The Athletic Agent Poll
The Draft
7. Who is the most intriguing 2020 NBA Draft prospect?
7.5 — LaMelo Ball
• “That could go really good or really bad.”
• “I think he has such a high ceiling but the difference from his top to bottom is the biggest of anyone in the draft.”
• “With everything considered, the route he took, I just think he’s a guy who people are all over the place on. He fits the bill as much as anybody ever.”
• “I think in this draft, every team is totally unsure of how good these top seven or eight guys are going to be. I’ve never heard, and they’re not going to say this, less enthusiasm for teams that have high picks.”
1.5 — Killian Hayes, Obi Toppin, Devin Vassell, Patrick Williams
• “I think Devin Vassell is probably a guy (who’s intriguing). I don’t know why Isaac Okoro is ahead of him. To me, Devin Vassell should be the No. 1 guy at his position in this draft.”
• “The kid I’ve been in love with is Obi Toppin. You want to talk about a kid who checks every box for teams. He might fall a bit because of his age.”
• “Underwhelming at Florida State, but (Williams) has tools that are interesting. Could be a total flop, but … I wouldn’t want a top-five pick this year. No sure things.”
1 — Deni Avdija, Anthony Edwards, Aleksej Pokuševski, James Wiseman
• (Edwards) “Super talented, athletic. Dynamic scorer. Alpha competitor. If he can keep his nose clean and stay around the right people, and if his agent can get him to understand that this is more than a game, great. If not, he’s in trouble. Some agents are afraid of their clients and don’t lead the way. There’s a history of players who didn’t reach their potential because they lacked guidance. If Edwards doesn’t have that guidance, he’ll be a memory before he should be a memory.”
• “I think it’s (Wiseman), by far. Because I think he has a chance to be a version of what Bam is right now. And I think if you look at Bam, you see a guy that is the prototypical, I wouldn’t say post player, but prototypical big guy that teams are going to go out and try to create. The way Draymond Green changed things for Golden State, everyone tried to find a 6-7, 6-8 tweener guy that could cover perimeter players and post players with success. I think that’s what teams are going to try to do when they find the next version of Bam and I think the kid from Memphis is that. He’s just a little bit bigger and a little bit more athletic.”
0.5 — Jordan Ford, Elijah Hughes
• “Minnesota is a really interesting team to look at. Who knows what’s going on with the sale of the team, but at the end of the day these smaller market teams and teams that didn’t make the bubble are the ones who get hit the hardest. You got Karl-Anthony Towns on a big contract, you got DLo on a big contract, how much room do they have to add guys. Their roster is not built to be a 7-8 year rebuild. Gersson is there because they’re trying to make the playoffs. How much room is there for them to do that? Will ownership let them take on another contract on top of KAT and D’Angelo?”
