2020 NBA Draft Thread

[reload141]

What does re seeding 1 through 16 do for our memphis pick?

I’m just going to wait until they actually decide what they are doing... talk of a 20 game World Cup style too?

Yeah. 20-Game deal.
Whatever works. I mean COVID-19 messsed Everything up. Going into next season, also.

Read on Twitter

They would be desperate to get Pellies or Blazers in and Memphis out

[a-French-Fan]

At #17, this is my current order of preference. There are others I like in this draft more but they will almost certainly not be there at 17.


Aaron Nesmith
Tyrese Maxey
Devin Vassell
Saddiq Bey
Patrick Williams
Theo Maledon

I think Nesmith, Maxey, Vassell, and Bey will also be gone unfortunately. But I think one of Williams and Maledon will be there.

People are currently sleeping on Maledon. He doesn't seem to have the statistical record to rise to the top of the draft but when you watch him play, he screams potential. He's got a good strong base and he moves really well with the ball in his hands. He would do so well in CBS system. His ability to drive and dish or finish is exactly what CBS looks for. He'll open up a lot perimeter shooters. He is a legit BIG point guard. Langford has decent hanldes but is more SG. Maledon can run an offense and he also plays solid defense.

Maledon is definitely moving up my wish list.

Happy to read that some fans watch player's videos and not only stats ^^

I am a fan of ASVEL, so I follow a lot Malédon. And believe me, we had not so interesting PG prospect in France since TP9.

Firstly, people have to understand that European pro championships are not for young players. And european championships are not playing the same level or the same game. French championship is not as good as spanish championship. But in this league, there is not a huge gap between best and worst teams, and it is a physical championship.
Secondly, Malédon had a good 2018-2019 season (born in july 2001), while Killian Hayes expected minutes with Cholet (his father played for Cholet and then has stayed), Malédon get a real role with ASVEL, in Jeep Elite and Eurocup. Other point guards were particulary good for french championship, even for Eurocup (Mantas Kalnietis and Demarcus Nelson). So, appreciate the fact that he took minutes from those Eurocup/Euroleague PGs.
This summer, he was nearly to play world cup at 18. Last guys playing such a competition at this age are Doncic and Rubio. With Heurtel (Barcelona) injuried, Collet preferred Ntilikina instead of him with an older PG (Andrew Albicy, a nobody for you until you saw him defend on Kemba last summer). Collet choose big def for PG ...so out Malédon, not physically developped enough and too young to deal with such pressure at this moment.
Then season started, Kalnietis out, Diot in (best prospect of Batum's generation, but a real injury prone. When he was healthy, he had a really Euroleague level and was Parker's back-up in national team), Demarcus Nelson out (Bayern), Jordan Taylor in. Again, he had to take minutes from two good PGs. But, quickly he took a violent hit on his shoulder (early october). Not a serious injury, you need just time to rest, but no risk that made him an injury prone. Maybe he just need to work his body. While he was absent, coach Mitrovic launched Matthew Strazel (17 years old) as third PG. And he scored 9 points for his first euroleague game. So not any PG could show interesting things with 4 PGs when Malédon came back. He had to find rythm, and weeks before COVID, he did some pretty good games. But people look stats, they only think that he didn't improve, or even worse, they may thing he declined. The truth is that last weeks before lockdown, ASVEL had bad times, but watching Malédon and Strazel I had some hope for the end of the season.He was really doing better choices.

So , remember that as 17 he became international player with France even if he didn't world cup, even TP9 did not have his stats at 17, at 18 he was a euroleague starter (I read once, that he is the only 18 years player with Doncic who played starter majority of his team's euroleague games for the last decade). And I do this bet: for Paris 2024, he will be France starting PG (Hayes playing as SG or as 6th man) for France. Sincerly, I do not understand how you may have such a gap between Hayes and Malédon in mock draft.

