NBA Draft Order 2020: Ideal Landing Spots for Cole Anthony, Top Prospects

Before Cole Anthony put on a North Carolina uniform, he was in the mix to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. 

The combination of injuries during his lone collegiate season and the success of others across the globe dropped the point guard in most prospect rankings. 

Anthony is still considered a lottery selection, but now he is in competition with a few other guards to land in the back half of the top 10. 

Iowa State's Tyrese Haliburton experienced a rise up draft boards during his sophomore season, but like Anthony, he missed time with an injury. 

Anthony and Haliburton should be part of a run on guards in the second half of the lottery that could also include Kentucky's Tyrese Maxey, Florida State's Devin Vassell and international prospect Killian Hayes.

NBA Draft Order

1. Golden State

2. Cleveland

3. Minnesota

4. Atlanta

5. Detroit

6. New York 

7. Chicago

8. Charlotte

9. Washington 

10. Phoenix

11. San Antonio

12. Sacramento

13. New Orleans

14. Portland

15. Orlando

16. Minnesota (from Brooklyn)

17. Boston (from Memphis)

18. Dallas

19. Milwaukee (from Indiana)

20. Brooklyn (from Philadelphia)

21. Denver (from Houston)

22. Philadelphia (from Oklahoma City)

23. Miami

24. Utah

25. Oklahoma City (from Denver)

26. Boston

27. New York (from Los Angeles Clippers)

28. Toronto 

29. Los Angeles Lakers

30. Boston (from Milwaukee)

—Order based on current regular-season records.

Ideal Landing Spots for Top Prospects

Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

Anthony started his career at North Carolina with three straight 20-point performances, but that momentum was halted after he suffered a knee injury that kept him out for most of December and all of January.

When he returned to the floor, Anthony was tasked with picking up the Tar Heels from the ACC basement, but even his performances could not make a difference in the win column.

Anthony reached double figures in 11 of the 13 games after his return from injury, but he was limited to nine points in his team's second loss to Duke, and he ended his college career with a five-point outing versus Syracuse. 

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman compared Anthony's evaluation to how NBA personnel looked at Duke's Cam Reddish a year ago, and he noted the point guard should still land between No. 5 and No. 7: 

NBC Sports' Rob Dauster rated Anthony as the No. 8 prospect in the draft class and has concerns about some of his qualities: "The problem with Cole is the way that he plays. He's tough and athletic, but given his average height and length, he's more or less going to have to guard point guards at the next level. I'm not sure he's quite good enough to be the guy in the NBA that he has been throughout his career."

The argument in Anthony's favor is that he still put up 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and four assists per game for a squad that lacked the usual talent a North Carolina roster possesses. 

Anthony did the best he could to lead the Tar Heels, and he had solid showings in most of the team's top games. 

If a team is able to pair the point guard with a few natural scorers, Anthony could thrive as he develops his game further. 

The New York Knicks would be a good fit for Anthony as they look for a young floor general to work alongside R.J. Barrett and others. 

But the more intriguing fit for Anthony is Phoenix, as he would be able to facilitate from the point to Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Kelly Oubre. 

A deeper supporting cast would benefit Anthony, and given the variety in point guards, there is a chance he falls to Phoenix.

Ideal Landing Spot: Phoenix

Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Iowa State

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Haliburton falls into the same category as Anthony as a player who starred on a struggling team and dealt with an injury this season. 

The point guard averaged 15.2 points, 6.5 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the field before he suffered a season-ending wrist injury.

Haliburton is projected to land with San Antonio at No. 11 in Wasserman's March 19 mock draft, but there is a chance he lands higher with an expected guard demand in the back part of the top 10. 

CBS Sports' Gary Parrish has Haliburton going at No. 8 to Washington in his April 1 mock draft. 

Parrish praised the Iowa State guard for his size and ability to make shots on a regular basis. 

Haliburton could benefit from learning under John Wall and Bradley Beal in Washington while breaking through alongside a young core. 

If he finds a way into the starting lineup, he could take Wall and Beal off the ball and put them in better position for open shots.

The environment in Washington could help Haliburton take off since other young players, like Rui Hachimura, Moritz Wagner and Troy Brown, have been handed a good amount of playing time.

Ideal Landing Spot: Washington

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Statistics obtained from ESPN.com