NBA Draft 2020: Rounding Up the Latest Expert Mocks

The 2019-20 season is slowly approaching a restart at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, but many fans and eight front offices are looking ahead to the 2020 NBA draft.

Since the draft is several months away, collecting a range of opinions is most informative. For this piece, the mock drafts studied are from leading Bleacher Report, CBS Sports and NBC Sports analysts.

All three mocks use a different format—which is fitting, perhaps, given the uncertainty of the draft's order and prospect hierarchy. B/R simulated the order with Tankathon, CBS and NBC listed the inverse of the NBA standings—but CBS included trades.

This year, without a clear-cut top prospect, the slightest differences can lead to a dramatically altered list of selections.

It all starts at No. 1.

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman ran a simulation that vaulted the Detroit Pistons atop the draft. Wasserman pegged American guard LaMelo Ball to Detroit. While in Australia, he averaged 17 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists over 12 appearances.

Kyle Boone of CBS Sports had the Golden State Warriors sending the top selection to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who picked Georgia guard Anthony Edwards. Though not the unanimous No. 1 prospect in the class—as Zion Williamson was in 2019, for example—Edwards is lauded for his explosiveness and scoring talent.

Edwards scored 19.1 points per game at Georgia last season.

Rounding out the group is Rob Dauster from NBC Sports tabbing Memphis center James Wiseman for Golden State. Wiseman only appeared in three games because of an NCAA violation but averaged 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and three blocks.

Overall, the most notable fact is that each mock draft featured Edwards as the first or the second pick. Ball is the only other prospect to appear in the top five of all three previews.

"He's a terrific passer that can make every read you want a point guard to make out of ball screens with either hand, and he has the size to see those passes over the defense. His feel for the game and basketball IQ are elite," Dauster said of Ball.

Beyond Edwards, Ball and Wiseman, other top-five projections in the mocks are Dayton forward Obi Toppin, Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton, USC center Onyeka Okongwu, Israeli forward Deni Avdija, French guard Killian Hayes and Auburn forward Isaac Okoro.

Nine players, five spots—this draft is practically unpredictable.

Even when the highlighted mocks agreed, it happened in different ways. B/R sent Ball to Detroit at No. 1, and NBC had the guard falling to the Pistons at No. 5. CBS and NBC both listed Okoro for the Atlanta Hawks, but at Nos. 4 and 6, respectively.

Additionally, all three included a point guard for the New York Knicks, who desperately need to upgrade the position. Still, the projections ranged from Ball to Hayes to North Carolina's Cole Anthony.

While it's likely a consensus will develop on some of these players later in the pre-draft process, right now, uncertainty abounds.

Depending on your outlook, though, the fluctuation might be exactly what makes the 2020 draft so interesting.

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.