Category: NBA Draft Blog

NBA Draft blog

Knicks select Obi Toppin with No. 8 pick in 2020 NBA Draft

The 2020 NBA Draft was Wednesday night, and with their lottery-pick selection, the New York Knicks took Obi Toppin. The New York Post:

Dayton’s 6-foot-9 scoring forward fell to No. 8 on Wednesday night, and Knicks president Leon Rose pounced on the National College Player of the Year, whom he nearly traded up to get…

Toppin’s lone weakness is his fire on the defensive end, and the Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau is a defensive coach.

“I learned a lot about Coach through this pandemic,’’ Toppin said of Thibodeau. “I understand he’s a defensive coach, and that’s one of my biggest things I need to work on. He’s going to make sure that I lock in and make sure that I become great one day. I feel like if I get that defensive scheme down, I’m going to be a really good player one day, a really great player one day.’’ …

The 22-year-old Toppin is a Creative Artists Agency client, and Rose had hoped all along he would fall. Rose used to run CAA, and Toppin has been working out with Rose’s first client, Rick Brunson, in South Jersey. Toppin has been compared to Shawn Marion and Amar’e Stoudemire, for his explosiveness.

And the New York Times:

When Toppin first walked through the doors at Mt. Zion, he stood 6-foot-5, weighed about 185 pounds and had trouble getting the attention of the best A.A.U. teams in his area. Today he is 6-foot-9, weighs 220 pounds and is the holder of the 2020 John R. Wooden Award for college player of the year after he led the Flyers to a 29-2 record last season.

He shoots from long range and midrange, and slashes to the rim, and he is known to electrify audiences with his innovative and acrobatic dunks.

“I don’t rank his dunks,” said Anthony Grant, the head coach at Dayton, “but he will definitely excite a crowd with his explosiveness, variety and showmanship. He’s fun to watch; must-see TV.”

The Knicks are rebuilding, and hope that Toppin will emerge alongside shooting guard R.J. Barrett and forward/center Mitchell Robinson as a key young building block.

Pistons select Killian Hayes at No. 7 overall in 2020 NBA Draft

The Detroit Pistons selected Killian Hayes with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Hayes, 6-5, 216, averaged 11.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 25.1 minutes through 20 games while playing for ratiopharm Ulm in Germany’s top league (BBL) a season ago. Hayes shot .497 from the floor and .852 from the free-throw line as he led all players under age 22 in scoring and assists in both the EuroCup league and German BBL this past season.

Prior to playing in Germany, the 19-year-old competed professionally in France for Cholet’s senior team from 2017-19. Hayes posted clips of 6.1 points and 2.7 assists on .435 shooting while suiting up in 43 games for the club. He also won a gold medal with France and was named MVP of the 2017 FIBA Under-16 European Championship (16.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 5.1 apg).

Hayes was born in Lakeland, Fla., before moving to France. His father, DeRon, played collegiately at Penn State and had a lengthy basketball career overseas, mostly in France.

The seventh overall selection marked the Pistons highest pick in the draft since 2010 and tied the franchise’s fourth-highest pick in any draft since 1981.

Hawks select Onyeka Okongwu with No. 6 pick in 2020 NBA Draft

The Atlanta Hawks selected forward/center Onyeka Okongwu (own-YEH-kuh oh-KONG-wu) from the University of Southern California with the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and added guard Skylar Mays from Louisiana State University with the 50th pick.

The 6’9 Okongwu led the Trojans in points per game, rebounds per game and blocks per game in his only collegiate season, averaging 16.2 points, 8.6 boards and 2.7 blocks in 28 appearances (all starts) in 2019-20. The Chino, Ca. native earned All-Pac-12 First Team honors and was a member of the Pac-12 All-Freshman team after leading the conference in FG% (.616), ranking second in blocks and second in total offensive rebounds (92). Okongwu scored in double figures on 25 occasions and recorded 11 double-doubles, including five contests with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. He set a USC freshman record with 76 blocked shots, including a school-record tying eight rejections in his first collegiate game on 11/5/19 against Florida A&M.

“He’s an unbelievable person,” Hawks General Manager and Head of Basketball Operations Travis Schlenk said about Okongwu. “Since I’ve been here, we’ve said, ‘character is at the top of our list,’ and he certainly checks that box in a big way. Secondly, going to on-floor, he’s a very, very good defensive basketball player. He can protect the rim, he can rebound and he’s a very good pick-and-roll center with very good instincts. Offensively, he’s got unbelievable hands. He catches everything. He’s got the seven-foot wingspan and he can run the floor. So, we’re really excited about him.”