Conclusion: Ntilikina at #8 was a bust for Knicks, but Malédon at #17 would be a steal for Celtics. I expect that some GM who know basketball will draft him before.

so I'm not sure how many of you remember this, but I have some ties to the french connection crew that was down in SA. It's been awhile, and I've grown more distant from them over the years, but I will share at a high level that TP is VERY high on Maledon. Really, really likes him. Not because he's French. Just from a pure basketball standpoint. And some of the same folks that liked Tony early also really like Maledon. It's a gym rat....great instincts. Good frame and size. Not a perfect prospect, but there's a lot to like about him

Which connection are you talking about? Because Parker-Diaw, it worked

Maybe you are talking about De Colo. I still don't understand how it had gone so bad for him in NBA. I had hoped that he would stay to the raptors, or hoped for a come-back after his euroleague MVP trophy in 2016. So I understand your ties. If you are talking about Livio Jean-Charles, he had a cruciate ligament tear with U20 french national team few weeks after draft. It took several years before he played at a level that we may expect from him. He really did a good season wis ASVEL this year. If you were talking about Mahinmi: he is even not a regular french national team member ^^

BTW one of Parker's aim with ASVEL is to develop one or two french young players each year. So he will be very high on his players. But if a young player play for ASVEL, this is because TP thinks a lot of good things about him. Being a french prospect is not enough to get TP's trust to play Euroleague.
The fact is that in France, we had not very good prospects from 1992 generation (Fournier- Gobert) until 1998 generation. And now with next generations we are full of prospects! For PG we were high on 1998 generation (Ntilikina, Mokoka, N'doye), and 2-3 years after we have Malédon and Hayes, and even Strazel this year (big ASVEL's surprise this year, but maybe not a good NBA prospect). Except USA of course, and Maybe Canada, I don't think any country has so many prospects than France in this moment (Hayes, Malédon, Strazel, Ayayi, Doumbouya, Hoard, Tillie, Pons, Mokoka, N'doye... and the most exciting of all if he stays healthy: Victor Wembanyama (2004)). So that is the moment to be high on french prospects ^^

[themoneyteam2]

Any draft rumors from the insiders on this board?

[threrf23]

I've got around to looking over stats and scouting capsules for every player in nbadraft.net's mock draft, plus an extra name or two mentioned here. Some observations...

James Wiseman sounds like a bigger, better Nerlens Noel. And he probably has a better head on his shoulders? You can critique an 18 y/o seven footer all you want, guys who fit Wiseman's profile, head-permitting, usually turn out to be Amare Stoudemire at worst. If I don't come across any red flags in terms of his attitude and professionalism, the guy's floor is high enough that there are few players in this draft I would even consider taking over Wiseman.

Killian Hayes is one of the youngest prospects in the draft, and his stats in Europe this season set him apart positively from the Exums and Ntilinkas that he will likely be compared to.

Anthony Edwards = Tyreke Evans?

Of guys who could be available where we pick, Devin Vassell is the one I suspect has real potential to end up a top 3-5 pick in a redraft. Sophomore, but nearly the same age as many freshman. Outlier A/TO ratio, very nice steal/block/foul stats, praised for his motor, his intangibles, and his work ethic although his ballhandling could stand to be polished. Basically, there are several parallels to Jimmy Butler, and while he doesn't get to the line nearly as much, he is a much better shooter and overall further along than Butler at the same age. He's skinnier/weaker than Butler was, but that should delay his development a slight bit more than it should cap his potential IMO.

Maybe Vassell never becomes a star, but his floor seems high enough to make the risk/reward attractive.

In terms of stats and general profile, a 19 y/o Jalen Smith seems awfully similar to an 18 y/o Chris Bosh. Not sure he has the same upside, but it's curious to me that he is currently projected as a second round pick.

Vernon Carey averaged 29 & 14 per 40 this season, while also posting steals and blocks and shooting 8-21 from 3. I know he has his haters and there are body concerns a la Sully & Okafor, but when an 18 y/o kid posts numbers like that, you shouldn't overanalyze too much IMO. Over the past ten years, ignoring Wiseman's small sample, Carey is the only collegiate freshman to average at least 17 points and at least 8 rebounds per game in less than 25 minutes per game.

