G9.
Mavericks GM
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Incredibly, Stupidly, Way Too Early Draft Grades
2020 NBA Draft
(14-29)
#14: Los Angeles Clippers
Nico Mannion, PG
C B- B- C+ C B
Draft Grade: A (9.5/10)
Always nice to get a player who ranks #1 in any particular category. Mannion enters the league as owner of the best handles in his draft class. Another young teen eligible for a pot boost, expect Mannion to see a combination of time in the D-League and time on the court for the Clippers this season. With just a little bit of help Mannion could go a long way.
#15: Detroit Pistons
Josh Green, SF
B- C C C+ C- B
Draft Grade: D (6.5/10)
I hate this pick. I hate the series of events that brought us to this pick. I hate the mentality behind making this pick. As I stated in the previous article, I understand. 18-year-olds have a certain twinkle to them. This is true. They are like mythical creatures who could blossom into devastating giants. It’s fun to watch happen, but it rarely does. Stop swinging for the home run on guys who look like dumpster fires. Josh Green can’t shoot. He can barely defend. He can’t rebound. He’s lanky. Yet here we are. The Pistons roster has two players on it: Josh Green and Tyrese Maxey. R.I.P.to-the-city.
#16: Los Angeles Clippers
Scottie Lewis, SF
C+ C+ C B- C B
Draft Grade: B (8/10)
In contrast to the last pick, despite also being 18, Lewis actually looks promising. None of his ratings are fringe, quite yet, but he is eligible for quite a few boosts. Two full summer leagues and one full season in the D-League, combined with Lewis’s two chances of a pot boost and his naturally good-looking set of attributes make for an intriguing prospect. Don’t expect him to make a significant impact anytime soon, but it will be interesting to see how he produces for the Clippers during pre-season.
#17: Oklahoma City Thunder
Devon Dotson, PG
C C+ C+ C+ C- B
Draft Grade: B (8/10)
He’s not 18. He’s not well-developed. But he’s got a decent foundation. His potential remains relatively high. With some TLC the Thunder may be able to develop Dotson into a solid rotational point guard. Without seeing him play it’s hard to tell if he’s got it in him, but he certainly has the attributional foundation you would want in a rotational point guard. Some time behind Russell Westbrook may serve Dotson extraordinarily well.
#18: Los Angeles Clippers
LaMelo Ball, PG
C C+ C C+ D+ A
Draft Grade: B (8/10)
Going to be completely honest and say I’m not a fan of this pick here but, it’s Cloud. He may have seen something in his scouts or have a bit more faith (or simply desire) in TC luck, but I think he had a couple guys that could’ve gone ahead of LaMelo. Worth noting that this is Cloud’s 4th draft pick in this draft, so at this point he may have felt safe to swing for the fences on a chance ball. We’ll see how it plays out. I would personally vouch for Tre Mann or Patrick Williams over LaMelo, but in this Incredibly, Stupidly, Way Too Early discussion, who really knows?
#19: New Orleans Pelicans
Mustapha Heron, SF
C+ B- C- C+ C B
Draft Grade: C (7.5/10)
In a world where Patrick Williams was already off the board, Mustapha Heron would be a great pick for the Pelicans here. Amidst some confusion though, Williams went by undrafted by mistake. Henny selected Mustapha Heron, who came in a bit behind Williams in my pre-draft rankings. He’ll require some training, coaching, and time in the gym, but Heron does have the potential to develop into a consistent wing backup.
#20: Minnesota Timberwolves
Djorde Pazin, SF
C B- C- C+ C- A
Draft Grade: B (8.5/10)
I like Pazin a bit more than Heron, and both are a bit behind Patrick Williams. Both GM’s here wanted Patrick but due to the confusion he slipped by yet again. In future drafts expect communication to be improved upon and for GM’s to pay attention to the status of potential draftees. Pazin rounds out the bottom side of the A-letter potential players and he’s get a foundation you like to see for a wing player. Some love from the TC gods and development could make Pazin a cornerstone bench contributor in years to come.
#21: Houston Rockets
Arnas Velicka, PG
C C+ B- B- C- B
Draft Grade: C (7.5/10)
I don’t think Velicka was the best point guard left on the board, so this pick gets a poor grade. Velicka still possesses a decent enough skillset and the potential to develop into a contributor, but I really would’ve liked to see Tre Mann in a Rockets jersey here. Velicka is very, very lackluster offensively and Houston needs some spark to replace that James Harden electricity that recently departed Houston. We’ll see how Velicka plays out, but keep an eye out on how different he and Tre Mann develop offensively.