Mays, a 6’4 guard, averaged 16.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals in 31 games (all starts) en route to an All-SEC First Team selection as a senior in 2019-20. A native of Baton Rouge, La., Mays became the first player in LSU history to record at least 1,600 points, 400 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals.

“We had Skylar ranked a lot higher (than No. 50),” Schlenk said of Mays. “A four-year guy, an extremely smart basketball player, a very good body, a combo guard, a high basketball IQ, skilled player. We were excited when he was there because, like I said, we had him ranked much higher than that.”

A summa cum laude graduate with a degree in kinesiology, Mays was the 2019-20 COSIDA Academic All-American Player of the Year, a three-time Academic All-American and a two-time SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Cavs select Isaac Okoro with No. 5 pick in 2020 NBA draft

The Cleveland Cavaliers have selected guard/forward Isaac Okoro (oh-CORE-oh) from Auburn University with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

In his lone collegiate season at Auburn in 2019-20, Okoro (6-6, 225) played in 28 games (all starts), averaging 12.8 points on .514 shooting, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 31.5 minutes per game. He was named to the 2019-20 All-SEC Second Team, All-Freshman Team and All-Defensive Team, becoming just the sixth player in SEC history to be named to an All-Conference Team, All-Defensive Team and All-Freshman Team in the same season, joining Kentucky’s Anthony Davis (2011-12), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2011-12) and Nerlens Noel (2012-13), LSU’s Jordan Mickey (2013-14) and Texas A&M’s Robert Williams (2016-17). Okoro is Auburn’s highest draft pick since Chris Morris was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft.

Okoro finished the 2019-20 season ranked 10th among all NCAA Division I freshmen in field goal percentage (.514) and was named to the Auburn Athletic Director’s Honor Roll after maintaining at least a 3.5 GPA in the fall. He became just the fourth Auburn player to ever earn SEC Freshman of the Week twice in a season (Nov. 18 and Dec. 9) and was the second Auburn freshman since 1990 to score in double figures in each of his first six NCAA games. Okoro won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup. He attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia, where he averaged 19.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.7 steals as a senior in 2018-19 and led the team to a state championship.

Bulls select Patrick Williams with No. 4 pick in 2020 NBA draft

With the 4th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls selected Florida State forward Patrick Williams.

Here’s Bulls.com on the move:

Edwards, who doesn’t turn 20 until next August as the second youngest player in this draft, is a physically imposing 6-8, 225 pound forward with a defensive mentality.

One of the concerns about the Bulls in recent seasons was the lack of physical, dominating play.

Williams would presumably address that with an aggressive game, a long seven-foot wing span and in perhaps a tribute to the late Jerry Krause a wide frame and broad shoulders that suggest ample room to grow. Krause, the longtime Bulls general manager, was known for spotting the extreme physical characteristics, which led the Bulls to Scottie Pippen.

Though Williams comes with warnings signs, in part, because of his youth and inexperience.

He’s primarily, at least for now, a scorer with a spot up mid range game and cutting to the basket scoring. He didn’t attempt many threes and shot just over 30 percent. But making more than 80 percent of his free throws suggests he will be a capable shooter.

Williams will have plenty of opportunity to earn minutes quite immediately on a Bulls squad with plenty of holes to fill.

Hornets pick LaMelo Ball third overall in 2020 NBA draft

The Charlotte Hornets tonight selected guard LaMelo Ball with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

The 6-7 Ball played for the Illawara Hawks of Australia’s National Basketball League during the 2019-20 season, earning NBL Rookie of the Year honors. In 12 games played, he averaged 17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game, ranking second in the league in assists and steals, eighth in rebounding and 17th in scoring. Ball became the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double when he tallied 32 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists against the Cairns Taipans. He then became the fourth player in NBL history and first since 2005 to record back-to-back triple-doubles when he tallied 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists vs. the New Zealand Breakers.

A native of Anaheim, California, Ball averaged 39.6 points, 14.6 rebounds and 11.5 assists in the Junior Basketball Association in 2018, winning a championship and earning All-Star honors in the league created by his father Lavar. In 2017-18, he left Chino Hills High School before the start of his junior season and played in eight games for Vytautas Prienai in Lithuania’s LKL, averaging 6.5 points and 2.4 assists.

As a freshman at Chino Hills High School in 2015-16, Ball won a state championship along with his brothers, Lonzo, currently with the New Orleans Pelicans, and LiAngelo. He was MaxPreps’ 2015-16 Co-National Freshman of the Year, sharing the honor with his teammate and fellow 2020 NBA Draft prospect Onyeka Okongwu. As a sophomore in 2016-17, he scored 92 points in a game, posting the second highest single-game total in California high school history.

Ball and his eldest brother Lonzo, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, become the first set of brothers to both be selected in the top three of the NBA Draft.

