NBA Draft 2020: 1st-Round Mock Predictions and Sleepers To Watch

At this point of 2020's extended NBA mock draft season, you might be intimately familiar with the prospects who sit atop most projected draft boards.

But history says those often aren't the most important names to know.

Stephen Curry wasn't taken in the top five. Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo landed outside the lottery. Nikola Jokic, Marc Gasol and Draymond Green weren't even first-round picks.

Talent can emerge from any point of the draft, so we have highlighted some sleepers to know following a first-round mock.

2020 NBA Mock Draft

1. Golden State Warriors: Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia

2. Cleveland Cavaliers: LaMelo Ball, PG/SG, Illawarra Hawks

3. Minnesota Timberwolves: Obi Toppin, PF/C, Dayton

4. Atlanta Hawks: Isaac Okoro, SF/PF, Auburn

5. Detroit Pistons: Onyeka Okongwu, PF/C, USC

6. New York Knicks: Killian Hayes, PG, Ratiopharm Ulm

7. Chicago Bulls: Devin Vassell, SF, Florida State

8. Charlotte Hornets: James Wiseman, C, Memphis

9. Washington Wizards: Deni Avdija, SF/PF, Maccabi Tel Aviv

10. Phoenix Suns: Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Iowa State

11. San Antonio Spurs: Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina

12. Sacramento Kings: RJ Hampton, SG, New Zealand Breakers

13. New Orleans Pelicans: Aaron Nesmith, SF, Vanderbilt

14. Portland Trail Blazers: Patrick Williams, PF, Florida State

15. Orlando Magic: Kira Lewis Jr., PG, Alabama

16. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Brooklyn Nets): Tyrese Maxey, SG, Kentucky

17. Boston Celtics (via Memphis Grizzlies): Theo Maledon, PG, ASVEL

18. Dallas Mavericks: Saddiq Bey, SF/PF, Villanova

19. Milwaukee Bucks (via Indiana Pacers): Leandro Bolmaro, SG/SF, Barcelona

20. Brooklyn Nets (via Philadelphia 76ers): Jaden McDaniels, SF/PF, Washington

21. Denver Nuggets (via Houston Rockets): Robert Woodard II, SF, Mississippi State

22. Philadelphia 76ers (via Oklahoma City Thunder): Tyrell Terry, PG, Stanford

23. Miami Heat: Nico Mannion, PG, Arizona

24. Utah Jazz: Precious Achiuwa, PF/C, Memphis

25. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Denver Nuggets): Jahmi'us Ramsey, SG, Texas Tech

26. Boston Celtics: Aleksej Pokusevski, PF, Olympiacos II

27. New York Knicks (via Los Angeles Clippers): Tyler Bey, SF/PF, Colorado

28. Toronto Raptors: Isaiah Stewart, C, Washington

29. Los Angeles Lakers: Tre Jones, PG, Duke

30. Boston Celtics (via Milwaukee Bucks): Jalen Smith, PF/C, Maryland

Sleepers to Watch

Kira Lewis Jr., PG, Alabama

With question marks around even its most highly regarded prospects, this is the kind of draft in which the best player could surface outside of the top 10 selections. Kira Lewis Jr. has a chance to be that player.

Since he reclassified to start his college career early, he heads to the Association as a sophomore who's the same age as some freshman (19). Except, his game is more advanced than his peers, since he's been carving up SEC defenses the past two seasons. Speedy and shifty off the dribble, he can play a step (or two) ahead of the defense and elevate the players around him.

"Of all the class' point guards, he's the fastest with the ball, possessing ultraquickness off the dribble that teams can bank on for breaking down defenses," B/R's Jonathan Wasserman wrote. "He's flashed encouraging skill when it comes to shot-making, passing and finishing moves."

Lewis' numbers jumped across the board in his sophomore season, and his closing stretch took things a step further. Perhaps pointing to more growth potential than analysts seem to think, his final nine collegiate contests featured per-game contributions of 23.2 points, 6.7 assists, 1.8 steals and a 49.0/46.3/75.5 shooting slash.

Aleksej Pokusevski, PF, Olympiacos II

The extremes of the risk/reward spectrum are widest when it comes to Aleksej Pokusevski. He could be the unicorn of this draft class, or he might never be ready for NBA action.

As The Athletic's John Hollinger detailed, Pokusevski has a fascinating blend of highly encouraging strengths and some uber-worrisome weaknesses:

"Pokusevski is one of the most unusual players you'll see—a rail-thin seven-footer who shoots clean-looking 3s on the move, shows skill for dribbling and passing, and snags steals on the perimeter. He also gets absolutely mashed inside the paint and struggles enough with lower body strength that it even impacts his 2-point percentages offensively. He still can protect the rim though, with a staggering 14.2 percent block rate in the Euro U18 championships in 2019."

The upside with Pokusevski combined off-the-dribble shooting, shot creation and rim protection. The downside...well, let's just say it probably involves little more than a few showings in summer league and a lot of G League minutes. But when star potential is light for this entire class, the fact Pokusevski could offer it outside the top 20 should be reason enough for someone to roll the dice.

Josh Green, SG/SF, Arizona

A top-10 recruit last summer, Josh Green isn't exactly coming from somewhere off the radar. But a top-heavy roster at Arizona might mean he's hiding in plain sight.

The Wildcats had three first-round prospects on the roster in Green, Nico Mannion and Zeke Nnaji. That didn't give Green much room to spread his wings, so his production never matched up to his recruiting pedigree (12.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game). But with the right NBA coaching, his explosive athleticism could lead to a highly productive career yet.

"Talent isn't the holdup here: he's quick, fluid and active in the passing lanes and is a passable shooter," SI.com's Jeremy Woo wrote. "But he can be too passive and needs to reshape his shot selection to rely less on midrange jumpers to maximize his opportunity."

Green needs to grow as a shooter and shot-creator, but Arizona didn't ask him to do a ton in either regard. He might be a better passer than the Wildcats needed him to be, too. There is probably enough intrigue to make him a first-round pick, even if he doesn't quite make the cut in this mock.