#22: Indiana Pacers
Tre Mann, PG
C C+ C B- C- B
Draft Grade: A- (9/10)
Good pick here, Beats. 19, so still eligible for a bit of a lucky boost. Upper fringe outside. Bit skinny, maybe quick? Hard to tell in these incredibly, stupidly, way too early draft discussions. He’s got the attributes and the frame that says “quick playmaker,” but it could very well be “quick to turnover,” or “good handling but slow.” We’ll see, but he’s certainly an intriguing prospect to fall all the way to pick number 22. If his outside keeps boosting expect to see him playing significant minutes for the Indiana Pacers early in his career.
#23: Phoenix Suns
Bryan Antoine, SG
C B C C+ C B
Draft Grade: A (9.5/10)
I like this pick, a lot more than my ranking system did. Antoine came in at #29 on my special “formula” ranked big board, but I think he’s a bit more promising than that. B outside is already quite high, he is 18, and he is eligible for a bit of developmental boosts. If the Suns take care of Antoine early on in his career, he could develop into a consistent starting two-guard for this young team. We will watch his career with great interest. Imagine Ayton and Wiseman feasting off the glass and kicking out to wide open looks for this young sniper. Sounds fun.
#24: Boston Celtics
Patrick Williams, SF
C+ C+ C- C+ B
Draft Grade: A (9.5/10)
Should’ve very well gone ahead of the two small-forwards picked ahead of him. Williams is pretty sneaky fringe quite practically across the board. He’s got a nice frame at 6’7,” 215 lbs. He’s 18 and eligible for two possible boosts (and his pot is already quite high). Him falling to 24 may be a blessing though, as it gives him nearly the maximum possibilities of developmental aid. Williams remains quite raw as of now though, so don’t expect to hear much about him until that developmental aid begins to make an impact.
#25: Charlotte Hornets
Onyeka Okongwu, C
C+ C D- C C+ B
Draft Grade: C (7.5/10)
Not a fan of this pick here. A quick peek at my big board reveals four centers who rank higher than Okongwu in both immediate and long term value. He’s a bit of a reach, but this late in the draft the GM’s are more likely to swing for the fences. Okongwu being 18 makes him, like many of the others in this draft, eligible for two possible potential boosts. Those two boosts setup a wild chain reaction in which Okongwu becomes the leagues most valuable center. Sometimes it’s just worth taking the risk. We’ll see if it pays off here for the Hornets.
#26: Toronto Raptors
Precious Achiuwa, SF
B C D+ C C B
Draft Grade: C (7.5/10)
Donkey said he should’ve gone top 10… I don’t see it. His shooting makes him a horrible option at the three and his defense and rebounding will leave a lot to be desired if he sees minutes in the frontcourt. Achiuwa sounds cool on paper, but it doesn’t translate to the court. Maybe in a different era of the NBA altogether would we see Achiuwa become a significant contributor. But in this league of shooters and camping the paint, he’s an odd man out.
#27: Denver Nuggets
E.J. Montgomery, PF
C C- F+ B- C B
Draft Grade: B (8.5/10)
Classic Greeme pick. Really, who could’ve seen this coming? I’ve been in and out of BSL for the past few leagues, but I do vividly remember Montgomery always being in the possession of Greeme. We’ll see how he pans out this league. He’s coming in with already stout defense for a rookie. His attributional set makes him a perfect Greeme big, someone who can soak up minutes, camp the glass, and move the ball to the shooters. Shame he didn’t fall just a few more picks, could’ve gotten the full developmental treatment and become a true Hall of Rotational Bigs candidate.
#28: Portland Trailblazers
Sam Hauser, SF
C B C- C+ C B
Draft Grade: A- (9/10)
Big fan of this pick here. Hauser comes in as one of the oldest members of his draft class, but he’s already quite developed offensively. With a bit of strength training, time in the summer league, coaching, and training camp we may see young Hauser rocking B- B+ offense during his rookie year. Expect him to fight for minutes on this scrappy Trailblazers team. With a bit of TC luck Hauser could easily come to takeover for Trevor Ariza of the Trailblazers.
#29: Cleveland Cavaliers
Kahlil Whitney, SF
B- C D+ C C B
Draft Grade: C (7.5/10)
Very similar to Precious Achiuwa is this pick. I just don’t like these types of players in FBB. You’re going to end up with a wing who stalls your offense and is a black hole everywhere except for on the drive. He’s young at 19 so he’s got that small chance of exploding into an inside playmaker, but other than that Whitney will likely always be lackluster. Expect him to be out of this league within the three seasons time.
Notable 2nd Round Picks That May Have Been 1st Round Worthy:
Quade Green, PG
Nick Richards, C
Jeremiah Tilmon, C
Omer Yurtseven, C
Joey Baker, SF
Marques Bolden, C
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