Timberwolves select Anthony Edwards first overall in 2020 NBA draft

The Minnesota Timberwolves tonight selected guard Anthony Edwards from the University of Georgia with the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

“We look forward to welcoming Anthony to the Timberwolves family as this year’s number one draft selection,” said President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas. “We are excited to add this young talent to our roster and continue his development to make him the best player he can be as he joins All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns and All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell here in Minneapolis.”

Edwards, 6-5, averaged 19.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in 33.0 minutes per game as a freshman last season. He tallied 610 points for the 2019-20 season, a total that ranks seventh on Georgia’s single-season scoring list (second among freshmen) and 10th all-time among SEC freshmen. The Atlanta native closed out the 19-20 season as the nation’s freshman scoring leader (19.1), standing as one of only three freshmen ranked in the top 100.

The 19-year-old shot 40.2 percent from the field (203-of-505) in his one season as a Bulldog. He ranked in the top 20 in six Georgia single-season statistical categories, including second in 3-point attempts (245), fifth in field goal attempts (505), 11th in 3-pointers (72), 17th in free throws (132) and 19th in both scoring average (19.1 ppg) and free throw attempts (171). During his freshman campaign, Edwards notched 27 double-figure scoring outings, 14 20-point performances, three 30-point contests and three double-doubles. A highlight from his freshman campaign includes scoring 37 points against Michigan State on Nov. 26, the most by a Georgia freshman since 1975.

Edwards was voted SEC Freshman of the Year by league coaches, becoming the first Bulldog to garner the honor since its inception in 2001. Among other acknowledgements, he was named SEC Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press, becoming the third Georgia honoree in team history. Edwards collected a school-record four SEC Freshman of the Week selections, on Dec. 2 (after Maui Jim Maui Invitational), Feb. 3 (vs. Missouri and Texas A&M), Feb. 24 (after victories over No. 13/12 Auburn and at Vanderbilt) and March 2 (after averaging 31.0 ppg in contests against South Carolina and Arkansas). For his first SEC Freshman of the Week selection on Dec 2, Edwards became the first UGA freshman since Jumaine Jones in 1998 to record consecutive double-doubles.

Born August 5, 2001, Edwards played at Therrell High School before transferring to Holy Spirit Prep in 2017. As a senior he posted averages of 25.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.1 spg and 1.1 bpg for the Cougars, leading the charge to a runner-up finish in the GISA Class 3A state tournament. During his junior year, Edwards led Holy Spirit to a 24-5 record and the GISA 3A state title after averaging 22.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.1 apg, 2.4 spg and 1.4 bpg per game.

Magic and Bucks trade second round draft picks

The Orlando Magic have acquired two future second round draft picks from the Milwaukee Bucks (a second round pick owed to Milwaukee from Indiana in either 2022, 2023 or 2024 and Milwaukee’s second round pick in 2026) in exchange for the Magic’s second round draft pick (45th overall) in the 2020 NBA Draft.

The 2020 NBA draft, which like many other 2020 events, had to be rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will take place tonight.

Knicks and Jazz trade draft picks, Ante Tomic

The New York Knicks have acquired the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft as well as the draft rights to Ante Tomić from the Utah Jazz in exchange for the 27th and 38th overall selections in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Tomić (7-2, 265-pound center), was originally selected by Utah in the second round (44th overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft. He has played his entire professional career overseas, most recently signing with Jovenut (Spain) after playing for FC Barcelona (2012-2020), Real Madrid (2010-12) and Zagreb (2004-10). The 33-year-old, Croatia-native, has won four Spanish Cups (2012, 2013, 2018, 2019) and one Liga ACB title (2014). He was named the Adriatic League MVP in 2009 and is a four-time All-ACB selection and two-time All-Euro League first team selection.

Some 2020 NBA draft role-player prospects the Jazz could target

The Jazz are at No. 23 in this year’s NBA draft. Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune on it:

There are some promising role-player prospects for the Jazz at No. 23 this year, too. While the lottery of this draft is one of the worst ever, it’s generally regarded to have relatively good talent in the middle of the order that figure to fill NBA rosters.

Among the highlights: TCU’s Desmond Bane is one of the draft’s best outside shooters while also showing defensive toughness, Arizona’s Josh Green is a menace on the wing while flashing the shooting and athleticism to be much more, Mississippi State’s Robert Woodard has the muscular, long frame to help defensively immediately, and Tyrell Terry, Tyrese Maxey and Theo Maledon all figure to be at least good backup guards in the NBA.

There is another wildcard to consider, though: the possibility of the Jazz trading up, trading down, or trading out of the draft.

The draft is tomorrow night, on ESPN TV.