I was excited about the previous Big Board I filed, on Feb. 28. We were heading into March Madness and I thought we would get some clarity during the most important games of the season in regard to the draft.<\/p>\n
Instead, chaos ensued. The coronavirus pandemic unleashed uncertainty into the draft cycle and put a preemptive end to the college basketball season. Instead of any sort of answers in regard to prospects in this draft, we got further obscurity. And now, with the country on lockdown for the foreseeable future, the postseason draft schedule has been plunged into a position where nobody really knows <\/a>\u00a0what it will look like. It\u2019s even unclear if the draft will be held on its currently scheduled date of June 23. No, really. We\u2019re at the point where scouts, executives, general managers, and the league itself doesn\u2019t know when the draft will be held, and rightfully so given that the league office has about 90 other problems to try and deal with prior to getting to the draft.\n<\/p>\n So what does that mean for the pre-draft process? Well, it means teams and evaluators like myself are poring over tape and trying to formulate opinions in the absence of the NCAA Tournament, workouts, the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, potentially the NBA Draft Combine and agency pro days. The case has even been made that this will lead to a more efficient draft process, where what you have on tape is what matters. Basically, teams won\u2019t be able to get in their own way by overthinking things when they have players in for pre-draft.<\/p>\n @media (min-width:500px) {.iframe-podcast-height {height: 200px;}}@media (max-width:500px) {.iframe-podcast-height {height: 165px;}}<\/p>\n \nI\u2019m not sure I buy that. Tape has always been the most important part of the evaluation process for most teams. And now, due to a shortage of in-person interaction, teams are going to be even less certain on factors like how a player will fit into the locker room. Additionally, everyone is very unclear on how medical testing will go for players who experienced injuries last season. Less information is always worse if you\u2019re practicing rational decision-making. And front offices \u2014 as a whole \u2014 have gotten smarter and better in recent years at making rational decisions in the draft.<\/p>\n Over the past week or so, I\u2019ve been watching as much tape as possible on the guys at the top of the draft and running through scenarios on who I would take for which team at the top. I\u2019m not quite done yet, but I have adjusted who I would take at No. 1 overall. Simply put, I wonder if we all might be overthinking the LaMelo Ball<\/a> part of this equation.\n<\/p>\n My 2020 NBA Draft Top-100 Board, version 4.0<\/p>\n Rank 1<\/p>\n LaMelo Ball, Illawarra Hawks<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 18<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n Anthony Edwards, Georgia<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 18<\/p>\n 6-4<\/p>\n 6-8<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n James Wiseman, Memphis<\/p>\n C<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 7-1<\/p>\n 7-6<\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n Obi Toppin, Dayton<\/p>\n F\/C<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n 6-11<\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n Deni Avdija, Maccabi Tel Aviv<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n Killian Hayes, Ulm<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 18<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Cole Anthony, North Carolina<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-3<\/p>\n 6-4<\/p>\n 8<\/p>\n Onyeka Okongwu, USC<\/p>\n F\/C<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-8<\/p>\n 7-0<\/p>\n 9<\/p>\n Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State<\/p>\n G\/W<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 10<\/p>\n Devin Vassell, Florida State<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 11<\/p>\n Isaac Okoro, Auburn<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n 12<\/p>\n Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-3<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n 13<\/p>\n Saddiq Bey, Villanova<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 14<\/p>\n Precious Achiuwa, Memphis<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n 7-2<\/p>\n 15<\/p>\n Aaron Nesmith, Vanderbilt<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n 16<\/p>\n R.J. Hampton, New Zealand Breakers<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n 17<\/p>\n Patrick Williams, Florida State<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 18<\/p>\n 6-8<\/p>\n 7-2<\/p>\n 18<\/p>\n Isaiah Stewart, Washington<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n 7-4<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n Jaden McDaniels, Washington<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n Tre Jones, Duke<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-2<\/p>\n 6-3<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n Xavier Tillman, Michigan State<\/p>\n F\/C<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n 7-1<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n