2020 NBA Draft: Selection Order, Prospects to Watch and More

The 2020 NBA draft is in limbo as the coronavirus pandemic has forced the league to put the current season on hold and scrap its typical summer calendar.

The draft lottery and draft combine were scheduled to take place in May, but the NBA postponed them without a revised date. The league is still trying to determine if it can finish the current season or if it should be canceled entirely. That decision will lead to a decision on the lottery, the draft order, and then give teams a better idea of which prospects they might have a shot at. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, some teams don't expect to be the draft to be held until September.

It's entirely possible then that teams will have a full summer of scouting, although even that process will be completely different than in years past. Scouts may not have a combine to go on, interviews presumably won't be conducted in person, and the film on most prospects cuts off in March. 

With all of that in mind, here's the latest projection for the 2020 NBA draft, based on the team standings when the 2019-20 season was put on hold. We'll also look at a handful of the top prospects that could be facing a long summer of scrutiny. 

Projected 2020 NBA Draft Order

1. Golden State Warriors (15-50)

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-46)

3. Minnesota Timberwolves (19-45)

4. Atlanta Hawks (20-47)

5. Detroit Pistons (20-46)

6. New York Knicks (21-45)

7. Chicago Bulls (22-43)

8. Charlotte Hornets (23-42)

9. Washington Wizards (24-40)

10. Phoenix Suns (26-39)

11. San Antonio Spurs (27-36)

12. Sacramento Kings (28-36)

13. New Orleans Pelicans (28-36)

14. Portland Trail Blazers (29-37)

15. Orlando Magic (30-35)

16. Minnesota Timberwolves (via 30-34 Brooklyn Nets)

17. Boston Celtics (via 32-33 Memphis Grizzlies)

18. Dallas Mavericks (40-27)

19. Milwaukee Bucks (via 39-26 Indiana Pacers)

20. Brooklyn Nets (via 39-26 Philadelphia 76ers)

21. Denver Nuggets (via 40-24 Houston Rockets)

22. Philadelphia 76ers (via 40-24 Oklahoma City Thunder)

23. Miami Heat (41-24)

24. Utah Jazz (41-23)

25. Oklahoma City Thunder (via 43-22 Denver Nuggets)

26. Boston Celtics (43-21)

27. New York Knicks (via 44-20 Los Angeles Clippers)

28. Toronto Raptors (46-18)

29. Los Angeles Lakers (49-14)

30. Boston Celtics (via 53-12 Milwaukee Bucks)

Prospects to Watch

LaMelo Ball, G, Illawara Hawks (Australia)

LaMelo Ball, by virtue of both his family name and raw talent, is going to be remain one of the most talked about prospects right up until draft night, whenever that may be. He has the potential to be an elite playmaker thanks to the dynamic passing ability and ballhandling, traits he shares with his older brother Lonzo Ball. His size (6'6") and agility also translate well to the NBA. He has some red flags, however which might cause some to dismiss him as mere hype because of his famous family.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony notes he's had trouble scoring efficiently, shooting 46 percent from the floor and 25 percent from three in Australia (shooting woes have also plagued Lonzo as a pro). Givony also calls him an "indifferent defender," which, in this case, is something that cannot be said about his eldest brother. Despite the glaring issues, the 18-year-old point guard ranks highly on many draft boards. ESPN has him at No. 2, while Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman, CBS Sports and Tankathon.com all have him at No. 1. SI.com's Jeremy Woo has him at No. 2, but also calls him "one of the biggest risk-reward propositions in the draft."

It's worth keeping an eye on Ball to see if the potentially long scouting process leads to a re-evaluation of his draft stock. He's also worth following because he has the potential to upend the top of the draft. The New York Knicks are reportedly very keen on Ball. SNY.tv's Ian Begley reported that the Knicks have him as the top-rated point guard. He also noted that sources tell him LaMelo's father, LaVar Ball, and others close to the young playmaker would like to see him in New York.

All of this has generated speculation about the Knicks trading up if they don't get a favorable spot in the lottery (right now they are projected 6th, but they do have an extra first-round pick). The prospect of Ball landing in the league's biggest media market is sure to generate plenty of discussion and debate when we get a clearer picture of the draft.

