Appropriately early 2020 NBA Draft Thread

[Jamaaliver]

Hey Jamaaliver it's never too early for an it's too early for a 2020 draft thread.

By 'popular' demand...

Once the 2019 NBA draft ends, scouting for the 2020 draft begins.

Teams already have a rough idea of who the top names will be. However, with so many underclassmen declaring this year, next year's first round may consist mostly of one-and-done freshmen and a strong group of internationals.

Bleacher Report



Who you guys got in your top 5 for next year?

Are we hopeful that we won't be anywhere near the lottery next season?

Or are we still trying to add one more key piece via the draft?

[Jamaaliver]

Some of the top names:

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[Jamaaliver]

2020 NBA mock draft: Big questions for next season

James Wiseman and Cole Anthony have stood out for the better part of three years in settings such as USA Basketball, the Nike EYBL, Basketball Without Borders camps and various FIBA events. That has given us a good starting point to begin to evaluate the 2020 class

The race for the No. 1 pick is wide open at the moment, just as it was at this point last year. Wiseman, a 7'1" Center, gets the nod with the top slot for now, but he will have plenty of challengers, meaning a productive, efficient and winning season at Memphis will certainly be required to hold that spot.

ESPN Insider

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[Jamaaliver]

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1. James Wiseman, C, Memphis | Freshman

Height: 7’1” | Weight: 245

Wiseman is more or less the consensus front-runner for the top pick at this very early stage, although his claim to the spot is rather tenuous and born more out of the current dearth of impressive candidates. That being said, it doesn’t take much to understand why he leads that conversation going into this summer. Wiseman is unnaturally mobile and athletic for his size, continues to develop well physically, and when he’s playing hard, he jumps off the page in every way. He can really run the floor and block shots, he’s skilled out to the three-point line, and he’s really just starting to tap into his ability in a lot of ways.

Spoiler:

2. Anthony Edwards, G, Georgia | Freshman

Height: 6’4” | Weight: 215

Edwards is also considered to be in the running for the top spot, but based on his past six months or so, it may require him to hit the ground running on arrival in college. The context here is important: Edwards reclassified to become draft-eligible in 2020, played just three seasons at a small, independent high school (Atlanta’s Holy Spirit Prep) that’s far from a basketball factory, and as a result, he has some ground to make up between now and the draft. Physically, there’s zero question he’s college-ready, but he’s facing an extreme leap in competitive quality...


3. R.J. Hampton, PG, New Zealand Breakers

Height: 6’5” | Weight: 190

Hampton has a number of appealing qualities that point to legitimate NBA upside—he’s a strong improviser off the dribble, although more scoring-oriented than pass-first, and has ideal height for a lead guard. He’s gangly, but fluid, and if he can add some strength and improve his outside shooting a notch or two, he could be pretty difficult to stop early on in his career. Granted, that’s an optimistic lens based on a relatively small viewing sample, but his craftiness and overall playmaking upside is substantial. Hampton could quickly overtake Edwards as the top guard in this class—it’s already close—if all goes well with his professional adjustment. That said, expect him to take some lumps as a teenager playing against grown men in the NBL. He’s gifted enough end up in the mix very early in next year’s draft.

[Jamaaliver]

Projecting Cole Anthony's NBA Draft potential

According to Sports Illustrated:

“While Anthony has earned a lofty ranking in recruiting circles, there’s a strong divergence of opinion on him around the NBA at this point. The son of former NBA point guard Greg Anthony is very clearly college-ready, with a capacity for changing speeds, getting into the paint and finishing. He’s pretty polished as a scorer in spite of not being a physically overwhelming player in any way. He can be both smooth and explosive off the bounce, but his upper body is naturally small, and his listed 6’3” may be somewhat generous. “

According to 24/7 Sports:

“Anthony is one of three or so players who could have a case to go No. 1 in 2020,” wrote Kevin Flaherty. “The popular scouting term right now is “gravity,” and basically refers to a player’s ability to pull the defense out to him, creating openings and awkward rotations. Think Steph Curry. And while Curry is an extreme example, we’ve seen NBA teams truly start to value off-the-dribble shooters like Trae Young and Darius Garland in recent years. Anthony is a three-level scorer with high-level athleticism and a 43-inch vertical, which is why he was ranked as the top combo guard and No. 4 overall player in the 247Sports Composite. He could be even more equipped to blow up scoreboards in Chapel Hill than Coby White was, and White wound up being the No. 7 pick.”

24/7 Sports

[ATL Boy]

Stickying this one for 2020 draft discussion

[Jamaaliver]

LaMelo Ball Likely To Land No. 7 In 2020 NBA Draft

Though bit far from what LaMelo hopes to get, league sources predict that the Lonzo’s younger brother is likely to be the 7th overall pick in next year’s NBA Draft.

Overall, Ball is viewed as an exceptionally skilled basketball player, but something off-court is plaguing LaMelo’s name ahead of his future NBA career. It is the fact that he belongs to the Ball family, and regardless of whether he makes it to the NBA or not, he will be involved in controversies surrounding them, courtesy of his father, LaVar, and brother, Lonzo. This is something that sources also foresee ahead of LaMelo’s career, and the level of his maturity is questionable at this point.