Kira Lewis Jr., Alabama<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-3<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n 23<\/p>\n Theo Maledon, ASVEL<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-4<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 24<\/p>\n Jalen Smith, Maryland<\/p>\n F\/C<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n 7-0<\/p>\n 25<\/p>\n Daniel Oturu, Minnesota<\/p>\n C<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n 7-2<\/p>\n 26<\/p>\n Jahmi\u2019us Ramsey, Texas Tech<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-4<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 27<\/p>\n Killian Tillie, Gonzaga<\/p>\n F\/C<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n 28<\/p>\n Zeke Nnaji, Arizona<\/p>\n F\/C<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-11<\/p>\n 7-1<\/p>\n 29<\/p>\n Nico Mannion<\/a>, Arizona 19<\/p>\n 6-3<\/p>\n 6-3<\/p>\n 30<\/p>\n Grant Riller, Charleston<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 23<\/p>\n 6-3<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 31<\/p>\n Aleksej Pokusevski, Olympiacos B<\/p>\n C<\/p>\n 18<\/p>\n 7-0<\/p>\n 7-3<\/p>\n 32<\/p>\n Cassius Stanley, Duke<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 33<\/p>\n Josh Green, Arizona<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n 34<\/p>\n Vernon Carey, Duke<\/p>\n C<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n 7-0<\/p>\n 35<\/p>\n Cassius Winston, Michigan State<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-1<\/p>\n N?A<\/p>\n 36<\/p>\n Devon Dotson, Kansas<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-2<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n 37<\/p>\n Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 6-3<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 38<\/p>\n Leandro Bolmaro, Barcelona<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-7<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 39<\/p>\n Tyrell Terry, Stanford<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-2<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 40<\/p>\n Abdolaye Ndoye, Cholet<\/p>\n G\/W<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-7<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 41<\/p>\n Elijah Hughes, Syracuse<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 42<\/p>\n Udoka Azubuike, Kansas<\/p>\n C<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 7-0<\/p>\n 7-7<\/p>\n 43<\/p>\n Payton Pritchard, Oregon<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-2<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 44<\/p>\n Isaiah Joe, Arkansas<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 45<\/p>\n Robert Woodard, Mississippi State<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-8<\/p>\n 7-1<\/p>\n 46<\/p>\n Skylar Mays, LSU<\/p>\n G\/W<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-4<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 47<\/p>\n Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n 6-7<\/p>\n 48<\/p>\n Malachi Flynn, San Diego State<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-3<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 49<\/p>\n Paul Reed, DePaul<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n 7-2<\/p>\n 50<\/p>\n Trendon Watford, LSU<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-8<\/p>\n 7-2<\/p>\n 51<\/p>\n Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State<\/p>\n C<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n 7-3<\/p>\n 52<\/p>\n Desmond Bane, TCU<\/p>\n G\/W<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n 53<\/p>\n Keyontae Johnson, Florida<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 54<\/p>\n Ashton Hagans, Kentucky<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-3<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n 55<\/p>\n Markus Howard, Marquette<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 5-11<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 56<\/p>\n Scottie Lewis, Florida<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n 7-0<\/p>\n 57<\/p>\n Nick Richards, Kentucky<\/p>\n C<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 7-0<\/p>\n 7-4<\/p>\n 58<\/p>\n David Johnson, Louisville<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 59<\/p>\n Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n 7-1<\/p>\n 60<\/p>\n Myles Powell, Seton Hall<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-2<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 61<\/p>\n James Bouknight, Connecticut<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-4<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 62<\/p>\n Derrick Alston, Boise State<\/p>\n W\/F<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-8<\/p>\n 7-1<\/p>\n 63<\/p>\n Jordan Nwora, Louisville<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 6-7<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n 64<\/p>\n Joe Wieskamp, Iowa<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-7<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n 65<\/p>\n Jared Butler, Baylor<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-3<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 