According to reports released late last week from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA Players Association has approved a 72 game regular season to begin on December 22.
Once this receives ownership approval we will likely see NBA action for the 2020-21 season just in time for Christmas. There are still be logistics to be sorted out regarding free agency, trades, and of course the NBA Draft.
The Draft is scheduled for Wednesday, November 18. For this article, the NBA Draft will unfold in this article. Using the NBA Draft simulator app realgm.com, we will determine which of the top prospects will be selected by the teams who will be selected on draft night.
Back in May, I used this app to determine the order of the Draft Lottery. The NBA draft is usually a two-round affair with thirty selections occurring each round, but for the purposes of this article, the focus will be on just the first round.
The left-hand column will be the teams in the order that they are expected to select at the NBA draft. The right-hand column will be the player selected, their college or club team, their primary position(s), and a brief scouting report.
| 1) Minnesota Timberwolves | James Wiseman, Memphis-Center
Wiseman has physical tools that really stand out on the court, standing 7 feet with a long (7-foot-6 wingspan) and rangy frame |
| 2) Golden State Warriors | Anthony Edwards, Georgia-Shooting Guard 6’4 combo guard with elite level athleticism … Shows a good feel for the game and competitiveness |
| 3) Charlotte Hornets | Isaac Okoro, Auburn-Small Forward/ Shooting Guard
Fits the prototype physically of an NBA small forward with his 6’6 220 lb frame and strong athletic ability, and he uses his size well to compliment his playing style |
| 4) Chicago Bulls | LaMelo Ball, Illawarra (Australia)-Point Guard
6’6 point guard … Good size and length, especially for position … Can shoot off the catch or dribble. Shoots it well from deep and has a good arc on the shot |
| 5) Cleveland Cavaliers | Deni Avdija, Maccabi Tel Aviv U18 (Israel)–Small Forward All around a talented wing with great size … Versatile, he can play from shooting guard to power forward … Great feel for the game … He possesses a high basketball I.Q |
| 6) Atlanta Hawks | Obi Toppin, Dayton-Power Forward
Has decent size for a PF prospect at 6’9, a 7-2 wingspan, and around 230 lbs …Shows very good run-jump athleticism … An above the rim highlight machine |
| 7) Detroit Pistons | Cole Anthony, North Carolina-Point Guard
Anthony is an aggressive, confident, score-first point guard who, at 6’3, 190 lbs has decent size for the position. |
| 8) New York Knicks | Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State-Point Guard
A tall and rangy PG is a legitimate 6’5 and has long arms … Uses his height to his advantage, showing outstanding court vision and flashes of the ability to make difficult passes and shots over smaller guards |
| 9) Washington Wizards | Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky-Shooting Guard Speedy combo guard with crafty scoring ability and solid length … Excels at creating offense when attacking the basket both on the break and in pick and roll situations |
| 10) Phoenix Suns | R.J. Hampton, New Zealand-Point Guard, Shooting Guard
6’4 point guard … Good size and length for the position with a 6’7 wingspan and 8’4 standing reach … Very good ball handler. |
| 11) San Antonio Spurs | Nico Mannion, Arizona-Point Guard
Mannion is a crafty 6’3 guard who has a nice base of skills for a young guard prospect, including solid creativity with the ball in his hands and shooting and playmaking ability |
| 12) Sacramento Kings | Killian Hayes, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)-Point Guard
Tall, left-handed point guard (6-5), with very good size for his position … Very good length (wingspan measured at 6-foot-8) |
| 13) New Orleans Pelicans | Jaden McDaniels, Washington
Former highly touted HS recruit is a modern-day, face-up frontcourt player with a budding perimeter skillset |
| 14) Boston Celtics | Theo Maledon, ASVEL Basket (France) Smart point guard with great size for his position … Has very good size (6-4, 6-5) and length (6-8 wingspan) … High basketball I.Q |
| 15) Orlando Magic | Isaiah Stewart II, Washington, Power Forward/ Center A rugged big man with a tireless motor and youthful exuberance …He is physically gifted with tremendous strength and decent touch around the rim |