Paul Reed would appear to be somewhere in between Andre Roberson and Kenneth Faried. But he seems to be a better shooter than those guys. I've seen his name mentioned here and I am on board; I think he is a similar caliber prospect to Toppin, the difference being he's considered a second round pick while Toppin is considered a top 5 pick.

Jahmi'us Ramsey strikes me as this year's Carsen Edwards. I'm not sure I want us to draft him, but I kind of expect us to end up with him b/c he sounds like the exact sort of prospect that Danny and Brad fall in love with every year.

Markus Howard has my attention. Four year starter at PG, but he is younger than many presume. He just turned 21 in March, and hence is the same age as some sophomores (and many juniors). From a statistical standpoint, it looks like he is probably the best three point shooter in the draft - like, Steph Curry caliber. From a scouting standpoint, it doesn't sound like he has any glaring weaknesses other than his size.

[big-shot-ROB]

Your analysis on Carey is why nbadraft.net + some scouting videos is never enough to analyze draft prospects and why we are just some nobody trying to smart ourselves.

The guy projects to be horrible in an NBA floor. If he becomes an impactful player I'll just use this post as a signature. But even if he manages to put up inflated stats in the NBA, I'm 99% sure he'll never impact winning the way he projects to play and develop. He is Jahlil Okafor 2.0 but way worse.

[threrf23]

But even if he manages to put up inflated stats in the NBA, I'm 99% sure he'll never impact winning the way he projects to play and develop. He is Jahlil Okafor 2.0 but way worse.

I don't even doubt that (first sentence). I'm just saying that, the guy was well regarded through his high school years, and in terms of simple box score production, the guy is a historically elite collegiate freshman, or close to it. And lots of solid bigs didn't look so hot when they were 18; the player he is right now is not likely the player he will be years from now.

If there is no medical red flag, there is a point in the draft where I take Carey based on said logic, regardless of what anyone tells me about his game.

(not to mention, a healthy, more professional Jahlil Okafor is a stud)

[winsomme2]

Been digging around second round prospects and have to admit I never noticed Payton Pritchard before.

Now that I'm watching tape on him I really don't know how that happened. He really can play. Definitely checks all the boxes for me. Maybe he doesn't have a huge ceiling but his shooting could certainly be a premium skill. He has serious range on his 3pt shot.

I really like him. Thoughts?

[big-shot-ROB]

Oh yeah, you pick Carey with a 35+ pick. At that point, it is such a crapshoot you might as well go with the player the produced in the two previous levels.

[CelticsPride18]

Oh yeah, you pick Carey with a 35+ pick. At that point, it is such a crapshoot you might as well go with the player the produced in the two previous levels.

Killian Tillie would be a better choice with a 2nd round pick.

[big-shot-ROB]

Oh yeah, you pick Carey with a 35+ pick. At that point, it is such a crapshoot you might as well go with the player the produced in the two previous levels.

Killian Tillie would be a better choice with a 2nd round pick.

Tillie has probably worst question marks athletically than Carey tbh. Anyway, I think though I had him in my watchlist I posted like 10 pages before.

[CelticsPride18]

Oh yeah, you pick Carey with a 35+ pick. At that point, it is such a crapshoot you might as well go with the player the produced in the two previous levels.

Killian Tillie would be a better choice with a 2nd round pick.

Tillie has probably worst question marks athletically than Carey tbh. Anyway, I think though I had him in my watchlist I posted like 10 pages before.

He’s not explosive but he has a high IQ on defense and is better fit offensively in the current NBA.

[big-shot-ROB]

Killian Tillie would be a better choice with a 2nd round pick.

Tillie has probably worst question marks athletically than Carey tbh. Anyway, I think though I had him in my watchlist I posted like 10 pages before.

He’s not explosive but he has a high IQ on defense and is better fit offensively in the current NBA.

