Hey, the draft is already only about 11 months away! Why not take the time to get prepared now with a little primer on who looks like lottery level talents at this stage? While basketball players are no longer locked into one position, we can generally break them down into three categories: Bigs, wings, and guards. As such, we decided to look at the three-best players that fit each of those bills at this early juncture of draft scouting.
Bigs
James Wiseman, Memphis, Freshman
The consensus top recruit in the class of 2019 by most outlets, Wiseman absolutely jumps off the page. Standing a good 7’1 and 230 pounds with an alleged 7’6 wingspan, Wiseman has the size and tools of a dominant center. Where things get tricky is on tape. He’s a good shot blocker overall, but really lacks the elite movement skills you’ll find in a player like Jaren Jackson or even Jaxson Hayes. It just takes him a long, long time to get off the floor. He does have pretty good footwork, but it’s hard to see plays like this…
https://twitter.com/maxacarlin/status/1143011037484113922
…and imagine him having any switchability in the NBA. Wiseman’s shooting is similarly concerning, as he has good touch, but loads his jumper up like a trebuchet.
This isn’t meant to disparage him as a prospect, since there’s still a lot to like about Wiseman’s size, length, touch, and general productivity, and he should have a very good season at Memphis, where he is Penny Hardaway’s prize recruit. Still, he is hardly a lock to go No. 1 once the 2020 draft rolls around.
Oscar Tshiebwe, West Virginia, Freshman
A very different kind of big man, Oscar Tshiebwe is more compact and ferocious than Wiseman, and arguably a more effective player right now. He’s older and less impressive traditionally, so he almost certainly won’t be picked as highly, but Tshiebwe’s motor, length, and physical dominance will at least set him up for a terrific season under Bob Huggins.
Measuring at 6’8.5, 250 with a 7’5 wingpsan, he’s basically built for Big 12 warfare, and will probably immediately be the most dominant physical prescence in the conference, with apologies to Kansas bigman Udoka Azubuike. Ceiling is really the question for Big Oscar, because he’s as ready as any of these guys to play professionally right now.
Amar Sylla, Real Madrid
The trendy pick for the best actual best big man prospect in 2020 is Sylla, a 17-year-old out of Senegal who plays for Eurloeague powerhouse Real Madrid, having just anchored their Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) winning squad. He’s much smaller than most of these other bigs (listed at only 6’9, 190), but has incredible length and a good frame for adding weight and muscle. He’s also, and I’m not exaggerating here, roughly 400x faster and more fluid than even Tshiebwe. He’s just an absolute blur out there, hedging and switching and running people down in the open court.
He looks to have a pretty raw vertical as well, and is just a unique athlete at that size/length. He also flashes some enticing passing and decision making as a ballhandler, mostly on the break. Sylla can’t shoot at all yet, but his combination of instincts, agility, and athleticism make him noticeably ahead of his peers in 2020 at this stage.
Honorable Mentions: Precious Achiuwa, Memphis (Fr); Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky (Soph); Vernon Carey Jr., Duke (Fr); Kai Jones, Texas (Fr); Neemias Queta, Utah State (Soph); Isaiah Stewart, Washington (Fr); Jon Teske, Michigan (Sr); Killian Tillie, Gonzaga (Sr); Xavier Tillman, Michigan State (Jr)
Wings
Deni Avdija, Maccabi Tel Aviv
Before you ask, yes, Deni is already getting Luka Doncic comparisons. They’re not entirely unfounded given both are tall prodigies who are excellent passers. Where they differ is stylistically. Luka is much more of an off the dribble scorer, sizing defenders up and hitting contested looks. Deni is a slasher and transition scorer. At nearly 6’10, he has great size for either forward spot, and already looks like a much better and sturdier defender than Luka. His passing skill and touch at this age really can’t be overstated, and even if he’s a little aggressive making outlets in transition, his skill is undeniable.
https://twitter.com/draftprosnba/status/1089558914981605381
The only real question mark with him is consistency with his jumper. He shot miserably from deep with Maccabi during the ANGT. If he can shoot from the mid-30s from deep and around 80 percent from the line next season, it’s hard to not see him as a top-5 pick.
Anthony Edwards, Georgia, Freshman
Ideally, I’d slot Edwards as a guard, since he’ll almost certainly be Tom Crean’s lead initiator next season, but he’s 6’6 and about 220 pounds, so he has to go here. One of the most powerful athletes in the entire class, Antman is one of the likeliest bets to become the No. 1 player in the class. If he shoots and exhibits any kind of feel to go along with his dominant slashing and power game going towards the rim, he’ll be a superstar in college. Even if he doesn’t, he could still be, say, a poor man’s R.J. Barrett.
