2020 NBA Mock Draft: Predictions for Most Athletic 1st-Round Prospects
With so many different ways to assess the talent and potential of the prospects in the 2020 NBA draft, gauging athleticism is usually one of the easiest and, of course, the most fun.
Last season, Zion Williamson was the most elite athlete on the board and it wasn't even close. Then it was current Rookie of the Year, Ja Morant.
This year, it's more of a contest, with a few players that jump off the page.
Here's the latest mock draft, followed by a quick look at three of the players with the most bounce in the class.
NBA Mock Draft, 1st Round
1. Minnesota Timberwolves: LaMelo Ball, PG/SG, Illawarra Hawks
2. Golden State Warriors: Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia
3. Charlotte Hornets: James Wiseman, C, Memphis
4. Chicago Bulls: Obi Toppin, PF/C, Dayton
5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Deni Avdija, SF/PF, Maccabi Tel Aviv
6. Atlanta Hawks: Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Iowa State
7. Detroit Pistons: Onyeka Okongwu, PF/C, USC
8. New York Knicks: Devin Vassell, SF, Florida State
9. Washington Wizards: Isaac Okoro, SF/PF, Auburn
10. Phoenix Suns: Killian Hayes, PG, Ratiopharm Ulm
11. San Antonio Spurs: Aaron Nesmith, SF, Vanderbilt
12. Sacramento Kings: Patrick Williams, PF, Florida State
13. New Orleans Pelicans: Saddiq Bey, SF/PF, Villanova
14. Boston Celtics (via Memphis Grizzlies): Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina
15. Orlando Magic: Kira Lewis Jr., PG, Alabama
16. Portland Trail Blazers: RJ Hampton, SG, New Zealand Breakers
17. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Brooklyn Nets): Tyrese Maxey, SG, Kentucky
18. Dallas Mavericks: Aleksej Pokusevski, PF, Olympiacos B
20. Miami Heat: Precious Achiuwa, PF/C, Memphis
21. Philadelphia 76ers (via Oklahoma City Thunder): Tyrell Terry, PG, Stanford
22. Denver Nuggets (via Houston Rockets): Grant Riller, PG/SG, Charleston
23. Utah Jazz: Theo Maledon, PG, ASVEL
24. Milwaukee Bucks (via Indiana Pacers): Leandro Bolmaro, SG/SF, Barcelona
25. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Denver Nuggets): Daniel Oturu, C, Minnesota
26. Boston Celtics: Jaden McDaniels, SF/PF, Washington
27. New York Knicks (via Los Angeles Clippers): Jahmi'us Ramsey, SG, Texas Tech
28. Los Angeles Lakers: Cassius Winston, PG, Michigan State
29. Toronto Raptors: Jalen Smith, PF/C, Maryland
30. Boston Celtics (via Milwaukee Bucks): Zeke Nnaji, C, Arizona
Most Athletic Prospects
Obi Toppin, PF, Dayton
Obi Toppin is a dunking machine.
His aerial highlights catapulted him from little-known prospect to sweeping college basketball's biggest awards: the Wooden award and the Naismith and Associated Press national player of the year awards.
In addition to averaging 20.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the Dayton Flyers, he also led the nation in dunks and broke his school record with 10 dunks in one game.
Make no bones about it, he's an elite athlete with an NBA-ready body.
If the season hadn't been cut short, it's reasonable to think he would have caught multiple bodies in the NCAA tournament, too.
"When I was freshman through junior year [in high school], I was shooting the ball a lot more," Toppin told ESPN's Mike Schmitz. "And when I started dunking, I feel like I wanted to dunk everything."
Toppin doesn't just tattoo rims with aplomb, though. He can shoot it, run the floor and be a scoring threat in the pick-and-roll.
Look for him to be an explosive player right out of the gate.
Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia
One of the main reasons for Anthony Edwards' ascension as a player during his lone season at Georgia is his elite athleticism.
He caught lobs, alleys and put quite a few players on posters.
Edwards also put on a show with his scoring ability, averaging 19.1 points per game for the Bulldogs as a freshman.
He still needs to work on his outside shot, so most of those points came from his explosive drives to the basket.
At 6'5" and 225 pounds, he's strong, quick and can use his athleticism on both ends of the floor.
Arkansas coach Eric Musselman came away impressed with Edwards after having finally seen him in person and not just on film. He told NBA.com's Chris Dortch:
"His combination of strength, speed, his pull-up jumper off the bounce—he can just rise over people. He's an incredible player with an incredibly bright future. Having coached in that league, he's got an NBA body right now. He can dribble drive in traffic at the next level, take contact, finish through contact.
"You watch a guy on film and he's really good and then you watch him live, just his explosiveness. He's got NBA athleticism and NBA strength."
Edwards has so much potential as an athlete that he is still a viable candidate to go No. 1 overall in this draft.
Devin Vassell, G/F, Florida State
Devin Vassell doesn't get the headlines that Edwards and Toppin get, but he could be one of the biggest steals in this class.
And one of the biggest reasons why is his athleticism.
He's a high-flyer with the ability to play both ends of the floor and cover a lot of ground.
Vassel's head coach at Florida State, Leonard Hamilton, is pretty biased, but he's got the insight on what his former player can do at the next level. He told The Athletic's Chris Kirschner:
"He's a complete basketball player. He blocks shots. He steals the ball. He defends. He makes good decisions with the ball. He's a good passer. He's a willing passer, and you can't leave him open. He shot over 40 percent from 3 as a freshman and sophomore. I don't know many guys in the NBA who have shot over 40 percent as a freshman and sophomore in college.
"You can only compare him to someone like Klay Thompson from the Warriors. That's honestly the closest person I've seen that you can relate Devin to because if he has an open look, it's going in."
Simply put, Vassel is the kind of three-and-D guy that any team would be lucky to have.
Follow Maurice Bobb on Twitter, @ReeseReport