66<\/p>\n Corey Kispert, Gonzaga<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 67<\/p>\n Matthew Hurt, Duke<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n 6-11<\/p>\n 68<\/p>\n Reggie Perry, Mississippi State<\/p>\n C<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n 7-0<\/p>\n 69<\/p>\n Kristian Dolittle, Oklahoma<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-7<\/p>\n N\/a<\/p>\n 70<\/p>\n Paul Eboua, Pesaro<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-7<\/p>\n 7-2<\/p>\n 71<\/p>\n Naji Marshall, Xavier<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-7<\/p>\n 7-0<\/p>\n 72<\/p>\n Mason Jones, Arkansas<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 73<\/p>\n Mamadi Diakite, Virginia<\/p>\n C<\/p>\n 23<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n 7-2<\/p>\n 74<\/p>\n Marcus Garrett, Kansas<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 75<\/p>\n Yves Pons, Tennesee<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n 76<\/p>\n Marko Simonovic, Mega Bemax<\/p>\n C<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 77<\/p>\n Sam Merrill, Utah State<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-3<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 78<\/p>\n Tres Tinkle, Oregon State<\/p>\n W\/F<\/p>\n 24<\/p>\n 6-7<\/p>\n 6-11<\/p>\n 79<\/p>\n Jalen Harris, Nevada<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 80<\/p>\n Amar Sylla, Oostende<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 18<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n 7-0<\/p>\n 81<\/p>\n Lamar Stevens, Penn State<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-8<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 82<\/p>\n Aaron Henry, Michigan State<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n 6-8<\/p>\n 83<\/p>\n Lamine Diane, Cal State Northridge<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-8<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 84<\/p>\n Anthony Lamb, Vermont<\/p>\n W\/F<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n 6-11<\/p>\n 85<\/p>\n Jayden Scrubb, John Logan<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n 86<\/p>\n Ty-Shon Alexander, Creighton<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 6-3<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 87<\/p>\n Neemias Queta, Utah State<\/p>\n C<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 7-0<\/p>\n 7-4<\/p>\n 88<\/p>\n Isaiah Livers, Michigan<\/p>\n W\/F<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 6-7<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 89<\/p>\n Jordan Ford, Saint Mary\u2019s<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-0<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 90<\/p>\n Luka Garza, Iowa<\/p>\n C<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 7-0<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 91<\/p>\n Kenyon Martin Jr., IMG Academy<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 19<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 92<\/p>\n Joel Ayayi, Gonzaga<\/p>\n G<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n 93<\/p>\n John Petty, Alabama<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 21<\/p>\n 6-5<\/p>\n 6-7<\/p>\n 94<\/p>\n Filip Petrusev, Gonzaga<\/p>\n C<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-11<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 95<\/p>\n Trevelin Queen, New Mexico State<\/p>\n W<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-6<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 96<\/p>\n Tyler Bey, Colorado<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-7<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 97<\/p>\n Malik Fitts, Saint Mary\u2019s<\/p>\n W\/F<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-7<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 98<\/p>\n Freddie Gillespie, Baylor<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 23<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 99<\/p>\n Chris Smith, UCLA<\/p>\n F<\/p>\n 20<\/p>\n 6-9<\/p>\n N\/A<\/p>\n 100<\/p>\n Nathan Knight, William and Mary<\/p>\n C<\/p>\n 22<\/p>\n 6-10<\/p>\n 7-2<\/p>\n if([\u201crgb(17, 17, 17)\u201d, \u201crgb(0, 0, 0)\u201d].indexOf(getComputedStyle(document.body).backgroundColor) != -1) {var x = document.querySelectorAll(\u201c#ath_table_434481 .ia-hlt\u201d);for (var i = 0; i < x.length; i++) {x[i].classList.add(“dark-mode”);}}var all_table_images = document.querySelectorAll(“#ath_table_434481 img”); for (var i = 0; i < all_table_images.length; i++) {all_table_images[i].removeAttribute(“onclick”)};var link = document.createElement(“link”);link.rel = “stylesheet”;link.type = “text\/css”;link.href = “https:\/\/use.typekit.net\/cuz4pky.css”;document.getElementsByTagName(“HEAD”)[0].appendChild(link);var link = document.createElement(“link”);link.rel = “stylesheet”;link.type = “text\/css”;link.href = “https:\/\/use.typekit.net\/dtk6elt.css”;document.getElementsByTagName(“HEAD”)[0].appendChild(link);var link = document.createElement(“link”);link.rel = “stylesheet”;link.type = “text\/css”;link.href = “https:\/\/theathletic.com\/app\/themes\/athletic\/assets\/css\/tables.css”;document.getElementsByTagName(“HEAD”)[0].appendChild(link);(Note: all ages are as of the currently scheduled 2020 NBA Draft date, June 25)<\/p>\n Ultimately, this is what I keep coming back to, running back through the tape: there was no single player in this draft class that consistently left me in awe as much as Ball. Edwards had moments, such as his outburst against Michigan State<\/a> in Maui. Toppin was consistently awesome on offense. Cole Anthony<\/a> showed flashes, as did Deni Avdija<\/a>. And let\u2019s be clear: there is no prospect in this class without his flaws. All of these guys need to put in an incredible amount of work. There is no Zion Williamson<\/a> or Luka Doncic<\/a> in this class.