International Business Times

[atlantabbq99]

Edwards is one of the most complete and balanced SG prospects that I have seen in along time. He doesn't do anything excellent, but very good at everything, with no weakness so far.

Ball handling is good enough to be a part time PG, is no Klay, but mid range and 3pt shooting is above average, slashes with creativity and authority, doesn't have Zion hops but has more than enough vertical to be a dunk contestant, and his body and frame almost look NBA ready.

D Wade and Drexler come to mind when watching Edwards

[CP War Hawks]

The team won't be bad enough for these prospects. I figure all teams will push for the playoffs more than usual.

Basically hawks land 12th pick and nets pick to 21st. Try to package em up once again.

[kg01]

The team won't be bad enough for these prospects. I figure all teams will push for the playoffs more than usual.

Basically hawks land 12th pick and nets pick to 21st. Try to package em up once again.

Yeah, no need to lotto-watch this year as ardently as we have the past two drafts.

Nice discussion but we're on to trying to develop/compete now, no tanking.

If the lottery shines on us, great. If not, oh well. I'm expecting us to land in the 7-10 seed range.

Funny, MIA had the league highest payroll to land in that range. Yikes.

[tbhawksfan1]

I'm not so sure. tre and JC might put up AS numbers, but the rest of the players getting minutes are 1st and 2nd year, sans Len who is still young. TS isn't going to bring in a differnce maker so it's going to be a very young team. I predict a top ten pick

[Jamaaliver]

I'm not so sure. tre and JC might put up AS numbers, but the rest of the players getting minutes are 1st and 2nd year, sans Len who is still young. TS isn't going to bring in a differnce maker so it's going to be a very young team. I predict a top ten pick

Yeah, it's still early in the offseason.

But i'm not quite ready to predict we jump from 29 win team to 7 or 8 seed just yet. There's a learning curve we still have to get past. And teams won't completely take us lightly next season -- specifically Trae and John.

[Jamaaliver]

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[tbhawksfan1]

I'm not so sure. tre and JC might put up AS numbers, but the rest of the players getting minutes are 1st and 2nd year, sans Len who is still young. TS isn't going to bring in a differnce maker so it's going to be a very young team. I predict a top ten pick

Yeah, it's still early in the offseason.

But i'm not quite ready to predict we jump from 29 win team to 7 or 8 seed just yet. There's a learning curve we still have to get past. And teams won't completely take us lightly next season -- specifically Trae and John.

Yeah, Hawks probably won't make a big jump this year. Too much youth. No problem, we have one of the best young groups in the nba and I think TS will do everything to use all assets on one more nice player next draft. Say, if Hawks finish with # 10, I could see him tading up with the Nets pick and get who he wants.

[Jamaaliver]

9. Atlanta Hawks

LaMelo Ball | Illawarra Hawks | CG | 6-6, 165

Atlanta seems to place a premium on long, rangy athletes -- at every position. At 6-foot-6, LaMelo Ball checks the length box and brings another trait general manager Travis Schlenk loves: shooting. Ball can fling it -- and make it -- from anywhere on the floor. It could make for one of the most exciting, and potentially maddening, backcourt pairings in the NBA if he and Trae Young teamed up.

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[kg01]

:sour:

9. Hawks

LaMelo Ball | Illawarra Hawks | CG | 6-6, 165

Atlanta seems to place a premium on long, rangy athletes -- at every position. At 6-foot-6, LaMelo Ball checks the length box and brings another trait general manager Travis Schlenk loves: shooting. Ball can fling it -- and make it -- from anywhere on the floor. It could make for one of the most exciting, and potentially maddening, backcourt pairings in the NBA if he and Trae Young teamed up.

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[atlantabbq99]

Hawks already have a good young core or Trae, Hurt, Hunt, Collins, and Bruno.

Hawks will get a mid first round pick next year, no more lottery, they should just gamble with an international player and hope he turns into Jokic or Giannis, or get a hustle work horse player like Brandon Clarke, Tony Allen, Kawhi, Joe Dumars.

So the question is, who is the Brandon Clarke for the 2020 draft?

[CP War Hawks]

I believe the hawks will have a similar season as the Kings except they may stealth tank a bit earlier.

Top 7 prospects seem to be in the same tier which is good for trade up possibilities.

[tbhawksfan1]

I believe the hawks will have a similar season as the Kings except they may stealth tank a bit earlier.

Top 7 prospects seem to be in the same tier which is good for trade up possibilities.

Yeah, Trae and Collins are good. Heurter and Hunter are good, Cam will likely be good, but need time. Len is a good back up C. Hawks have acquired some nice talent, but this team is going to struggle with youth, as planned. Another nice pick and DEVELOPMENT.

This young Hawks team is going to be awesome in a couple more years

[~Wretch~]

:sour:

9. Atlanta Hawks

LaMelo Ball | Illawarra Hawks | CG | 6-6, 165

Atlanta seems to place a premium on long, rangy athletes -- at every position. At 6-foot-6, LaMelo Ball checks the length box and brings another trait general manager Travis Schlenk loves: shooting. Ball can fling it -- and make it -- from anywhere on the floor. It could make for one of the most exciting, and potentially maddening, backcourt pairings in the NBA if he and Trae Young teamed up.

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LOL... No thank you to having to listen to his daddy's mouth 7 days a week. *thumbs down*