2020 NBA Draft: 1st-Round Order and Prospects Who Could Slide on Draft Day

The NBA draft always forces decision-makers into a delicate dance of weighing risk against reward.

For some prospects, the red flags are so abundant that they mask the possible payoff and scare away front offices. That's when a draft-night slide takes place as a prospect plummets past his expected draft range.

Last year, this phenomenon had Kevin Porter Jr., Nassir Little and Bol Bol tumbling down the draft board. All three were projected in or near the draft lottery, but Porter and Little went in the back end of Round 1 and Bol slid all the way to the 44th pick.

Prospects will fall in this year's talent grab, too. After laying out the first-round order and our mock projections, we'll spotlight three prospects who could go later than expected.

2020 NBA Draft Order and Mock Selections

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: Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Iowa State

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

6. Atlanta Hawks: Devin Vassell, SF, Florida State

7. Detroit Pistons: Onyeka Okongwu, PF/C, USC

8. New York Knicks: Killian Hayes, PG, Ratiopharm Ulm

9. Washington Wizards: Isaac Okoro, SF/PF, Auburn

10. Phoenix Suns: Obi Toppin, PF/C, Dayton

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): Zeke Nnaji, C, Arizona

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): Xavier Tillman, PF/C, Michigan State

Prospects Who Could Slide on Draft Day

James Wiseman, C, Memphis

Wiseman's natural gifts are plentiful, and they're the biggest reason he's often found high up mock draft boards. He pairs his 7'1" frame with a 7'6" wingspan, and it's all powered by spring-loaded athleticism.

Those tools aren't easy to ignore, especially for clubs with a vacancy in the middle. But what if he doesn't become more than a jumbo-sized athlete? More importantly, does it make sense in the modern game to try building around a defense-first big man with unpolished offensive skills?

"He's such a wild card, man," a scout told B/R's Jonathan Wasserman. "Minimal game film. Poor trend of bigs going early and returning on investment. NBA people are all over the map with him."

There isn't the greatest feel for Wiseman, and that impacts him on both ends of the court. A coaching staff can (and will) address that, but will teams want to take on that much developmental risk with a top-three pick? There's a chance he goes closer to No. 10 than No. 1.

Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina

The slide has already started for Anthony, who trailed only Wiseman in last summer's recruiting rankings, per ESPN. An injury-riddled, inefficient season with the Tar Heels is to blame.

North Carolina entered the campaign as a preseason Top 10 and ended it as the first losing club Roy Williams has coached in 32 seasons. Anthony, the team's leader in shots, points and assists, was at the heart of those struggles. He shot just 38 percent from the field, nearly canceled out his 4.0 assists with 3.5 turnovers and lost nearly two months to a knee injury.

"I just don't think he wins you games," a scout told Zach Braziller of the New York Post.

Not everyone shares that viewpoint, of course, and some of Anthony's statistical woes can likely be forgiven to the lack of help his supporting cast provided. But neither the numbers nor the game film was great at UNC, and that could play a factor in when his name gets called.

Nico Mannion, PG, Arizona

When Wasserman assessed this draft class in June 2019, he saw Mannion emerging as a top-10 pick. The 6'3" point guard doesn't even have a spot in our mock first round above.

That makes his freshman year seem more disastrous than it was—he was the only frosh to average 14 points and five assists last season—but it did leave lingering question marks about his NBA outlook. His physical tools work against him, and other than perhaps offensive management, he didn't consistently display an NBA-caliber skill.

As ESPN's Mike Schmitz noted, Mannion's 6'2½" wingspan is shorter than his 6'3" height, and the lack of length presents problems at the rim and on defense. He doesn't have a deep array of dribble moves or an elite burst, so creating separation could be a challenge. He could've offset some of these concerns with strong shooting marks, but instead he only converted 39.2 percent of his field goals and 32.7 percent of his threes.

If teams don't see him as a consistent scoring threat in the NBA, they'll have trouble viewing him as more than a game-managing backup point guard. If that's the expectation, the first round could easily come and go without his name being mentioned.