I just don't think he can defend 4s in the NBA and that injury history scares me.

[31to6]

Is the draft going to happen before the playoffs this year?;)

[hugepatsfan]

My general thoughts on the draft:

I feel really good about us being able to draft not only a competent backup to Kemba, but someone who could potentially be in place to step in for him once his contract is up in 3 years. Cole Anthony from UNC seems to be soured on by many so maybe we could move up from #17 for him. Kira Lewis Jr. is a really interesting prospect for us in the #17 range. I think he profiles a lot like how Stevens has used Isiah and Kemba here as undersized guards. Tyrell Terry is a dynamite shooter at the PG spot. Probably best served playing off of other guys who can run offenses than as a pure PG. I think he'd be awesome on the second unit offense alongside Smart or playing with the starters and Hayward as those guys can handle the ball along with him so his off ball shooting can be more of an asset. Tyrese Maxey is more of a combo guard but could develop his PG skills down the road. Like Jamal Murray before, him I think he'll end up at PG in the NBA after playing in Kentucky's multiple guard system. In the short term he'd be our second unit scorer. RJ Hampton and Theo Maledon are international prospects, but not as good a fit in Stevens' system, IMO. Nico Mannion might top out as a backup, but I think he'd be a really nice fit for us here. I could see him becoming a starter too. Would be an ideal pick at #26 IMO as he fits the system well. Then you have a deep group of guys who project in all likelihood as backups but still quality ones - Tre Jones, Devon Dotson, Immanuel Quickley, Prayton Pitchard, Malachi Flynn, Jared Butler. Those are all guys that could be candidates in the late 1st or the second round for some. Real deep PG class IMO.

On the wing, it's also a fairly deep class in the middle of the 1st round. Aaron Nesmith, Devin Vassell, Saddiq Bey, Josh Green are all 3&D types that figure to go between 10 and 20 on most boards right now. So maybe a trade up for one of them. Vassell is probably the highest upside of that bunch. Those other guys seem fairly limited to secondary playmakers at best outside of their shooting, while Vassell I think could end up one of those guys who really booms and outplays their draft status. Jahmius Ramsey is probably a 2 guard type who fits the profile of what we took in Romeo Langford but a better shooter at this point. All of those guys are probably candidates at #17, moving up from #17, or moving back into the top 20 with #26/#30/#46 package. I think the wing list kind of falls off after them. Desmond Bayne and Cassius Stanley are potential options in the 2nd round, maybe at #30.

For forwards, you have Patrick Williams and Jaden McDaniels. Both of those guys are kind of SF/PF tweeners that in Stevens' system profile as PFs. Williams is probably ready to roll as a 3&D guy with the upside for more. I think he's got maybe the best upside of the realistic candidates for us at #17. McDaniels is more raw but is thought to have big upside. Tyler Bey could maybe improve on what we get from Semi with maybe a little better shooting for the second round. Yves Pons reminds me of Thybulle from Philly - could be a super defender across multiple spots and knock down 3s efficiently enough.

There are a good number of bigs I like. I mentioned the top 2 guys earlier. There are other lottery/mid 1st types as well. Maybe the most interesting fit in the draft for us IMO is Precious Achiuwa. At Memphis, he played a combo forward role but in the NBA might translate to a role similar to what Bam Adebayo plays in MIA as a "small ball" 5. If he commits to playing that role he could be a big time asset here. He's got great intensity on defense and on the boards. On offense, he's a rim runner right now for the most part but can handle a little bit too. The jump shot shows flashes at times. He's going to have to smooth the rough edges on offense but the package of skills is interesting. Isaiah Stewart, Zeke Nnaji, Jalen Smith, Paul Reed, Daniel Oturu are all guys I think would fit well here but I view all of them as candidates to go in the 20s. Aleksej Pokusevski is one of those freakishly athletic Euro bigs that's rail thin but can handle/shoot. He's not someone that factors in right now but as a developmental guy he could be an awesome gamble to take with one of our 3 picks. Ideally #26 or #30 but his high upside could push him up to the #17 range. Xavier Tillman could be a second round guy for us. Killian Tillie is a good prospect but injury concerns. Vernon Carey Jr. and Udoka Azubuike are throw back bigs that could maybe carve out bit roles in the NBA with their old school games and be leaned on more heavily for certain matchups, such as vs Embiid or Jokic.