<\/p>\n Having said that, if Ball reaches his ceiling, he has the most potential to be an absolute difference-maker. He\u2019s the one with the most upside. He plays a critical position of value that is tough to find as a lead guard. Simply put, in terms of positional value, there is not a center worth taking at No. 1 overall in this draft. Due to how easy it is to find those players on the market, the only centers who should be taken at No. 1 are those who have a high likelihood of being All-NBA representatives. I don\u2019t really believe Wiseman is that guy. And as you go up the positional spectrum, defensive value becomes more important. Toppin doesn\u2019t quite meet that defensive threshold for me, barring a couple of teams potentially winning the lottery. Avdija and Killian Hayes<\/a> aren\u2019t quite athletic enough to be counted on to be creators at a high level, and creators are by far the most important players you can get in today\u2019s NBA<\/a>.<\/p>\n Really, it comes down to Edwards versus Ball for me, and they\u2019re very close. It\u2019s possible I change my mind again by the end of the draft cycle. Edwards has a terrific frame and elite-level explosiveness. He\u2019s also a better shooter than the inefficient percentages make him out to be, as he took a ton of tough shots on a bad Georgia team this year. He\u2019s a strong finisher, too, and his tools on defense are real. But his inability to handle the ball tightly concerns me. To become the creator he\u2019d need to be to justify going No. 1 overall, Edwards would need to get a bit shiftier going forward toward the rim. Oftentimes, he ends up playing a perimeter-oriented style of game that belies the physical advantage he possesses over almost every guard in terms of strength and first-step explosiveness. He struggled to consistently gain separation from opposing players.<\/p>\n On the other side, Ball\u2019s shooting woes and dereliction of duties defensively also give me pause. But unlike with Edwards, I don\u2019t really have much concern that Ball is going to be able to gain separation and create offense. His wiggle with ball in hand is elite. He can change pace and direction at a high level, and he collapses defenses with ease. And once he does that, he\u2019s also elite at making plays for others. Ball is a good enough passer that it\u2019s my opinion he\u2019ll enter the league as one of the 10 or so best passers and playmakers for others from Day One. He\u2019s terrific at breaking down defenders, forcing help to come to him in order to open up the passing window, then connecting with his teammate. Oh, and he can also nail tight-window passes, too. A lot of these skills are just things you can\u2019t teach. The kid just has great feel for the game.<\/p>\n Really, it\u2019s all going to come down to the shooting. If Ball can hit shots, he\u2019s going to be a perennial All-Star. If he doesn\u2019t, the skill package becomes more similar to that of a Rajon Rondo. The latter was excellent for a while, but he also had defense to fall back on prior to his knee injury. Ball, on the other hand, does have that similar level of defensive feel, but just isn\u2019t nearly mature enough in his approach on that end.<\/p>\n Even still, in this draft, where things are this up in the air, I\u2019m willing to roll the dice on Ball and hope he keeps getting better. The talent level is very real at a premium position.<\/p>\n Other Risers and Fallers<\/p>\n \u2022 Welcome to the top-10, Devin Vassell<\/a>. The Florida State<\/a> wing is one player I keep getting higher on the more I watch. I wrote about him in a recent story with our Gina Mizell in regard to the Suns<\/a>. It\u2019s hard for me to understand how a premium defender on the wing, who also is an elite shooter and high-level decision-maker, fails at the next level. That\u2019s a tailor-made role player waiting to happen.<\/p>\n \u2022 Duke guard Tre Jones<\/a> had a monster close to the season, to the point that I think it\u2019s hard to look beyond what his potential is if he can start hitting shots. Much like LaMelo in comparison to Lonzo, I don\u2019t really find Tyus and Tre Jones as all that comparable. Tre is an elite-level defender at the point of attack, and a much better athlete. His feel as a passer isn\u2019t quite elite, but it\u2019s just one level below that. To me, the closest comparison is similar to what Kyle Lowry<\/a> looked like coming out of Villanova. That sounds lofty, but remember that it took Lowry until his fifth year to start knocking down shots consistently. That\u2019s when Lowry\u2019s career took off from solid role player to starter and, eventually, perennial All-Star. Jones needs to make that similar improvement, and it doesn\u2019t always come for everyone. Actually, it rarely comes for anyone. That\u2019s why Jones is still just a top-20 prospect for me, versus a lottery talent. But I think the general consensus might be underrating him a bit.