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2020 NBA Draft Reportedly to Be Held on November 18
September 16, 2020
The 2020 NBA draft will reportedly take place on Nov. 18, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The date is now "locked in" after the league initially considered it an option in a recent memo it sent to teams earlier this month.
The draft was initially scheduled for June, but it was delayed along with the rest of the 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was tentatively rescheduled for Oct. 16 before being pushed back another month.
The 2020-21 season has also been pushed back from its suggested start date of Dec. 1. Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic reported next season won't begin before Christmas Day.
The mid-November draft date provides limited time for rookies to get acclimated to their new teams before beginning their NBA careers. There's also been an extended gap from the last time most of the prospects took the floor.
With the NCAA tournament canceled due to the pandemic, college players haven't played a competitive game since early March. Potential top pick LaMelo Ball last played in November before a foot injury ended his season in Australia. James Wiseman ended his season at Memphis on Nov. 12, meaning more than a full year will have spanned between his last game and when he's drafted.
It's yet another way teams will be forced to adjust their plans in 2020.
The Minnesota Timberwolves currently own the first pick of the draft, followed by the Golden State Warriors and then the Charlotte Hornets.