Finally, the 2020 NBA draft is complete.
Five months late and after an unusual pre-draft process due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA teams have finally added some teenagers to their roster in hopes of finding the next stars.
At first glance, every team made its selection from Wednesday evening:
Atlanta Hawks
No. 6: Onyeka Okongwu, C, USC
No. 50: Skylar Mays, SG, LSU
Okongwu is an exciting tall man with athleticism, but when the Hawks have stopped moving – with Clint Capela and John Collins in their forecourt – that’s a questionable fit.
Great: C +
Boston Celtics
No. 14: Aaron Nesmith, SF, Vanderbilt
No. 26: Payton Pritchard, PG, Oregon
No. 47: Yam Madar, PG, Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel)
The Celtics needed gunmen off the bench and got a pair in Nesmith, who is undergoing foot surgery, and Pritchard, who can bring some energy as a base guard. Then they exchanged the number 30 for two future second-round players and got a hiding place in Madar.
Great: B.
Brooklyn networks
No. 57: Reggie Perry, C, State of Mississippi
The nets swapped their number 19 for the Clippers security guard Landry Shamet before late taking Perry. It remains to be seen whether the Shamet deal is a forerunner to something bigger.
Great: C.
Charlotte Hornets
No. 3: LaMelo Ball, PG, Illawarra Hawks
No. 32: Vernon Carey Jr., C, Duke
No. 42: Nick Richards, C, Kentucky
No. 56: Grant Riller, PG, Charleston
Ball could have gone first, but the Hornets were happy to have him third. The Hornets have gotten a real playmaker – even if his dad once said he could beat their main owner, Michael Jordan, one on one – whose blanket could be something special. They then added a young size and another goalscorer in Riller.
Great: ONE
Chicago Bulls
Number 4: Patrick Williams, SF, State of Florida
No. 44: Marko Simonovic, C, Montenegro
The Bulls stepped off the board and picked Williams, who was the ACC’s sixth man of the year in his only college basketball season. They hope they can use its potential and versatility to make this choice worthwhile later.
Great: C.
Cleveland Cavaliers
No. 5: Isaac Okoro, SF, Auburn
On most mock drafts, the Cavs took Obi Toppin with the fifth choice, but opted for the physical wing and strong defender instead. How much Okoro’s attack grows to match his defense will make or break that decision on the road
Great: B-
Dallas Mavericks
No. 18: Josh Green, SG, Arizona
No. 31: Tyrell Terry, PG, Stanford
No. 36: Tyler Bey, PF, Colorado
The Mavericks might have something to do with this class. Green has a lot of athleticism and can play defense, Terry was a late riser and Bey adds another defensive presence.
Great: B.
Denver nuggets
No. 22: Zeke Nnaji, PF, Arizona
No. 24: RJ Hampton, PG, New Zealand Breakers (Australia)
Hampton could be one of the bargains on this design if his shot improves. The former top recruit lost some excitement playing overseas instead of college, but the Nuggets have been doing well lately with players who may have slipped off draft boards. Nnaji also brings some head and size.
Great: B.
Detroit flask
No. 7: Killian Hayes, PG, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)
No. 16: Isaiah Stewart, C, Washington
No. 19: Saddiq Bey, SF, Villanova
No. 38: Saben Lee, PG, Vanderbilt
The Pistons are revising their list under the new GM Troy Weaver and he got off to a good start on Wednesday night. They were active in trades and ended up in the top 20 with three picks. Hayes and Stewart could be key pieces with some development, while Bey provides the steady presence that comes with playing under Jay Wright.
Great: ONE-
Golden State Warriors
No. 2: James Wiseman, PF / C, Memphis
No. 48: Nico Mannion, PG, Arizona
No. 51: Justinian Jessup, SG, Boise State
The warriors’ minds may have moved towards Klay Thompson’s health, but they got a powerful addition in Wiseman that could help them fight for a title when they are at full strength. He’s got a longer layoff than most, but he was a top recruit for a reason.
Great: B +
Houston Rockets
No. 52: Kenyon Martin Jr., SF, IMG Academy
It was a mostly quiet night for the Rockets, who traded number 16 for the Pistons with Trevor Ariza and then stuck to James Harden and Russell Westbrook, at least for the time being. Martin has some good NBA bloodlines, but who knows what kind of locker room he’ll be entering.
Great: C.
Indiana Pacers
No. 54: Cassius Stanley, SG, Duke
Another team that had to wait late into the night to make their only choice, the Pacers left with Stanley in hopes he could be a 3-and-D wing.
Great: C +
Los Angeles Clippers
No. 33: Daniel Oturu, C, Minnesota
No. 55: Jay Scrubb, SG, John A. Logan College
The Clippers got Luke Kennard in a three-team deal with the pistons and nets, but gave up Landry Shamet. Oturu offers a certain size inside, while scrubbing is an interesting choice from junior college.
Great: B-
Los Angeles Lakers
No picks
Great: Incomplete
Memphis grizzlies
No. 30: Desmond Bane, SG, TCU
No. 35: Xavier Tillman, C, Michigan state
No. 40: Robert Woodard II, SF, State of Mississippi
The Grizzlies went into the first round and landed Bane, who was one of the best shooters in the class and could benefit from Ja Morants Pass. Tillman could come in handy on defense, while Woodard offers a 3-and-D grand piano.
