NBA Draft 2020: Mock Draft Projections for 1st-Round Players Who Will Be Steals

NBA draft steals can surface for myriad reasons.

Some prospects are overly discounted for their age. Others have skills they weren't able to fully display. Still, there are players who are simply underrated and incorrectly judged by the scouting committee.

We'll detail three prospects with serious draft-steal potential after running through our mock first round.

2020 NBA Mock Draft Projections

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

Players Who Will Be Draft Steals

Obi Toppin, PF/C, Dayton

Given the draft's obsession with youth and upside, the fact Toppin is 22 years old will work against him.

It's not a totally baseless concern. He's one day younger than Jayson Tatum and almost two years older than Tyler Herro. NBA primes don't last forever, and Toppin's biological clock has already started cutting into his.

But teams could get carried away with this concern. Age is part of the equation but not close to the biggest deciding factor. Especially in a draft like this where even the top prospects have serious question marks, Toppin's relatively lower ceiling is far less important than his high floor.

Even without knowing his landing spot or anyone else's, he should be the favorite to pace next season's rookie class in scoring. He just averaged 20 points on 63.3/39.0/70.2 shooting, and even if he can't carry over all of that volume, the skills that created it are all present.

With soft touch on the perimeter, explosive hops at the basket and a willingness to stay within his lane, he looks like a can't-miss offensive contributor who has the physical tools to hang at the other end, too.

RJ Hampton, SG, New Zealand Breakers

Before Hampton bypassed the college ranks and headed overseas, he was the fifth-rated recruit in his class, per 247Sports. Now, he is seldom mocked inside the lottery and doesn't always even land in the top 20.

Admittedly, he didn't set the world on fire in New Zealand while averaging 8.8 points and 2.4 assists per game. Clearly, it has damaged his stock.

But look at the rest of the class. LaMelo Ball shot 37.5 percent in the same league. James Wiseman played three games at Memphis. Anthony Edwards battled reckless shot selection. Everyone raises concerns, so why do Hampton's seem particularly damaging to his draft stock?

That could be a question that haunts executives if Hampton emerges as one of the top talents in this draft. He's already generating good press for his shooting work with longtime NBA sniper Mike Miller.

"With him and the way he plays, if he shoots—which I'm pretty confident in—in the next two-three years he'll be a high 30s, low 40s percent three-point shooter, he'll be one of the best guards in the league," Miller told SNY's Ian Begley.

Tyrell Terry, PG, Stanford

The strengths category on Terry's scouting report has long sounded tantalizing. He pairs deep shooting range with the handles to free himself, and he's a crafty enough finisher to convert scoring chances around the basket.

But the weaknesses seemed hard to work around. The 6'1" guard was listed at just 160 pounds. No matter how much you believed in his skills, the worries over whether he could hold up in the NBA were hard to ignore.

Terry has apparently kept busy putting that concern to rest, though:

If size isn't an issue—or as big an issue, at least—then Terry's draft stock should skyrocket. But if he doesn't crack the lottery, he could be the one that got away for a lot of shooting-needy teams.