2020 NBA Draft: Desmond Bane is the ultimate draft sleeper

You’ve probably heard enough at this point about the 2020 NBA Draft not being great and not having any stars, but it’s been undersold so heavily I’d almost consider it underrated now. There’s actually a lot of quality players in this class, specifically at the guard positions and this is a draft that should provide some nice value in round two.

No player represents the theme of this draft being undervalued or fits that underdog mold more so than Desmond Bane of TCU. He is no stranger to being overlooked or doubted, he’s had to fight to get to this point his entire life.

His story started with struggle, having to move in with his great grandparents Bob and Fabbie Bane when he was just two years old. The reason for the move was Bane being brought up in an unstable environment with his mother Marissa, who was unprepared to be a parent at the time. His father Etieno Ekiko lives in Nigeria, something Bane didn’t learn till he was 13 years old and despite being a star at South Catholic High School in Richmond, Indiana, he received only one Division I offer his senior season.

He then spent four seasons in Fort Worth, Texas with the Horned Frogs of TCU and just improved his entire time there, being named an All-Big 12 first teamer this past year.

Now Bane finds himself as a projected first round pick by most analysts and pundits, but the doubt continues. People are concerned with his size and lack of elite athleticism, describing Bane as a safe pick, but with a limited ceiling. Well, I couldn’t disagree more with this notion and am surprised the former TCU star isn’t a lock for the lottery.

He’s probably my favorite prospect in this entire draft and has one of the most versatile skillsets in the class. I wanted to use this piece to look at Bane’s game and why I believe doubting him, as history has shown, is probably a bad idea for NBA teams.