NBA Draft 2020: Mock Draft and Fringe 1st-Round Prospects to Watch

The 2020 NBA draft will be held on November 18 and, past the top three selections, tiers have yet to be cemented. While everyone can be comfortably certain that Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball will be the first off of the board, the order is uncertain and the subsequent picks even more so.

Past the trio forming 2020's upper echelon, a variety of risk-reward considerations come into play alongside team fit. High-floor prospects like Iowa State point guard Tyrese Haliburton and USC center Onyeka Okongwu are unlikely to fall out of the lottery, but their exact landing spots are absolute guesses.

Here, we look at an up-to-date mock draft of the first round, followed by analysis of three players who are widely debated as first-round picks. Some mocks have them going in the first round, others in the second, and, as such, they constitute some of 2020's most intriguing fringe first-rounders. 

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, Illawarra Hawks

4. Chicago Bulls: Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Iowa State

5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Deni Avdija, SF, Maccabi Tel Aviv

6. Atlanta Hawks: Isaac Okoro, SF, Auburn

7. Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes, PG, RatiopharmUlm

8. New York Knicks: Devin Vassell, SF, Florida State

9. Washington Wizards: Saddiq Bey, SF, Villanova

10. Phoenix Suns: Obi Toppin, PF, Dayton

11. San Antonio Spurs: Precious Achiuwa, PF, Memphis

12. Sacramento Kings: Aaron Nesmith, SF, Vanderbilt

13. New Orleans Pelicans: Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina

14. Boston Celtics: Onyeka Okongwu, C, USC

15. Orlando Magic: Jaden McDaniels, SF, Washington

16. Portland Trail Blazers: Patrick Williams, SF, Florida State

17. Minnesota Timberwolves: Jalen Smith, PF, Maryland

18. Dallas Mavericks: Theo Maledon, PG, ASVEL

19. Brooklyn Nets: Tyrese Maxey, SG, Kentucky

20. Miami Heat: Kira Lewis Jr., PG, Alabama

21. Philadelphia 76ers: Nico Mannion, PG, Arizona

22. Denver Nuggets: Josh Green, SG, Arizona

23. Utah Jazz: RJ Hampton, SG, New Zealand Breakers

24. Milwaukee Bucks: Xavier Tillman, PF, Michigan State

25. Oklahoma City Thunder: Desmond Bane, SG, TCU 

26. Boston Celtics: Jahmi'us Ramsey, SG, Texas Tech

27. New York Knicks: Cassius Stanley, SG, Duke

28. Los Angeles Lakers: Tre Jones, PG, Duke

29. Toronto Raptors: Isaiah Stewart, C, Washington

30. Boston Celtics: Leandro Bolmaro, SF, FC Barcelona

Leandro Bolmaro, SF, FC Barcelona

Mocked here at No. 30, Leandro Bolmaro is as interesting a prospect as they get. At 6'7", the 20-year-old small forward out of FC Barcelona has a versatile skill set and a ceiling too tantalizing to ignore at the end of the first. 

The Argentinian national plays with a certain swagger to his game, comfortably handling the rock and confidently attacking opponents on both sides of the ball. His most impressive asset is likely the playmaking prowess he's shown such strong flashes of, but that ambidextrous handle and dime package is accompanied by a nice touch and a decent shooting form.

While Bolmaro may not be one of the draft's fastest, strongest or bounciest prospects, his basketball instincts are genuine and his comfort on the court is undeniable. Those attributes cannot be taught and suggest upside that a team will likely want to gamble upon with a later pick.

Vernon Carey Jr., PF/C, Duke

One of the draft's most debated prospects, some have Vernon Carey Jr. going as high as the lottery, others, down in the second round. His role, a traditional big man, isn't as exciting an acquisition as in years past, and that puts Carey in a weird position.

Carey is one of three true bigs who project in and around the first round, along with USC's Okongwu and Washington's Isaiah Stewart. The 18-year-old center from Olympiacos Piraeus, Aleksej Pokusevski, projects a little later in the second given some understandable question marks. While all three of Okongwu, Stewart and Carey averaged between 16 and 18 points with eight-plus rebounds, Okongwu is the obvious top candidate given his impressive play this past season (exemplified by a nasty 61.6 shooting percentage from the field and 2.7 blocks per game).

While Carey is certainly physically imposing and had a fantastic season, he only averaged 1.6 blocks per game while Okongwu and Stewart each averaged 2.0-plus. Further, he shot 67.0 percent from the free-throw line, while Okongwu shot 72.0 percent and Stewart shot 77.4. He could be a great player, but people aren't vying for true bigs in 2020, and he likely isn't one of the two most intriguing at his position.

Elijah Hughes, SG, Syracuse

There is a clear middle tier of wings in this year's draft, with guys like Isaac Okoro, Saddiq Bey and Aaron Nesmith projecting to be quality prospects. Elijah Hughes is a couple of tiers below, given some defensive, efficiency and age concerns, but man, his trigger is quick and the 22-year-old can get red-hot in a hurry.

Although Hughes doesn't have jaw-dropping physical attributes or the youth to inspire projections of a massive ceiling, the 6'6" wing balled out in 2019. In three years of college basketball, his scoring averages rose from 7.8 to 13.7 and, finally, 19.0. Similarly, his field-goal and free-throw percentages rose each year as well, reaching 42.7 and 81.3 percent, respectively, in his final year.

Hughes averaged 19.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game as the Syracuse Orange's best player this past season. The gunner only hit 34.2 percent of his threes, but he was taking 7.1 of them per contest. The promise of easier shot opportunities given more space in NBA offenses couples with an impressive free-throw rate and obvious talent to make Hughes a prospect that a first-round team could easily gamble on.