Jaden McDaniels, Washington, Freshman
You won’t believe this, but a skinny, 6’10 player who shoots well off the dribble has been getting Kevin Durant comparisons. He’ll likely never be that kind of player, but I’ll at least say that comparison is more charitable towards Jaden McDaniels than it was, say, Perry Jones III. The younger brother of recent Hornets draft pick Jalen McDaniels, Jaden spurned Kentucky to stay local at UW, joining fellow five-star Isaiah Stewart to help quickly revitalize a team that won the Pac-12 regular season title last season.
Competition in that league should be better than it was last season, so getting a lanky, wiry scoring forward to go over the top of the defense could be a huge coup for Mike Hopkins. Like with almost all tall scoring forwards, the question of “what else does he do well?” looms large for McDaniels, and could very easily push him to the back half of the lottery, but the baseline dribbling and shooting skill is too obvious for it to push him down like it did Nassir Little, for example.
Honorable Mentions: Keion Brooks Jr., Kentucky (Fr); Malcolm Cazalon, Bourg-en-Bresse; Josh Green, Arizona (Fr); Matthew Hurt, Duke (Fr); Scottie Lewis, Florida (Fr); Wendell Moore Jr., Duke (Fr); Isaac Okoro, Auburn (Fr); Trevelin Queen, New Mexico State (Sr); Cassius Stanley, Duke (Fr); Devin Vassell, Florida State (Soph)
Guards
Cole Anthony, North Carolina, Freshman
No one is Zion Williamson, but if I had to pick who the most popular and well-established prospect coming into this draft process was, I’d have to say Cole, the son of former NBA player and UNLV legend Greg Anthony. A dominant high school guard, Anthony chose North Carolina out of a group that included Notre Dame, Wake Forest, and Miami. He’s one of those guards who looks terrific on a mixtape, and when you watch him, he mostly backs it up. A strong shooter, finisher and overall scorer as a lead guard, Anthony needs to show a little more as a distributor before he’s really the No. 1 guy, but enough people I respect have him there now that it’s at least a possibility next June.
Nico Mannion, Arizona, Freshman
One of my favorite kinds of basketball rivalries are the ones forged on the AAU circuit. Nico Mannion and Cole Anthony have such a rivalry. Both the sons of former NBA players with similar skillsets and a long history of similar placements on recruiting boards, Cole and Nico appear to actively dislike one another, which is honestly kind of refreshing to see given how often they play. Hopefully it happens again in the 2020 NCAA tournament.
Speaking of Mannion as a player, he’s probably more of a cerebral presence at this stage, relying less on strength and explosiveness and more upon quick decisions, skill finishes, and relocation shooter, the latter of which he is undoubtedly the best at in this entire class at this stage. He was a monster at the Nike Hoop Summit before Team USA switched Isaac Okoro and Wendell More onto him, and even then, he still generally made positive decisions. Watching him (and fellow freshman Josh Green) attempt to resuscitate the Arizona program is going to be one of the most intriguing storylines in the Pac 12 this season.
R.J. Hampton, New Zealand Breakers
The player in this group who will have the wildest path to the NBA is undoubtedly Hampton. The five-star recruit out of Little Elm, Texas was originally slated to be part of the 2020 class before reclassifying to 2019 and leading Kansas, Duke, and Memphis on a wild goose chase of a recruitment cycle before finally spurning the NCAA altogether and heading down Australia’s NBL to ply his trade. Having turned 18 this past February, he’ll be more than old enough to enter the league by the time of the draft.
Hopefully he spends that time becoming more of a lead guard instead of what he was in high school, just a pure slasher/scorer type. Thankfully he’s very good at that part, but not every guard can be Lou Williams (in fact, only Lou Williams can). What makes Hampton more intriguing than most low-defense/low-passing combo guards is that he’s 6’5 and wiry, and looks like he could very easily pack on some more weight without sacrificing much alacrity. He’ll be playing in the NBL with LaMelo Ball, with whom he shares a similar build and play style, but as of right now, he’s the much more interesting and explosive prospect.
Honorable Mentions: LaMelo Ball, Illawarra Hawks; Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State (Soph); Killian Hayes, Cholet Basket; Isaiah Joe, Arkansas (Soph); Tre Jones, Duke (Soph); Xavier Johnson, Pittsburgh (Soph); Theo Maledon, ASVEL; Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky (Fr); Jalen Pickett, Siena (Soph); Cassius Winston, Michigan State (Sr)
