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NBA Draft Order 2020: Post-Lottery Selection List and Mock Draft Projections
August 21, 2020
The 2020 NBA draft lottery results are in, and the Minnesota Timberwolves will be picking No. 1 overall in October.
Minnesota will have an opportunity to select American guard LaMelo Ball or Georgia guard Anthony Edwards to pair with Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell.
Checking in behind the Timberwolves are the Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls, respectively. Charlotte and Chicago leapt several spots in the lottery, sending the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks down two spots each.
While the following order is official, the corresponding picks are an initial mock projection and not official.
2020 NBA Draft Order and Mock
1. Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia
2. Golden State Warriors: LaMelo Ball, PG, USA
3. Charlotte Hornets: James Wiseman, C, Memphis
4. Chicago Bulls: Killian Hayes, PG, Ratiopharm Ulm
5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Obi Toppin, F, Dayton
6. Atlanta Hawks: Deni Avdija, F, Maccabi Tel Aviv
7. Detroit Pistons: Onyeka Okongwu, PF/C, USC
8. New York Knicks: Tyrese Haliburton, G, Iowa State
9. Washington Wizards: Devin Vassell, SF, Florida State
10. Phoenix Suns: Isaac Okoro, SF, Auburn
11. San Antonio Spurs: Patrick Williams, PF, Florida State
12. Sacramento Kings: Saddiq Bey, SF, Villanova
13. New Orleans Pelicans: Aaron Nesmith, SF, Vanderbilt
14. Boston Celtics (from MEM): Kira Lewis Jr., PG, Alabama
15. Orlando Magic: Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina
16. Portland Trail Blazers: Precious Achiuwa, PF, Memphis
17. Minnesota Timberwolves (from BKN): Tyrese Maxey, G, Kentucky
18. Dallas Mavericks: Aleksej Pokusevski, PF, Olympiacos
19. Brooklyn Nets (from PHI): RJ Hampton, G, USA
20. Miami Heat: Josh Green, SG, Arizona
21. Philadelphia 76ers (from OKC): Tyrell Terry, G, Stanford
22. Denver Nuggets (from HOU): Jalen Smith, PF/C, Maryland
23. Utah Jazz: Nico Mannion, PG, Arizona
24. Milwaukee Bucks (from IND): Theo Maledon, PG, ASVEL
25. Oklahoma City Thunder (from DEN): Tyler Bey, F, Colorado
26. Boston Celtics: Leandro Bolmaro, G, FC Barcelona
27. New York Knicks (from LAC): Devon Dotson, PG, Kansas
28. Los Angeles Lakers: Jahmi'us Ramsey, G, Texas Tech
29. Toronto Raptors: Tre Jones, PG, Duke
30. Boston Celtics (from MIL): Xavier Tillman, PF/C, Michigan State
Biggest Lottery Movers
While the New York Knicks' remarkable string of bad luck continued―make it 17 straight lottery appearances without moving up in the draft order―both the Bulls and Hornets enjoyed a considerable rise in 2020's opening round.
Chicago picked seventh in both the 2018 and 2019 drafts and entered Thursday with the seventh-best odds. It was entirely plausible the Bulls would be there once again.
But not in 2020.
The Bulls jumped to No. 4 and should have a chance at any player other than Edwards, Ball and perhaps James Wiseman. There's no sure prospect, of course, but it's a welcomed opportunity for a franchise looking to become a playoff contender again.
Chicago has made long-awaited changes in the front office, hiring Arturas Karnisovas to run the basketball operations. And he recently decided to part with head coach Jim Boylen.
Excitement is sure to build in the Windy City.
As for the Hornets, they celebrated a five-spot rise to No. 3 overall in the draft. This streak wasn't quite at New York's level, but the Charlotte franchise hadn't moved up in the lottery since 1999.
After losing Kemba Walker to the Boston Celtics in free agency, the Hornets mustered a 23-42 record while ranking in the NBA with 102.9 points per game. Additionally, they don't have much financial flexibility to improve the roster this offseason because of expensive contracts for Nicolas Batum and Cody Zeller.
However, the No. 3 selection can help accelerate the rebuild.
Charlotte's short-and long-term outlooks are suddenly much brighter. And that's all thanks to a little lottery luck.
Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.