NBA Draft 2020: 1st-Round Mock Draft and Predictions for Top Underrated Players

The 2020 NBA conference finals are a living testament to all the different ways a contender can be constructed.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are both built around top draft picks: LeBron James (first in 2003) and Anthony Davis (first in 2012); Jaylen Brown (third in 2016) and Jayson Tatum (third in 2017).

But the Miami Heat follow the lead of four non-top-10 picks: Jimmy Butler (30th in 2011), Bam Adebayo (14th in 2017), Tyler Herro (13th in 2019) and Goran Dragic (45th in 2008). The Denver Nuggets built their foundation on the 41st pick in 2014 (Nikola Jokic) and the seventh pick in 2016 (Jamal Murray).

While top prospects hold that distinction for a reason, sleepers emerge from further down the draft board every year. The 2020 class is no exception, so let's spotlight three of the best underrated prospects after running through a mock first round.

2020 NBA Mock Draft

1. Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia

2. Golden State Warriors: James Wiseman, C, Memphis

3. Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball, PG/SG, Illawarra Hawks

4. Chicago Bulls: Deni Avdija, SF/PF, Maccabi Tel Aviv

5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Obi Toppin, PF/C, Dayton

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: Jalen Smith, PF/C, Maryland

14. Boston Celtics (via Memphis Grizzlies): Saddiq Bey, SF/PF, Villanova

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

16. Portland Trail Blazers: Josh Green, SG, Arizona

17. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Brooklyn Nets): Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina

18. Dallas Mavericks: RJ Hampton, SG, New Zealand Breakers

19. Brooklyn Nets (via Philadelphia 76ers): Tyrese Maxey, SG, Kentucky

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: Aleksej Pokusevski, PF, Olympiacos B

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: Theo Maledon, PG, ASVEL

30. Boston Celtics (via Milwaukee Bucks): Zeke Nnaji, C, Arizona

Top Underrated Prospects

Kira Lewis Jr., PG, Alabama

Lewis should be more hyped than he has been. He might be the fastest player in this draft, and he routinely stuffed the stat sheet over two seasons with the Crimson Tide.

Maybe the length of the tenure is to blame? It shouldn't be. Lewis reclassified to kick-start his college career early, so even after his freshman season was finished, he still wasn't old enough to enter the draft. He won't turn 20 until April. UNC freshman Cole Anthony will turn 21 the following month.

"Lewis was the youngest sophomore in the nation in 2019-20, and was actually younger than several prominent freshmen," The Athletic's John Hollinger wrote. "Relative to the freshman class, he outperformed everybody."

Lewis needs to bulk up his 165-pound frame, especially since he isn't the most explosive leaper. But that didn't stop him averaging 18.5 points, 5.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds last season, and it shouldn't preclude him from having a really productive NBA career.

Josh Green, SG, Arizona

Sometimes the best sleepers are hiding in plain sight.

Green was a McDonald's All-American and top-20 recruit. That's not the profile of an off-the-radar hidden gem.

And yet, he can still fit the basic sleeper description of someone providing significantly more value than their cost suggests.

Some see plug-and-play potential for the three-and-D swingman, but a more imaginative front office might wonder whether there's more horsepower under the hood. After all, it wasn't easy for him to shine at Arizona when fellow potential first-round prospects Nico Mannion and Zeke Nnaji both averaged more points and took more shots.

Green could have the best NBA career of that trio, though, and he could be one of the top players to come out of this draft. He'll need to increase the consistency of his outside shot and expand his off-the-bounce arsenal, but he already has shown flashes of spacing, finishing and secondary playmaking.

Tyrese Maxey, SG, Kentucky

Maxey's numbers never really erupted with the Wildcats, but that's becoming par for the course with John Calipari's program. There are so many mouths to feed—Maxey, for instance, shared the floor with the SEC's assist leader (Ashton Hagans) and Player of the Year (Immanuel Quickley)—that players can only show so much of their respective games.

Maxey's final line landed at 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. That netted him more points and dimes than Devin Booker (10.0 and 1.1, respectively) and slightly better numbers than Herro (14.0 and 2.5) during their one-and-done runs through Lexington.

"He has a potential that he has only begun to realize," Calipari tweeted about Maxey when he declared for the draft in April.

Maxey needs to beef up his shooting rates (42.7 from the field, 29.2 from three), but if he does, he could become a three-level scorer with a live dribble and some secondary playmaking.