<\/p>\n \u2022 Gonzaga forward Killian Tillie\u00a0took what I believe is the biggest numerical leap on the board, jumping into the late first-round mix. Let me be clear on this: this isn\u2019t where I expect Tillie to go. His injury history is going to be much more concerning to NBA teams, especially in a draft that could be seen as more risk-averse due to the relative lack of information in comparison to other drafts. There is a very real chance he goes undrafted because of it. But here\u2019s the thing: if Tillie had a clean bill of health, I think he\u2019s a no-doubt first-round pick. He has the best feel for the game of any 4 or 5 man in this draft. He\u2019s an elite-level shooter who has hit at least 40 percent from 3 in all four of his college seasons, and hit 44.4 percent on nearly 250 attempts. He\u2019s extremely sharp and smart defensively, despite being skinny. This is the kind of guy every team is looking for as a role player. He just knows how to play basketball. If he ever gets any sort of real runway without injury to improve his frame and get stronger, Tillie is going to play in the NBA for a long while.<\/p>\n \u2022 The guy who has slid the most over the last month is probably Arizona guard Nico Mannion. There are real questions from some NBA teams about whether he is worth selecting in the first round. Simply put, his lack of athleticism and ability to gain separation, mixed with his shooting inconsistency, has given evaluators pause. His feel for the game is terrific, but he doesn\u2019t look to be ready to play a role in the NBA from Day One due to those concerns. And if he\u2019s a project, teams have questioned if there is enough upside to be worth their wait. I have him at No. 29 still, but I wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s a certainty he\u2019s selected in Round One anymore, by any stretch.<\/p>\n \u2022 One final note here comes on the class of bigs expected to be taken outside of the lottery in this draft. There are so many of them. Really, too many, given how teams utilize roster spots now. In that range already, we have Isaiah Stewart<\/a>, Xavier Tillman<\/a>, Jalen Smith<\/a>, Vernon Carey, Zeke Nnaji<\/a>, Aleksej Pokusevski, Daniel Oturu<\/a>, Udoka Azubuike, Kaleb Wesson<\/a>, Paul Reed<\/a>, Nick Richards<\/a> and Reggie Perry. That\u2019s 12 players, all of whom believe they\u2019ll be picked somewhere between No. 20 and No. 50, and all of whom play primarily the center position. Simply put, I just don\u2019t see teams deciding to use nearly half of those picks on bigs in an NBA that is quickly downsizing and using fewer of its precious roster spots on centers. Especially ones that are projects. I would expect some of these players to end up dropping on draft night through no fault of their own. Some are safer than others, but don\u2019t be shocked if a few of these guys are disappointed come draft night if they all end up deciding to stay in the draft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I was excited about the previous Big Board I filed, on Feb. 28. We were heading into March…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":546074,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5],"tags":[208,7,75,247,473,329,193,149,187,188,164,194,126,135,150,177,354,189,121,152,6,12,470,191,179,76,207,472,471,477,474,476,427,468],"class_list":{"0":"post-546073","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba-draft","8":"tag-atlanta-hawks","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-boston-celtics","11":"tag-brooklyn-nets","12":"tag-charlotte-hornets","13":"tag-chicago-bulls","14":"tag-cleveland-cavaliers","15":"tag-dallas-mavericks","16":"tag-denver-nuggets","17":"tag-detroit-pistons","18":"tag-golden-state-warriors","19":"tag-houston-rockets","20":"tag-indiana-pacers","21":"tag-los-angeles-clippers","22":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","23":"tag-memphis-grizzlies","24":"tag-mens-college-basketball","25":"tag-miami-heat","26":"tag-milwaukee-bucks","27":"tag-minnesota-timberwolves","28":"tag-nba","29":"tag-nba-draft","30":"tag-new-orleans-pelicans","31":"tag-new-york-knicks","32":"tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","33":"tag-orlando-magic","34":"tag-philadelphia-76ers","35":"tag-phoenix-suns","36":"tag-portland-trail-blazers","37":"tag-sacramento-kings","38":"tag-san-antonio-spurs","39":"tag-toronto-raptors","40":"tag-utah-jazz","41":"tag-washington-wizards"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=546073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/546074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=546073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=546073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=546073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nPlayer, school\/team
\nPos.
\nAge
\nHt.
\nWing.<\/p>\n
\nG<\/p>\n