Who should the Hornets take third in the NBA draft? ESPN’s Jay Bilas gives us his take
As the top analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the 2020 NBA draft, Jay Bilas has been studying the best available prospects for months.
So who better than Bilas — the current Charlotte resident and former Duke basketball player — to evaluate the players most likely to go to the Charlotte Hornets with the No. 3 overall pick they now hold?
In our recent phone interview, I asked Bilas to give me his list of the best half-dozen players in this draft — in order — and to provide his brief scouting report on each. He graciously complied, then added in a bonus opinion that there will be a college basketball season and NCAA tournament in 2020-21 (Bilas believes the field might shrink to 32 teams, however, and that “bubbles” will be widely utilized to get the season completed).
If the draft goes in order of Bilas’s rankings, the Hornets will end up with guard LaMelo Ball — the third-best player on Bilas’s board. The draft is currently slated for Oct. 16th, with Minnesota holding the first pick, Golden State the second and then the Hornets picking at No. 3.
From 1-6 on his board of the best 2020 NBA draft prospects, here’s Bilas on:
1. Anthony Edwards, Georgia, 6-foot-5, guard
Bilas says: “Anthony Edwards is the most dynamic athlete in the draft. He’s kind of like an Eric Gordon or Dwyane Wade type of player, and he can really score. He averaged about 20 a game (in one season) at Georgia. He can really do it all on offense. He can go right or left equally well, which is unusual. He’s got really deep range and he can make challenged shots.
“One question mark is his decision-making in shot selection — he takes some bad ones. He wasn’t as efficient as he should have been. His shooting percentages weren’t that good (29.4 from 3-point range and 40.2 overall). And I felt like he didn’t get to the free-throw line enough. He settled for a lot of jump shots when he could have put a ton of pressure on the rim and scored a bunch of points from the free-throw line.
“On defense, to sugarcoat it a little, he’s not been engaged as a defender as much as you’d like to see. He just doesn’t guard. And he’s fully capable of it. He fills his tank on the offensive end. And so he’s not a two-way player right now.
“But he’s still really young (Edwards is 19). And he’s just so talented … I like Edwards’ chances to be the best player in this draft. But it’s close. Some years it’s clear who that player is; this is not one of those years. But I’ve got him at No. 1.”
2. James Wiseman, Memphis, 7-1, center
Bilas says: “If this were 10 years ago (before the NBA’s increased emphasis on outside shooting and the three-point line), Wiseman would be No. 1. He’s a lefty who reminds me of a lot of Chris Bosh when Bosh came out of Georgia Tech. He’s 7-1, very mobile and can step away and shoot it. He rebounds at a high rate at both ends. Can block shots. Runs well. The only question with him as to just how great he’s going to be is: Can he consistently knock down NBA threes? Can he be a real stretch-five?
“And that’s honestly why I don’t have him at No. 1, because I don’t know the answer to that. He shoots a really good ball and he’s a good jump shooter. But it’s not like a natural skill of his where he’s (Kristaps) Porzingis or something, firing 30-footers.
“But I think we could look back one day and say: ‘Well, why wasn’t he the no-brainer No. 1?’ Maybe if he had played the whole year at Memphis — but he quit (after three games in the midst of eligibility issues). I didn’t know what to think about that. ... But he’s got it all. Clearly, not playing the whole year (in college) wasn’t helpful.
“And I think not being able to work out for NBA teams isn’t helpful either. ... But it’s not really going to hurt him. If he ends up as the No. 2 or No. 3 pick, that’s hardly going to be a big deal.”
3. LaMelo Ball, Australia, 6-7, guard
Bilas says: “Ball has positional size. He’s a legitimate 6-7 or 6-8. He’s insanely creative with the ball. He’s ridiculously talented. Just a fabulous passer; every bit the passer his brother (Lonzo, a point guard for the New Orleans Pelicans) is. He just doesn’t shoot it (well). He’s going to have to really work on it. He’s got an odd release. And worse than the odd release? It doesn’t go in.
“With Anthony Edwards, he doesn’t shoot a great percentage but he’s still a really good shooter. I don’t see the same thing with LaMelo Ball.
“I think he can improve upon (his shooting) and become more consistent. But is he going to be like one of the Warriors guys that knocked shots down? I don’t see that. One thing the NBA has proven is they can take a below-average shooter and make you into a competent shooter. But I don’t know that many below-average shooters that become excellent shooters.
“Everything got better while he was in Australia. He became a more focused player and really matured. But he’s another guy where he’s only played at one end of the floor. He’s capable of defending. He’s just got to knuckle under and do it.
“The other part of it is he’s not been socialized. He’s not taken the standard route. So I don’t know how that factors in to whether he’s going to be as successful as his talent suggests he should be in the NBA.
“He started at Chino Hills (Calif.) High School and he was one of the guys scoring all these points but not passing half-court on defense. And then he went overseas to Lithuania where it was a Kardashian-like experience. You wondered was it a reality TV show, or was he a player, or some combination of both?
“And then he went to SPIRE (Institute, in Ohio) and then to the NBL in Australia. So it’s been an odd path. And so if I were to draft him, I’d want to satisfy myself that he could step in and that his socialization wasn’t an issue.”
4. Deni Avdija, Israel, 6-9, guard/forward
Bilas says: “He’s really good — 6-9 and very, very skilled. His shooting has really improved. He had some low numbers from the free-throw line but he can really play. A very good defender. Plays really hard on both ends of the floor.
“I’d hesitate to say he’s Luka Doncic because I don’t think he is. But he’s the best international prospect of the draft; in this case I’m putting LaMelo Ball as an American prospect even though he most recently played in Australia. But he’s the best international player, and he will continue to get better.”
5. Obi Toppin, Dayton, 6-9, power forward
Bilas says: “I thought he was the national player of the year last year out of Dayton. Had he played in the tournament, Dayton was very capable of being a Final Four team. He reminds me a little bit of Amare Stoudemire the way he plays — his build, his athleticism and how he’s an above-the-rim athlete who can also step away and knock down threes.
“Toppin is a good shooter and really runs the floor. Some people say, ‘Well, he leaks out early.’ And he does. But he can really get down on the floor and he’s an excellent finisher in transition. He could be a better rebounder, but he does rebound.
“The question for him is how well does he move laterally and will he be able to switch and guard smaller players? Will he be able to effectively guard pick-and-roll situations? But the athleticism is just freaky good.”
6. Isaac Okoro, Auburn, 6-6, forward
Bilas says: “Really, really good defender — plays his butt off. He’s the best defender in the draft. He can switch on to anybody.
“He’s got a winning attitude, he’s an excellent offensive rebounder and he can really drive it. So he can not only get to the rim, but he can get to the free-throw line.
“If you could combine him and Anthony Edwards, man, you’d have a handful there. Okoro is an underrated passer, too. But he has to develop into a better shooter (Okoro went 28.6 percent from 3-point range in his one year at Auburn). And will he?
“In today’s NBA, non-shooters are going to be so limited because they can’t stretch the floor and the other team can help off of you. But Okoro has value with everything else. The only thing that puts him somewhat further down the draft board is the shooting.”
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