Tyrell Terry, G, Stanford

If you're looking for a prospect that could bounce up and down draft boards in the coming weeks, and therefore might land on just about any team, there's Stanford freshman point guard Tyrell Terry. The Ringer's Kevin O' Connor has him as the No. 4 prospect on his big board, while Wasserman and CBS Sports peg him in the early 20s. ESPN, on other hand, has him all the way down at No. 47 overall, 18th among point guards. 

Terry had an excellent year at Stanford, averaging 14.6 points while shooting 40.8 percent from beyond the arc and dishing out 3.2 assists per game. A fine shooter, O'Connor also notes that Terry can keep defenders honest with his ability to attack the rim, noting the freshman has "an expansive layup package." He's no slouch as a defender, averaging 1.4 steals per game with the Cardinal.

Most of the concern centers around Terry's youth and his rather slight frame. He's listed at 6'1" and 160 pounds by Sports-Reference.com. Larger NBA players will be looking to attack him night in and night out. To his credit, Terry is aware of the limitations his size presents, which is why he's made sure to cultivate a strong mentality on the hardwood.

"One thing I have to be aware of and stay focused on is that I’m the smallest guy out there usually. So people are going to try to bump me, get physical, talk trash occasionally. So I have to stay mentally tough and focus to play my game through that stuff," he said in April, per HoopsHype.com's Brian Kalbrosky.

Terry's pure shooting ability will be a welcome addition to whichever team snags him (he also shot 89.1 percent from the free-throw line, so no concerns there). It will be interesting to see if teams believe he can be enough of an offensive force to offset whatever potential defensive liabilities he poses as a smaller guard.

James Wiseman, C, Memphis

While Ball plied his trade professionally in Australia and Terry lit up the scoreboard as a rather typical-one-and-done, center James Wiseman put his game on ice after suiting up just three times for the Memphis Tigers. Wiseman decided to move on after the NCAA handed him a 12-game suspension for accepting thousands of dollars in money for moving expenses from Tigers coach Penny Hardaway, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Essentially, evaluating Wiseman is like evaluating the preps-to-pros stars of the past before eligibility rules led to elite prospects spending a year in college (and now increasingly, abroad). He did average 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game in those three contests, but it's an incredibly small sample size.

Thanks to his mammoth frame (7'1", 240 pounds) defensive prowess, and raw talent, Wiseman is likely going to go at or very near the top of the draft. But there are enough questions surrounding his long-term potential that he could tumble if enough teams decide there are safer options, or feel like he doesn't offer enough beyond the traditional center skills to truly make an impact in today's evolving game.

SB Nation's Ricky O'Donnell expanded upon some of those concerns in December: 

"It wasn’t long ago that a center who had Wiseman’s physicality would go No. 1 overall based on his frame alone. In the modern NBA, however, ball handlers and creators have more value than big men — especially big men who aren’t polished shooters and passers. The best recent evidence of this is the debate over Luka Doncic vs. Deandre Ayton and Marvin Bagley III in the 2018 draft.

Ayton is an interesting comparison point for Wiseman because they are about the same size but have completely different games. While Ayton is a monster scorer, Wiseman is clearly superior as a defensive prospect. But even if Ayton maximizes his potential, he’ll never come close to having the same impact as Doncic. That’s because Doncic can initiate the offense, create for teammates, and score off the dribble. Ayton, like Wiseman, isn’t going to do any of those things as a traditional center."

So some evaluators, like CBS Sports' Kyle Boone, think Ayton is likely going to go No. 1 overall (although this assumes Golden State gets the top spot), the possible long scouting period might give teams more time to pick apart his flaws. Maybe they will gravitate to prospects who carry with them an equal number of "buts" and caveats when describing their games, but at least fit the modern-NBA archetype better. Or perhaps Wiseman's expected defensive wizardry will be seen as an invaluable anchor, and he settles in at the top of the draft.

Wiseman might be the rock a rebuilding team clings to in a very turbulent time.