| 16) Portland Trail Blazers | Jalen Smith, Maryland-Power Forward
A long, versatile power forward with a solid all-around skill set … Possesses a 7’2 wingspan and 6’10 height … Shows the ability to contribute in a variety of ways, and on both ends of the floor |
| 17) Minnesota Timberwolves from Brooklyn via Atlanta | Precious Achiuwa, Memphis-Power Forward
Memphis forward with a physical and athletic profile Achiuwa isn’t a 7 footer, but he has adequate size at around 6’9” 225,
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| 18) Dallas Mavericks |
Josh Green, Arizona-Shooting Guard Elite defender who leads Arizona in steals per game Picturesque frame for an NBA shooting guard at 6’6, 210 pounds
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| 19) Brooklyn Nets from Philadelphia via LA Clippers | Kira Lewis, Alabama- Point Guard
A long, quick, athletic point guard with good scoring ability … Lewis is extremely quick and makes it difficult for opposing guards to keep him in front of them … Has a smoothness to his game |
| 20) Miami Heat | Tyler Bey, Colorado-Power Forward
Active, athletic forward who has the versatility to play multiple positions and plays with consistent energy … Multi-faceted player with the ability to excel on both ends, both inside and out |
| 21) Philadelphia 76ers from Oklahoma City via Orlando | Leandro Bolmaro, Argentina–Point Guard/Shooting Guard
Versatile guard, who can be used in every perimeter position … High basketball I.Q … Great size for a guard … Has a great feel for the game and basketball instincts … Solid level of athleticism |
| 22) Denver Nuggets from Houston | Aaron Nesmith, Vanderbilt-Shooting Guard/Point Guard
A pure shooter who put up incredible stats for the first half of the season, before succumbing to a foot injury that ended his season … Displayed tremendous range. Showed the ability to extend well past the college three and out to NBA three during his sophomore year |
| 23) Utah Jazz | Tyrell Tyler-Stanford Point Guard
A sharpshooting point guard with a slight frame but a ton of upside if his body develops … Very cerebral and focused player with great maturity from a mental standpoint. Advanced offensive skillset |
| 24) Milwaukee Bucks from Indiana | Saddiq Bey, Villanova-Small Forward
Scrappy, confident, high energy forward who broke out this season into one of the most productive players in the Big East … Outstanding three-point shooter who finished at 45% for the season on a high volume of shots (2.5 made threes per game) |
| 25) Oklahoma City Thunder from Denver | Aleksej Pokusevski, Serbia-Center
Versatile forward with a guard skill set … Excellent size and length … Has unique coordination for a player of his size and age … Has rare versatility and has been used in four positions, from shooting guard to even center due to his size and intangibles … |
| 26) Boston Celtics | Tre Jones, Duke-Point Guard
Floor general at point guard works to set up teammates for open looks … Great decision-maker, limits turnovers … Finds passing lanes and makes easy dump-offs to big men … Shows potential on the three-point shot |
| 27) New York Knicks from LA Clippers | Xavier Tillman, Michigan State-Power Forward/Center
Measured: 6’7.50” barefoot, 6’8.50” in shoes, 8’10.00” standing reach, 266.5 lbs, 7’2.00” wingspan at the 2020 NBA Combine |
| 28) Los Angeles Lakers | Malachi Flynn–San Diego State-Point Guard
An experienced lead guard who started a combined 3 years in major & mid-major basketball, Flynn is who plays with good pacing when looking to create |
| 29) Toronto Raptors |
Onyeka Okongwu, USC-Center As good as he is in the paint on offense, he is rocketing up draft boards due to his defensive upside. He is a halfcourt defense unto himself. He possesses the rare ability to erase attempts at the rim (2.7 blocks per game) |
| 30) Boston Celtics from Milwaukee via Phoenix | Patrick Williams, Florida State- Small Forward/Power Forward
An explosive, “freakish” combo forward with intriguing upside, especially as a defender … One of the most explosive athletes in college basketball, Williams is difficult to keep off of the offensive glass |
Heading into Wednesday’s draft many questions will be answered that have been speculated over the last several weeks.
Who in fact will go number one overall? Will the Timberwolves make a trade that involves offering the top pick? Will Golden State hang on to the number two pick?
It should be an exciting next few days as we eagerly anticipate the 2020 NBA Draft.