Great: B.
intense heat
No. 20: Precious Achiuwa, PF, Memphis
The Heat had a young big man in Bam Adebayo that season so they added another one. Achiuwa may still be a little raw, but it has tons of benefits.
Great: B.
Milwaukee Bucks
No. 45: Jordan Nwora, PF, Louisville
No. 60: Sam Merrill, SG, State of Utah
The bucks caused a sensation in the run-up to the design and swapped for Jrue Holiday. Then they added a pair of shooters who could be useful from the bench, like the Celtics.
Great: B-
Minnesota Timberwolves
Number 1: Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia
No. 23: Leandro Bolmaro, SG, FC Barcelona Lassa (Spain)
No. 28: Jaden McDaniels, PF, Washington
It’s been a tough year having the number 1 with no consensus on the top player, but Edwards certainly has the potential to be a star. He may have raised some eyebrows when he recently commented that he wasn’t a fan of basketball, but he could make people forget about this with his own game. Bolmaro was one of the top stashes while McDaniels is still raw.
Great: ONE-
New Orleans Pelicans
No. 13: Kira Lewis Jr., PG, Alabama
A year after shattering the draft solely because of Zion Williamson’s selection, the Pelicans brought him a playmaker who can overtake opponents. Lewis may have to fill out his frame, but it might be fun to see him with Williamson.
Great: B +
New York Knicks
No. 8: Obi Toppin, SF / PF, Dayton
No. 25: Immanuel Quickley, PG, Kentucky
The Knicks didn’t have to act to get Brooklyn’s own top pin. He was the best player in college basketball last year and brings an offensive punch that requires some defense work. They later turned picks # 27 and 38 into # 25 and a future pick for the second round in the hopes that Quickley will be the newest Kentucky star in the NBA.
Great: B +
Oklahoma City Thunder
No. 17: Aleksej Pokusevski, PF, Olympiacos Piraeus (Greece)
No. 37: Vit Krejci, PG, Saragossa (Spain)
Contrary to popular belief, the Thunders don’t own every selection of the next five designs in the first round – but they definitely seem to be trying. After a busy week of trading, they came up with a mostly calm draft by selecting two international buyers. Pokusevski takes some time to develop, but the Thunders are in no rush.
Great: C.
Orlando Magic
No. 15: Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina
The Magic is betting on Anthony to return from a tough season in North Carolina that was set back by knee surgery. If he’s back to the player who was a top high school recruit, the magic could be a gem.
Great: B.
Philadelphia 76ers
No. 21: Tyrese Maxey, SG, Kentucky
No. 34: Theo Maledon, PG, ASVEL (France)
No. 49: Isaiah Joe, SG, Arkansas
No. 58: Paul Reed, PF, DePaul
The Daryl Morey and Doc Rivers era in Philadelphia got off to a solid start: The 76s landed Maxey after the two-way gun slipped just a little to 21. Maledon could prove to be a useful piece at point guard while Joe is another great shooter.
Great: ONE-
Phoenix Suns
No. 10: Jalen Smith, PF, Maryland
The Suns made another surprising choice in getting Smith well ahead of what most had planned him to be. He can block shots and shoot the 3, but there were plenty of other fascinating options here
Great: D +
Portland Trail Blazer
No. 46: CJ Elleby, SG, Washington State
Elleby averaged 18.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 39.6 percent off the field last season, but he may have been a bit within reach.
Great: C-
Sacramento Kings
No. 12: Tyrese Haliburton, PG, State of Iowa
No. 43: Jahmi’us Ramsey, PG, Texas Tech
The kings must have been delighted when Haliburton fell into their lap. After some deliberation that he could have climbed to fourth place, Haliburton will join a backyard that features De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield.
Great: ONE-
San Antonio encourages
No. 11: Devin Vassell, SG, State of Florida
No. 41: Three Jones, PG, Duke
Vassell appears to be the next gem the Spurs unearth as a 3-D wing that bloomed late. They then selected Jones, another player who could benefit from the Spurs development process.
Great: ONE-
Toronto Raptors
No. 29: Malachi Flynn, PG, San Diego State
No. 59: Jalen Harris, SG, Nevada
With Fred VanVleet possibly leaving at the free agency, the Raptors drafted a position of need in Flynn who was a dynamic goalscorer in college.
Great: B +
Utah Jazz
No. 27: Udoka Azubuike, C, Kansas
No. 39: Elijah Hughes, SG, Syracuse
Azubuike brings a lot of size and physicality to Rudy Gobert, whose name hovers in trade rumors. Hughes was the ACC’s top scorer last season.
Great: C.
Washington Wizards
No. 9: Deni Avdija, SF / PF, Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)
No. 53: Cassius Winston, PG, State of Michigan
Avidja fell but could be a tough challenge for the Wizards if his aggressive offensive mentality stays in the NBA. Winston was a Michigan state gamer with heart and soul who could carve a role.
Great: B.
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