Winners and Losers of the 2020 NBA Draft
By: Michael Serio
Tags: Basketball, Predictions, Analysis, Competition, NBA

Part 1: Western Conference

With the 2020 NBA Draft freshly in the rear-view mirror, there is no better time than now to formulate completely preliminary opinions on each franchise’s draft decisions.

The draft came and went without any league-altering trades. In fact, the most impactful news on draft night surrounded an injury. It was reported that Golden State Warriors All-Star Klay Thompson suffered an injury while training. He had just recovered from a torn ACL in his left knee and now the Warriors announce that he has torn his right Achilles tendon. Yet another injury that will cost him the entirety of a season. Devastating news for NBA fans and obviously for Klay and the Warriors.

Fortunately for Golden State, the news of this injury came before the draft which allowed them to keep their #2 overall selection rather than trading it away.

Now that the draft is behind us and the guessing games are over, I want to dive into my Winners and Losers of the 2020 NBA Draft.

WINNERS: Western Conference

Nuggets

Denver does it again. In years past, they have had the guts to go after prospects other teams have deemed too risky. The selection of Michael Porter Jr. in 2018 followed with the Bol Bol 2nd round selection in 2019. Both moves look to be panning out just fine as of right now, and they are in a position where they do not need their draft picks to come in and contribute right away.

Denver selected Zeke Nnaji out of Arizona with their 22nd overall pick. A ball of energy that reminds me of what the Raptors have in Chris Boucher. A player that will need some time to develop in the G League but should bring a spark off the bench once he gets his shot with the Nuggets.

The 2nd pick made by Denver is the one that lands them on the list of draft day winners. They traded up to pick #24 to grab R.J. Hampton who played in Australia rather than going to college. He was highly recruited out of High School and could have gone to Kansas, Kentucky, and most of the other big-name collegiate programs. However, he took his talents overseas and learned how to play professionally. This experience in Australia should help his development. I really do see a comparison to Michael Porter Jr. A prospect that was highly touted out of college and high school but came with high risk. Denver has proven to be willing to take on high risk prospects and Hampton is no different.

Kings

The Kings walk away from this draft having selected a player that should have gone in the top 7. Tyrese Haliburton was projected to go anywhere from 2–8 in this draft. His recent interviews rather than his play on the court had GM’s raving about him. His maturity is beyond his years. The Kings did not have to trade up to draft him either. He simply fell into their lap. While they do have De’Aaron Fox as their point guard of the future, Haliburton should get the keys to the second unit.

Many believe the Kings would like to start Fox and Haliburton alongside one another. Haliburton is the type of player that limits his mistakes. When he is on the court, he will be making a positive impact. Whether that is scoring, facilitating, or playing solid defense.

The Kings landed arguably the most well rounded, NBA ready prospect in this draft. That is what lands them on the list of draft day winners.

Timberwolves

Obviously, the Timberwolves held the #1 pick and drafted Anthony Edwards. While I personally believe he has the highest bust potential of this draft class, Minnesota may have landed the biggest steal with their move to trade into the later picks of the 1st round.

The Timberwolves traded up to the #28 selection to take Jaden McDaniels out of Washington. McDaniels is a project, but if he pays off, we will look back on this selection as the steal of the draft.

Jaden McDaniels has a perfect size and frame for the modern NBA. He is a long 6’9” with the ability to handle the ball and shoot off the dribble. A completely outlandish comparison would be Kevin Durant. If McDaniels turns out to be half of what Kevin Durant is, the Timberwolves walked away from this draft with a ton of potential they can groom into the future of their franchise.

LOSERS: Western Conference

Warriors

Golden State landed one of, if not the most NBA ready prospect on the draft boards. James Wiseman will be a very productive player in the NBA and should contribute out of the gate. However, there is questions on whether the modern NBA has passed him up. The league is moving toward shooters. If Wiseman can develop his outside game, he has potential to become a ‘Unicorn’ or in layman’s terms, a generational talent.

Unfortunately, I do not believe his shot will develop enough make him and un-guardable talent. His game resembles that of the quintessential NBA big man of 10 years ago. This uncertainty at pick #2 combined with the horrible injury news of Klay Thompson lands the Warriors on my list of losers.

Trailblazers

Portland traded out of their first-round selection when they acquired Robert Covington from the Rockets. Albeit a solid pickup for their rotation, their one selection in the 2nd round turned into CJ Elleby from Washington State.

While the Blazers do not need their pick to come in and contribute right away, they could have done more on draft night. They passed up on potential steals of the draft in Cassius Stanley or Kenyon Martin Jr.

Again, due to the construction of their roster, they do not need an immediate impact player. I would have liked to see them take on a prospect like Cassius Stanley out of Duke. A projected top 10 pick a year ago fell all the way into the late 2nd round. The Trailblazers may have ended up in the Winner column had they selected a player with a higher ceiling.

Spurs

San Antonio landed two young prospects that fit their identity and ‘Culture.’ Devin Vassell and Tre Jones are safe prospects that should get plenty of opportunity to contribute right away. However, Tyrese Haliburton slipped down draft boards and the Spurs had a prime opportunity to steal him at #11.

Haliburton would have been a perfect fit for a Greg Popovich Point Guard. A player that is disciplined with basketball, gets other players involved and will never put himself over the success of the team. I think that was huge miss for San Antonio which lands them on this list.

Thunder

While OKC will control the first round of future NBA drafts, they missed on their picks in 2020. Due to a plethora draft day trades, the Thunder walked away with 3 international prospects. Aleksej Pokusevski, Theo Maledon, and Vit Krejci.

All three of these draft picks are risky. The Thunder are in a complete rebuild phase and having 3 young prospects to mold moving forward is never bad. However, with the construction of the current roster and what lies ahead, these three prospects are going to get thrown into heavy playing time. While many argue this ‘Trial by fire’ should help their development, often for international prospects it goes the opposite way. Confidence gets crushed out of the gate and there is no recovery.

OKC has no shortage of draft capital for the foreseeable future and will likely gain more throughout the years. However, draft capital is only valuable if you hit on your picks. I think all three of these could be massive misses. That is what lands the Thunder on the draft night Losers list.