2020 NBA Draft: Full draft big board 1.0 ranking 60 top prospects

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Edwards

We now know who's officially entered the draft and even though the NBA off-season is sure to look a little different, the 2020 NBA Draft is now scheduled for Friday, October 16, 2020.

Teams have already begun their draft process and so have we here at NBA.com. 

We've put together our big board of 60 players.

MORE: How potential No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards compares to All-Star Donovan Mitchell

Here's who have made the list:

1. Anthony Edwards (Georgia)

Edwards

In a number one pick, you’re looking for a player that brings a premium skill to the table and no single ability is as important in the modern NBA as the ability to create offence something Anthony Edwards does better than anyone in this draft class.

At 6’5” and 215 pounds with the skills and speed of a much smaller guard he was impossible to defend in space at the college level. His creative abilities project beautifully to the NBA game where an immaculately spaced floor will give him every opportunity to cook defenders off the bounce. Edwards will give a lucky team a potential primary scorer who has the physical tools to develop into an excellent defender as well.

2. LaMelo Ball (Illawarra Hawks)

Ball

The most recent evolution in NBA basketball is the move from small, traditional point guards handling the rock to bigger wings being the primary initiators, a trend started by LeBron James and Kevin Durant and more recently advanced by Ben Simmons and Luka Doncic.

In this draft class, it’s LaMelo Ball who brings ball handling and offensive creation to the table at 6’7”. His ability to read defences and make the flashy pass or get into the paint and demonstrate his otherworldly touch around the rim makes him an enticing prospect at the top of the draft. Teams will be hoping his jump shot straightens out and his effort on defence will finally improve under the bright lights of the highest level of hoops but offensive instincts at 6’7” are tough to ignore.

3. Obi Toppin (Dayton)

In most drafts, teams would be looking for a potential star at the top of the draft and while he might not have a ceiling as sky-high as some names on the board Obi Toppin is as close to a sure thing as there is in this draft.

The most outstanding college player in the 2019-20 season he showcased his marksmanship from behind the arc and explosive athleticism time and time again and it’s easy to see him as a stretchy frontcourt player in the NBA. He’s got NBA size, NBA explosiveness, and NBA shooting ability which makes him bust-proof and he easily projects to be a starting-calibre player for many years.

4. James Wiseman (Memphis)

How high will a true center get picked in this year’s draft? It’s tough to say as the value in drafting a big man has seriously lost its lustre in recent seasons but James Wiseman has the chance to make a team break the trend.

The moment Wiseman steps on an NBA floor he’s going to be one of the most athletic players in the league and at 7’1” with solid defensive instincts, he’ll be expected to bring dominance on the defensive end. While he might be considered a defence-first player, he’s got great touch around the rim and will punish teams that switch ball screens. With this athletism and touch you can pencil him in for a few easy buckets every night.

It’s tough to say what importance teams will place on drafting a true center in the 2020 draft but Wiseman’s physical gifts will make him awfully enticing.

5. Deni Avdija (Maccabi Tel Aviv)

Deni Avdija is a player that could easily be in the top three of this draft by the time things are said and done. He brings the similar offensive creation skills that LaMelo Ball brings the table, except he offers much more value on the defensive end.

Avdija (6’8”) was the regular pick and roll ball handler for Maccabi Tel Aviv and looked comfortably seemingly coasting through defences before making a pinpoint pass or finishing strong at the rim. On the other side of the floor, he’d take the role of locking down the opposing team’s best player.

Avdija is probably an average or maybe slightly below-average NBA athlete and hasn’t consistently been able to hit the three but he offers a level of defensive quality that similar ball handling wings in the NBA don’t have.

6. Isaac Okoro (Auburn)

More and more NBA teams are looking for versatile defensive wings that can switch onto anyone on the floor and in Isaac Okoro, a team is going to get a player considered to be the best defender in the class.

At 6’6” and 225 pounds he has a body that’s NBA ready and a motor unlike any of his peers. Any team in the league could find a place in their rotation for a wing with his defensive excellence. Most of the talk around Okoro will center around his defence but as a freshman, his passing ability was also tough to ignore. He showed the ability to attack a closeout and finish strong in the paint which made him valuable on the offensive end in college.

His jumper could use work and he’s not someone who is ever going to be the first, or second, or even third most important offensive player on a floor but his defence and energy level will endear himself to GMs. 

