With a definitive date for the 2020 NBA draft set for Oct. 15, teams are continuing to Zoom with potential players and figure out how to best fit their needs.
What makes this year's draft so exciting is that there's no clear No. 1 pick, unlike in 2019 when Zion Williamson was the overall favorite to go No. 1. Cases have been made for many different players to go first, including LaMelo Ball and Georgia's Anthony Edwards.
There are plenty of positions to analyze, with incredible shooting guards available, such as Edwards, New Zealand's RJ Hampton and Kentucky's Tyrese Maxey. Not to mention the multitude of forwards, like Auburn's Isaac Okoro and power forward/center Obi Toppin, just to name a couple.
However, we're going to focus on some of the top point guards in the draft. Many mock drafts have Ball, Cole Anthony, Killian Hayes and Tyrese Haliburton going in the top 15, and some even have all four going in the top 10.
Plenty of teams with a top-15 pick either desperately need a point guard, like the New York Knicks, or could draft one if the player fits their team, such as the Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs. Since the Detroit Pistons are in a rebuild, they should be looking to draft the best available player at any position.
Here's a breakdown of the four aforementioned point guards, including predictions as to where they may land.
LaMelo Ball, PG/SG, Illawarra Hawks
The infamous LaMelo Ball took a less traditional path to the NBA, opting to play in Australia for the Illawarra Hawks instead of doing a year (or more) at a college in the U.S.
In the NBL, Ball averaged 17.0 points, 7.0 assists, and 7.5 rebounds. He still has more work to do before he can become a true star in the NBA, as he only shot 37 percent from the field in Australia.
Ball has the potential to be a franchise-changing player, but with his high ceiling comes high risk. He's a high-volume shooter and has deep range but only shot 24 percent from beyond the arc in his 12 games in Australia. His size and wingspan also give him potential defensively, but he still struggles to win one-on-ones.
Our most recent mock draft has Ball going No. 3 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves, despite D'Angelo Russell playing well at the position this past season.
Ball had also been linked to the Golden State Warriors—with reports circulating they met with the 18-year-old on Zoom. However, the Warriors are rumored to be interested in a different point guard now. Ball could also be a good fit for the Pistons, who could be drafting at the No. 5 pick, to be a key playmaker in getting the ball to other shooters on the roster.
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslaterSo the Warriors will get more than a month of needed prep time between the lottery and draft. They've already met with prospects on Zoom, including James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball, I'm told. But expectation is they will be allowed to meet with prospects in person at some point.
Look to see Ball going in the top five, with Minnesota being a likely place he could land. The Timberwolves may find more success by pairing Ball with Russell in the backcourt.
Projection: Minnesota Timberwolves
Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina
In Cole Anthony's sole year at North Carolina, he averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Like Ball, he struggles to hit shots consistently, as he ended the year with a 38 percent field-goal percentage.
Carolina Basketball @UNC_Basketball2️⃣ Cole Anthony Freshman Highlight 📼 📊 Stats ⤵️ 🔹 2️⃣ND in the ACC in scoring ➡️ 18.5 🔹 Rebounding ➡️ 5.7 🔹 Assists ➡️ 4.0 https://t.co/XvCnSDdQgc
An injury limited him to just 22 games, but he was the offensive catalyzer for an otherwise underwhelming Tar Heels team. His description as a score-first lead guard by CBS Sports' Kyle Boone bodes well for teams such as the Knicks, who are looking for a franchise point guard to lead the offense.
The 6'3" New York native comes into the draft already linked to the Knicks. According to Ian Begley of SNY (h/t Yahoo Sports), an NCAA source reported Anthony's hometown team—and the team his father, Greg Anthony, played guard for—has scouted him extensively. His game style would complement shooting guard RJ Barrett well, too.
Anthony's scoring upside could potentially make him a top-10 pick; however, he could also thrive as a sharp shooter off the bench. And even though his shooting percentage was low at North Carolina, he has plenty of time to work on his shot, maybe alongside Barrett.
Even though the Knicks have been projected to land Killian Hayes in recent mock drafts, there seems to be too much going in Anthony's favor to land in New York.
Projection: New York Knicks
Killian Hayes, PG, Ratiopharm Ulm
There's a lot of hype surrounding the under-the-radar French guard, Killian Hayes.
Hayes' playmaking ability, style and drive have people likening him to James Harden. His strong presence in the paint and ability to attack the defense with contact make him a great playmaker at point guard.
The 18-year-old—who was born in the U.S. but spent most of his life in France—averaged 12.8 points, 6.2 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals in EuroCup competition this past year with Ratiopharm Ulm. He shot 45.5 percent from the field and 39.0 percent from three-point range.
DraftExpressContent @DXContent6-5 PG Killian Hayes, who averaged 12 PPG (59% 2PT%) + 5.6 APG for #Ratiopharm #Ulm in the #Bundesliga + #EuroCup, just declared for the 2020 #nbadraft, via @DraftExpress. He was identified early in his career as a top international prospect >> https://t.co/t73IkRlS5n https://t.co/UuqUWpfIVp
Hayes is an exciting prospect, but his exact landing spot in the draft is a mystery because of the pull of stars such as Toppin and Wiseman.
However, as we stated earlier, many teams have a need for a playmaker, such as the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are likely to pick in the latter half of the top 10, which is where Hayes is projected to go in many mock drafts. Phoenix could also use a potential franchise point guard to pair with Devin Booker in the backcourt.
Projection: Phoenix Suns
Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Iowa State
While we've already taken a look into Tyrese Haliburton, this wouldn't be a discussion about the top point guards in the draft without him. With big names like Ball, Anthony and Hayes all in the mix for the point guard position, Haliburton may be swept aside. But he shouldn't be.
The 6'5" guard opted to stay at Iowa State for a second year and greatly improved his game and stats during his sophomore year, despite it being cut short. He averaged 15.2 points, 6.5 assists and 5.9 rebounds over 22 games, before a broken left wrist ended his season early in February. He also shot 50.4 percent from the field, proving his ability as a consistent scorer.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle's Connor Letourneau, Haliburton has emerged as the No. 1 point guard for the Warriors. However, with Golden State likely to receive the No. 1 overall pick, it seems unlikely that it won't choose one of the top overall players in the draft, such as Edwards.
It seems more likely that Haliburton will fall to the bottom of the top 10 or be one of the first picks outside of it. This is where the San Antonio Spurs come in. They're likely to pick right at the tail end of the top 10 and need to add a scorer. The Spurs could look to add a shooting guard, like Hampton, or they could go for a scoring playmaker, like Haliburton. His driving ability and high basketball IQ give him a huge scoring upside, and his size helps him crash the boards.
Jackson Frank @jackfrank_jjfSome Tyrese Haliburton highlights for your viewing pleasure. Hits the pull-up 3, perfect pocket pass, blocks the 3 and a pinpoint kick-ahead pass on the break https://t.co/Fu5Dj4o7Mo
The Spurs need a scorer now, and they can figure out where to put him later.
Projection: San Antonio Spurs
"ball" - Google News
June 08, 2020 at 01:13AM
https://ift.tt/2MES3iB
NBA Draft 2020: LaMelo Ball, Top Point Guards' Ideal Landing Spots, Predictions - Bleacher Report
"ball" - Google News
https://ift.tt/39CKzGV
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
No comments:
Post a Comment