Though it’s unclear when and how the 2020 NBA Draft process will play out, potential No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards Jr. became the first top prospect to leave school and enter the draft pool. The news was first reported by Evan Daniels of 247Sports.
In a note posted on his Twitter account, Edwards wrote, “Georgia will always be my home but I am ready to take my game to the next level and have decided to declare for the 2020 NBA Draft.”
— Anthony Edwards (@theantedwards_) March 20, 2020
Daniels also reported Edwards will sign with agent Omar Wilkes of Octagon.
After landing in Athens as the first big recruiting prize of second-year head coach Tom Crean, Edwards got off to an incredible start, scoring 37 points in a narrow loss to Michigan State at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational tournament, conference play was not as strong for Edwards or his Bulldogs teammates. Edwards remains one of the top candidates to be selected No. 1 overall despite not living up much to his defensive potential and leaving questions as to whether he can function as the top option on a great offense.
Crean implored Edwards to become more involved as an off-ball threat, an area in which he was extremely efficient despite a lack of consistent willingness to play that way. Instead, Edwards operated quite similarly to the way he played as a high-schooler and AAU star in Atlanta..
The evaluation of Edwards is all the more difficult because teams would likely be using the time following the NCAA season to get a clearer idea of Edwards’ willingness to buy into a program, blend into a team environment, and compete on defense. NBA organizations could typically use this period to more thoroughly evaluate Edwards’ shooting after a season in which he launched 7.7 threes per game but made just 29.4 percent of those attempts.
On the positive side, Edwards made an elite 69.4 percent of his shots at the basket and continued to flash his incredible athleticism on both sides of the court. There is also a chance that getting out ahead of the rest of the 2020 draft class could benefit Edwards, as by hiring an agent now, Edwards can begin the process of speaking with teams at the top of the draft order and figuring out a way to work out for them.
Along with Edwards, several other perimeter players competing for the No. 1 overall pick, such as LaMelo Ball and Isaac Okoro, will likely make decisions soon regarding the 2020 draft, now that it’s certain the NCAA season is finished.