7. Killian Hayes (Ratiopharm Ulm)

The face of the point guard is changing rapidly in basketball and 6’5” Killian Hayes from France looks a lot like what teams want.

Not only does he have major length at the point guard position but he’s one of the fastest players in the draft which makes him enticing as a transition scorer in the run-and-gun NBA. Hayes is fast but still plays under control and shows a great deal of basketball IQ and there will definitely be coaches that see his size and skill and salivate at the thought of what they could do with him.

Like many young players, he hasn’t developed a consistent three-point stroke which is a cause for some concern but his jumper isn’t broken and he could definitely find his rhythm as a pro.

MORE: Which prospect are you most excited about?

8. Onyeka Okongwu (USC)

When projecting a center to the NBA there are two questions of utmost importance that need to be asked to ensure the big man isn’t going to be played off the floor in big games.

1) Can he contain the pick and roll and switch out on guards if needed? 2) can he contribute offensively without ruining the spacing or flow of the offence? 

In the case of Onyeka Okongwu, that’s a yes to both which makes him a safer pick than most bigs in recent years.

Incredibly physically developed at 6’9” and 220 pounds he looks ready to contribute in the NBA tomorrow and not only is he muscular but he’s light on his feet and flexible at the hips allowing him to stay in front of guards and match their changes of direction.

Offensively he’s not a floor spacer yet but he’s comfortable dribbling the ball and can take players off the bounce, something you don’t often see in the NBA from players of his size. The question of how valuable it is to draft centers high is going to loom over this draft and every draft in the future but Okongwu checks the boxes of what you need in a modern center and that could make him sought after. 

9. RJ Hampton (New Zealand Breakers) 

RJ Hampton

Coming out of high school RJ Hampton was expected to be in the mix for the number one pick in this draft and while he got exposed a bit playing in the NBL, he still offers a lot of intrigue as a 6’5” guard.

Players in the 6’5” range that can handle the ball and make plays are the type of athletes teams are looking to load up on Hampton fits the bill, though it’s not totally clear if teams will see him more of an instant offence guy off the bench or if they think he can be a starter. On the grassroots basketball scene, he was known as a shotmaker and isolation scorer but that was never really realized playing in a good Australian league, which will lead to some questioning if he can score in the NBA if he struggled to score in the NBL.

Hampton also needs to add muscle to what is a slim frame right now, but some teams are going to look at the fact he outplayed a number of the top picks all through his high school career and think they can recapture some of that magic once he’s in their program. 

10. Devin Vassell (Florida State)

Devin Vassell isn’t a name you would have expected to see in the lottery before the season started but consistent production for what was a fantastic Florida State team got eyes on the 6’6” wing and he has steadily risen up draft boards.

Vassell is easily projectable to the NBA as a 3-and-D wing. He’s a physical point of attack defender who knows how to use angles to plug up dribble penetration and can use his long arms to deter dribble drives or get into passing lanes when he’s guarding away from the ball. Teams are going to fall in love with the maturity of his game that lacks sloppy turnovers or ill-advised gambles on the defensive end and he’s someone that you can easily imagine in an NBA rotation.

This year’s draft lacks some star power and high-end talent and when it gets to this point in the lottery teams might value a safe 3-and-D pick like Vassell over taking a swing at a boom-or-bust guy. 

11. Saddiq Bey (Villanova)

Villanova’s Saddiq Bey is someone who lacks some of Devin Vassell’s physicality but brings more length to the table at 6’8”, and very well might be the better shooter.

At Villanova, he was the beneficiary of a great offence creating open looks for him and at this point in the draft he might end up on a solid team that could give him similar opportunities.

Bey is an intelligent player who demonstrates great shot selection and knows when to move the ball and will excel playing alongside talented creators. On the other end of the floor, he'll be a valuable defensive piece due to his length. 

12. Cole Anthony (North Carolina)

Cole Anthony had a rough year in college that saw his North Carolina team struggle mightily and also saw him getting a knee injury. Unfortunately even when healthy his individual tape isn’t glowing.

Once in the conversation for first overall pick, he’s now into the second half of the lottery on most boards and a lot of it is due to the fact that he’s not the athlete and finisher than many people thought he was. He struggled to convert in the paint even against college bigs, something that will be a concern looking towards the NBA game.

