2020 NBA Draft Big Board: A final ranking of the top 14 prospects

Ranking the top 14 NBA Draft prospects as draft day approaches

Here we go. The NBA offseason has officially begun and we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel of the longest draft season in history. Here is my final big board of the top prospects in the 2020 NBA Draft:

Note that there isn’t a single prospect in the all-NBA tier (I had Luka Doncic there in 2018 and Zion Williamson in 2019) or the all-star tier.

Tier 1 (good starter)

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1. LaMelo Ball, Illawarra Hawks

Full scouting report here

LaMelo Ball is different; in every sense of the word. His entire life up to this point has made for fascinating thought exercise in prospect development: What happens when you give a player the perfect storm of unlimited resources/exposure to older competition with as much room for experimentation as possible?

This unconventional track has led to potential game-changing talents and also major red-flags (never had to face the repercussions of bad habits). Handing LaMelo the keys to your franchise is a terrifying thought, but at the same time how low is his floor really? He’s 6-foot-7, already an all-world passer and ball-handler at age 19, and owns a genius understanding of the game.

Tier 2 (starter)

2. Onyeka Okongwu, USC

Full scouting report here

If Onyeka Okongwu was a 7-footer, I’d call him a future DPOY in waiting. Instead, he’s likely going to be more of a versatile defender than a purely dominant one. But as we’ve seen year after year in the playoffs – when conventional pick-and-roll defense goes out the window – centers who can hang on the perimeter become that much more valuable.

While Onyeka is rawer offensively than some admit, he should still be able to hold his own as a relentless play-finisher (screen and rolls, offensive rebounding) until/if the skills catch up.

3. Killian Hayes, Ratiopharm Ulm

Full scouting report here

Killian Hayes has many noticeable warts to his game – the left-hand dominance, the lack of quick-twitch athleticism, the shaky catch-and-shoot jumper, the ugly lost-ball turnovers. But I think that we’re overthinking this; 6-foot-5 teenaged point guards with incredible vision and skill/polish in the pick-and-roll don’t exactly grow on trees.

There are very few prospects in this class with “lead shot-creator” potential, and Hayes is one of them.

4. Anthony Edwards, Georgia

Full scouting report here

Anthony Edwards is an immense talent; he does stuff on a basketball court that mere mortals can only dream of trying. He’ll also always leave you wanting more. Between his play-style on offense and overall motor/competitiveness, I don’t believe Edwards possesses the lofty upside that many hope. That said, Ant-Man is going to be a good NBA player for a long time based solely on his natural gifts alone.

5. James Wiseman, Memphis

Full scouting report here

James Wiseman looks the part of the next star NBA big-man. The only problem is that the track record of him producing or defending in a high-stakes environment is extremely limited. With the role of the center in this era constantly in flux, is it even worth investing in a (relatively) traditional center, especially one as unknown as Wiseman?

6. Deni Avdija, Maccabi Tel Aviv

Full scouting report here

Deni Avdija isn’t exactly a true wing, nor is he really a big man. He isn’t going to be a primary shot-creator, nor is he going to be a dependent, play-finisher. Deni’s a basketball player, and he’s going to a major asset to any team (especially good ones). You worry that he runs into the versatility “jack of all trades, master of none” issue, but I’m confident enough in Avdija’s talent and acumen for the game (he’s got a bit of edginess to him as well) that he’ll find a way to make an impact.

7. Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State

Full scouting report here

Tyrese Haliburton is the definition of a proven commodity. He’s going to excel in a complementary role – accumulating video-game efficiency numbers and keeping the machine churning with passing IQ/decision-making. Asking him to run pick-and-roll? That’s a different story. Haliburton’s upside might not be too appealing, but he’ll be the type of fourth/fifth piece that every championship team needs.

8. Isaac Okoro, Auburn

Full scouting report here

Isaac Okoro doesn’t really fit the mold of a traditional “3-and-D” wing. The jump shot is a concern, and he’ll likely be overmatched guarding the top perimeter guys one-on-one. But Okoro’s still going to find a way to impact the game in ways that don’t show up in the traditional box-score. It’s no accident that he’s won at pretty much every level.

I didn’t have the time/bandwidth to go in-depth on too many of the rest of the projected first-round prospects, but here’s how I’d order the next tier:

Tier 3 (fringe starter/backup)

9. Patrick Williams (full scouting report here)

10. Tyrese Maxey

11. Aleksej Pokuševski

12. Kira Lewis Jr.

13. R.J. Hampton (full scouting report here)

14. Josh Green

Man, this draft is rough. After that, we have a giant morass of prospects (from the 15 to 40ish range) that don’t inspire too much. The hope here is that you land a player who can potentially be in a rotation down the road.