Rick Rycroft / Associated Press
The Minnesota Timberwolves will be the first team on the clock in the 2020 NBA draft after winning the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday’s lottery.
The celebrations in Minneapolis are likely to be somewhat submerged compared to the reaction in the Big Easy when the New Orleans Pelicans won the 2019 draft lottery. From the moment the results came in, Zion Williamson was beaten in the Pelicans’ front court.
The concept class for 2020 lacks a comparable best consensus available.
With the lottery now complete, the first round of the draft is set.
2020 NBA Draft: First-round order
1. Minnesota Timberwolves
2 Golden State Warriors
3 Charlotte Hornets
4. Chicago Bulls
5 Cleveland Cavaliers
6 Atlanta Hawks
7 Detroit Pistons
8 New York Knicks
9. Washington Wizards
10 Phoenix Suns
11. San Antonio Spurs
12. Sacramento Kings
13. Pelicans of New Orleans
14. Boston Celtics (via Grizzlies)
15. Orlando Magic
16. Portland Trail Blazers
Minnesota Timberwolves (via Nets)
18. Dallas Mavericks
19. Brooklyn Nets (via 76ers)
20. Miami Heat
21. Philadelphia 76ers (via Thunder)
22. Denver Nuggets (via Rockets)
23. Utah Jazz
24. Milwaukee Bucks (via Pacers)
25 Oklahoma City Thunder (via Nuggets)
26. Boston Celtics
27. New York Knicks (via Clippers)
28. Los Angeles Lakers
29. Toronto Raptors
30. Boston Celtics (via Bucks)
In his most recent mock draft, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report caught Georgia star Anthony Edwards going to the Atlanta Hawks. LaMelo Ball, who no. 2 went to the Detroit Pistons, is considered by some to be the top prospect, but would not make sense in a team that already has Trae Young.
Wasserman reported Thursday that ‘opinions are all over the place “regarding the incoming class and that the results of the concept may not match the views of fans and experts:
“The general faith all year long had LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman as top three overall favorites, with Obi Toppin, Deni Avdija, Onyeka Okongwu and Isaac Okoro mixed in a tier that either overlapped a bit as follows. But based on some scouts’ takes I heard the past few weeks, mock drafts could easily be seen from the top.
“I have heard that Avdija was ranked higher than LaMelo. Wiseman voted like a lottery for lottery. Jalen Smith on Okongwu. Okoro is compared to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Patrick Williams named a sleeper to be the top prospect of the concept. D ‘ r are international scouts with Killian Hayes top five, and university scouts who ‘don’t see it.’ “
Evaluating a player’s skill set and projecting his value is difficult enough under normal circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the process even harder by forcing the cancellation of the NCAA tournament and traditional draft showcases.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski announced on Tuesday that the NBA is looking to stage regional versions of the combination, with the video of a player’s training and his measurement messages forwarded to all 30 teams.
However, Wojnarowski wrote that “it is unlikely that many, if any, top 2020 concept perspectives will agree with the workout sessions that will be virtually shared with the teams of the combined sites’ league.”
For basketball president Gersson Rosas and general manager Scott Layden, the No. 1 pick was the land part. Trying what to do with it will be the real test.
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