While he struggled to get buckets at the rim he still adds value as a shot-maker on the perimeter and is someone that can make the tough jumper at the end of a shot clock against heavy defensive pressure. Hitting tough jumpers off the bounce is a premium skill in today’s NBA and some teams are going to see that ability and know they can work with it and there is a chance he offers some great value near the bottom of the lottery. 

13. Josh Green (Arizona)

Green

Playing on a disorganized Arizona team Josh Green never had the chance to get the national attention he deserved but while his team struggled, on the whole, he was able to quietly put together a really nice NBA draft resume.

Green has excellent size for an NBA shooting guard at 6’5” with a 6’10” wingspan and with the ball-handling skills he possesses there are going to be some teams that imagine him playing the point which could also really help his stock. Whatever position he plays he’s going to offer offensive creativity which will generate easy buckets for himself as well as for his teammates as Green is underrated as a passer. The lack of team success by Arizona seems to have had a bit of a negative impact on Green’s stock but when you look at his play as an individual there is a lot to like as a prospect.

14. Aleksej Pokusevski (Olympiacos) 

He’s 7’0” tall, he can rip it from three, and he has ball-handling skills that are so good it almost looks comical from a man of his size.

There aren’t a lot of players like Aleksej Pokusevski in the league so there isn’t a natural archetype for how a player like this fits but at this point in the draft teams might start thinking about gambling and Pokusevski definitely has a high ceiling but low floor feel to him.

He’s thin as a rail right now and is probably a year or two away from being able to play on an NBA bench but the shooting and ball skills for a 7-footer are unique and worth a long look from front offices.

15. Nico Mannion (Arizona)

Nico Mannion is a scoring point guard who is one of the most creative scorers in the draft. As crafty as they come, he’ll use changes of direction and stutters in his pace that can leave defenders guessing and when that happens--they’re often wrong.

Mannion’s ability to keep defenders off balance is a joy to watch and coupled with his individual scoring skills is some true point guard ability and he does well to read defences and make the right pass many more times than not. The questions with Mannion will come with his lack of athleticism.

He does have decent length at 6’3” but he’s not explosive and was at times hurt on the defensive end by more athletic players. There will be some hesitancy regarding how he projects on his own end. While there are going to be questions about his defence he’s incredibly advanced on the offensive side and his work on that side of the floor is going to warrant lottery looks.

The rest of the field

Tyrese

16 Tyrese Haliburton (Iowa State)
17 Leandro Balmaro (FC Barcelona)
18 Tyrese Maxey (Kentucky)
19 Theo Maledon (ASVEL)
20 Reggie Perry (Mississippi State)
21 Jaden McDaniels (Washington)
22 Kira Lewis Jr. (Alabama)
23 Tyler Bey (Colorado)
24 Aaron Nesmith (Vanderbilt)
25 Patrick Williams (Florida State)
26 Vernon Carey Jr. (Duke)
27 Daniel Oturu (Minnesota)
28 Jahmi’us Ramsey (Texas Tech)
29 Precious Achiuwa (Memphis)
30 Zeke Nnaji (Arizona)
31 Amar Sylla (Filou Oostende)
32 Desmond Bane (TCU)
33 Tyrell Terry (Stanford)
34 Jordan Nwora (Louisville)
35 Lamar Stevens (Penn State)
36 Nick Richards (Kentucky)
37 Isaiah Stewart (Washington)
38 Tre Jones (Duke)
39 Jalen Smith (Maryland)
40 Devon Dotson (Kansas)
41 Paul Reed (DePaul)
42 Skylar Mays (LSU)
43 Makur Maker (Hillcrest Prep)
44 Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois)
45 Breein Tyree (Ole Miss)
46 Killian Tillie (Gonzaga)
47 Grant Riller (College Of Charleston)
48 Xavier Tillman (Michigan State)
49 Paul Eboua (VL Pesaro)
50 Payton Pritchard (Oregon)
51 Isaiah Joe (Arkansas)
52 Ashton Hagans (Kentucky)
53 Udoka Azubuike (Kansas)
54 Aboulaye N’Doye (Cholet)
55 Ty-Shon Alexander (Creighton)
56 Robert Woodard (Mississippi State)
57 Cassius Winston (Michigan State)
58 Jared Butler (Baylor)
59 Markus Howard (Marquette)
60 Immanuel Quickly (Kentucky)

The views expressed here do not represent those of the NBA or its clubs.

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