that will offer ammunition for the ugly world of cyberbullying. You can't make fun of me unless I see some draft predictions of your own!
