NBA Draft 2020: Latest Mock Draft for Top 1st-Round Prospects

The 2020 NBA draft is one of the most divisive in recent memory, with practically no consensus from top to bottom. Limited exposure to players this past year, coupled with a restricted predraft process, means that this year's draft has more question marks than ever.

We're not likely to have any of those questions answered before November 18 (the date of the draft), but The Athletic's Shams Charania is reporting that NBA teams can begin conducting in-person meetings with prospects on October 16. That should help lend some clarity to team preferences as fans eagerly await free-agency news now that the offseason is fully upon us.

Here, we go through a first-round mock draft followed by analysis of two of this year's more intriguing top prospects: Iowa State's Tyrese Haliburton and Maccabi Tel Aviv's Deni Avdija. Both are projected within the lottery but haven't cemented their landing spots.

2020 NBA 1st-Round 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: Desmond Bane, SG, TCU

22. Denver Nuggets: Josh Green, SG, Arizona

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

24. Milwaukee Bucks: Nico Mannion, PG, Arizona

25. Oklahoma City Thunder: Xavier Tillman, PF, Michigan State

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

Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Iowa State

Projected here at No. 4 to the Chicago Bulls, Haliburton is an intriguing blend of high upside and high floor. Outside of LaMelo Ball, Haliburton and Killian Hayes are the highest-ranked point guards by most analysts. 

While the latter is all upside, as an unproven 19-year-old, the former showed enough in his second year with Iowa State to suggest an easy transition to some degree of NBA production. Averaging 15.2 points. 5.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists across 22 games in 2019-20, Haliburton displayed mastery on the court. Despite a wonky jumper, he hit 50.4 percent of his shots from the field, 82.2 percent from the line and, surprisingly, 41.9 percent from deep.

At 6'5", Haliburton is a long point guard with a comfortable handle and flashy passing package that benefits his teammates. Add on the logic-defying shooting ability for a safe, strong pick by a Bulls roster that needs reliability. 

Deni Avdija, SF, Maccabi Tel Aviv

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Avdija is all ceiling with one of the draft's shakier floors. Just looking at the limited sample size of statistics offered at Basketball Reference, Avdija's 2019-20 performance doesn't seem to deserve much draft confidence.  

In 26 games, Avdija played just 14.3 minutes per game, averaging 4.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 43.6 percent from the field, 27.7 percent from deep and 55.6 percent from the free-throw line. 

With numbers like that, there must be something truly special in Avdija's tape to elicit lottery projections across the board. And there is. At 6'9", the 19-year-old is hungry and confident, banging in the paint for one possession and crossing over into a slick three on the next. Sometimes raw and inefficient, he nonetheless plays with the bravado of an untouchable star, infectious confidence for those curious about his upside.

That upside is manifest in his improvement, as a team drafting Avdija will be hoping that he can refine his impressive talents. That already seems to be the case, as he put up a few 20-plus-point performances toward the end of July and did so with higher shooting rates.