By: Anthony Martinez, Sports Editor
After being extremely delayed due to the postponement of the NBA season as a result of the pandemic, on Nov. 18, the draft finally took place. Teams have completely changed their future, some well received selections and some that were not so much.
With the first pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected Anthony Edwards, the shooting guard out of Georgia. No one was surprised by this pick; this draft was highlighted by the top three stars within which included Edwards.
Edwards is the best fit for the Timberwolves as they already have an established center and point guard on the team, so a shooting guard was a glaring need. One phrase that could describe Edwards is explosive, extreme athleticism. His perimeter shot isn’t great by any means but there is reason to be optimistic because of his ability as a pull-up jump shooter in college.
Outside of his three-point shot, there are some concerns with how much he truly enjoys playing the game of basketball and if he will have the drive to be one of the greats. If he does, then there should be no reason why he won’t be a star for years to come.
With the second pick of the draft, the Golden State Warriors selected James Wiseman, center, out of Memphis. This was before Warriors star, Klay Thompson, tore his achilles. At this point, they didn’t need another guard like LaMelo Ball, so Wiseman was the obvious selection.
Wiseman has incredible size standing at 7’1” and a 7-5 wingspan. He should immediately have a presence as a rim protector and a rebounder. Some scouts question his impact as a somewhat throwback-style center, but he has a little bit of offensive versatility to his game.
It definitely needs to improve but if he can develop an at least consistent mid-range game and be a more offensive skilled version of someone like Deandre Jordan, which he might already be, he will have a significant role in the league for years.
With the third pick of the draft, the Hornets selected Ball, point guard, out of Chino Hills California. Ball potentially offers the most upside in the entire draft. A point guard standing at 6’7 is ridiculous and whose passing ability is tremendous. Incredible instincts for an 18-year-old. Instincts that travel over to the NBA level.
The concerns with Ball is his perimeter shot and defensive effort. Ball has shown that he could potentially excel in both down the road. At the worst, he could be a high volume, shooting three, like Luka Doncic doe,s and he does have a natural touch. An improved shot selection should increase his percentage as well. With quick feet, if he learns more about where he needs to be his defense will improve as well.
The rest of the top-ten had the Chicago Bulls with the fourth pick taking Patrick Williams from Florida State. That pick is all about Williams upside as he wasn’t the most productive in the draft while in college but is still very talented and was the second youngest player in the draft.
The Cleveland Cavilers selected Isaac Okoro with the fifth pick in the draft. Out of Auburn, Okoro is the best perimeter defender in the draft, he just needs to develop more as a scorer.
The sixth pick belonged to the Atlanta Hawks, and they selected Oneyka Okongwu from USC. Okongwu is extremely mobile for his size as a center, being that mobile makes him a versatile defender. He also has some decent touch from the mid-range but will need to improve as a shooter overall.
The seventh and eighth picks belonged to the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks respectively. While some analysts believed Williams might’ve been a reach for Chicago, everyone saw Tyrese Haliburton as a perfect pick for both teams, who both desperately need a point guard. Instead, Killian Hayes and Obi Toppin were taken and while talented, the choice raised some questions.
Deni Avdija was the ninth pick to the Washington Wizards. Avdija was seen once as a top-four pick so for him to get to Wizards, it seems to be a steal for them at the moment.
Other potential steals include Devin Vassell, the shooting guard who fell to the San Antonio Spurs, and Precious Achiuwa, the power forward who fell to the Miami Heat. Both organizations are well-known for developing good players, so for them to get their hands on players like these, they should do wonders for their careers.
The Miami Heat especially have consintely done a great job evaluating talent. From Bam Adebayo to Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn. The Heat just seem to always find talent and players with the right attitude for their organization and they might’ve done it again with Achiuwa.
That is only a few of the picks and really any player always has that potential to breakout in the league once it resumes on Nov. 22. It could be someone like RJ Hampton, or Jaden McDaniels, or Nico Manning, only time will tell, and everyone will be watching.