There is a roster management component to having 3 picks to consider as well. The fact that it's a strong class could lead to offers of #26 or #30 for a second rounder this year and a first next year. That could make sense to better manage contract expiry and rookie vs. veteran roster component.

Also important to consider young player development of players currently on the roster. Do they see Robert Williams showing enough consistency? Does Grant Williams develop more? Can Romeo Langford crack the rotation? That all plays into team needs and what positions we lean towards. Ultimately gotta favor best player available because you don't want to pass up on a star, but as a team trying to compete you have to consider fit/need to an extent.

[a-French-Fan]

Tillie has probably worst question marks athletically than Carey tbh. Anyway, I think though I had him in my watchlist I posted like 10 pages before.

He’s not explosive but he has a high IQ on defense and is better fit offensively in the current NBA.

I just don't think he can defend 4s in the NBA and that injury history scares me.

His inury history is the reason why he is not sure to be drafted, or that he will be a 2nd round pick. So I understand that you are scared. But healthy, he can defend 4s I think. And for a 2nd round pick, you may do a bet. Is he has not big injuries in the future, he might be a steal. So, IMO, it wouldn't be such a risk to draft him at second round.

[ddb]

I'm on the Jay Scrubb train. If Ainge doesn't trade picks, he needs to land this kid.

[threrf23]

I'm on the Jay Scrubb train. If Ainge doesn't trade picks, he needs to land this kid.

In terms of JuCo stats, build, and supposed strengths and weaknesses...

I don't think there has ever been a draft prospect as similar to Kedrick Brown.

That's enough to scare me away, unless we are talking a throwaway second rounder.

[themoneyteam2]

If Cole Anthony slips outisde top 10 like most are projecting him to, I could see Ainge and co trading up to take him. They seem to love the highly rated HS prospects. Anthony and Langford both were top 5 recruits and underperformed in their freshman seasons due to injury.

If both just shut it down, they were consensus top 10 picks. Cole would be a great backup PG and was thought of before the season as a potential #1 pick and lock for top 5. Super athletic, great rebounder, and a scorer. Percentages weren't very good but supporting cast at UNC was the worst in the past 15 years.

[ddb]

I'm on the Jay Scrubb train. If Ainge doesn't trade picks, he needs to land this kid.

In terms of JuCo stats, build, and supposed strengths and weaknesses...

I don't think there has ever been a draft prospect as similar to Kedrick Brown.

That's enough to scare me away, unless we are talking a throwaway second rounder.

Kedrick Brown was a lottery pick. Kedrick Brown couldn't dribble, pass, shoot, or score. All he had was a size and athleticism and Boston thought he could develop, but he just never did. That was a big whiff drafting him before a guy like Richard Jefferson. Scrubb is skilled. he's a smooth player. much better chance of Scrubb lasting in the league. at #30 I'd be happy with him..

[hugepatsfan]

If Cole Anthony slips outisde top 10 like most are projecting him to, I could see Ainge and co trading up to take him. They seem to love the highly rated HS prospects. Anthony and Langford both were top 5 recruits and underperformed in their freshman seasons due to injury.

If both just shut it down, they were consensus top 10 picks. Cole would be a great backup PG and was thought of before the season as a potential #1 pick and lock for top 5. Super athletic, great rebounder, and a scorer. Percentages weren't very good but supporting cast at UNC was the worst in the past 15 years.

Yes, yes, yes, yes!!!!!!

Perfect analogy with Langford. Anthony could in theory be the perfect scoring backup PG we need on the bench for now and down the road take over for Walker once his deal is up or he declines.