NBA Mock Draft 2020: Predictions for Onyeka Okongwu, Top Frontcourt Prospects

The pre-NBA draft buzz surrounding frontcourt players has primarily been thrown in James Wiseman's direction, but Onyeka Okongwu is more than deserving of high lottery attention as well.

The USC product could be selected as high as the top five and may be as valuable as Wiseman to the franchise that chooses him. 

While Wiseman came into Memphis with plenty of attention, Okongwu boosted his draft stock throughout a tremendous on-court season in the Pac-12. 

There is no doubt Okongwu and Wiseman are two of the top big men in the draft, but figuring out where they will land is tricky because some teams with high picks already have established centers in place. 

2020 NBA 1st-Round Mock Draft

1. Minnesota Timberwolves: LaMelo Ball, PG, Illawarra Hawks

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

3. Charlotte Hornets: Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia

4. Chicago Bulls: Obi Toppin, PF, Dayton

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

6. Atlanta Hawks: Onyeka Okongwu, PF/C, USC

7. Detroit Pistons: Isaac Okoro, SF, Auburn

8. New York Knicks: Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Iowa State

9. Washington Wizards: Saddiq Bey, SF, Villanova

10. Phoenix Suns: Killian Hayes, PG/SG, Ratiopharm Ulm

11. San Antonio Spurs: Patrick Williams, PF, Florida State

12. Sacramento Kings: Tyrese Maxey, SG, Kentucky

13. New Orleans Pelicans: Devin Vassell, SG/SF, Florida State

14. Boston Celtics (from Memphis): Aaron Nesmith, SF, Vanderbilt

15. Orlando Magic: RJ Hampton, SG, New Zealand Breakers

16. Portland Trail Blazers: Precious Achiuwa, PF, Memphis

17. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Brooklyn): Jalen Smith, PF, Maryland

18. Dallas Mavericks: Josh Green, SG, Arizona

19. Brooklyn Nets (from Philadelphia): Kira Lewis Jr., PG, Alabama

20. Miami Heat: Cole Anthony, PG, North Carolina

21. Philadelphia 76ers (from Oklahoma City): Tyrell Terry, PG, Stanford

22. Denver Nuggets (from Houston): Aleksej Pokusevski, PF, Olympiacos B

23. Utah Jazz: Nico Mannion, PG, Arizona

24. Milwaukee Bucks (from Indiana): Theo Maledon, PG, ASVEL

25. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Denver): Jahmi'us Ramsey, SG, Texas Tech

26. Boston Celtics: Desmond Bane, SG, TCU 

27. New York Knicks (from Los Angeles Clippers): Tyler Bey, SF, Colorado

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

29. Toronto Raptors: Devon Dotson, PG, Kansas

30. Boston Celtics (from Milwaukee): Isaiah Stewart, PF, Washington

Predictions For Top Frontcourt Prospects

Onyeka Okongwu, USC

Okongwu impressed throughout most of his freshman season with USC. 

The 19-year-old produced 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game and scored over 10 points in all but two games after January 1. 

Okongwu's selection range could be anywhere from Chicago at No. 4 to Washington at No. 9. Cleveland and Detroit are likely out of the running since Andre Drummond and Christian Wood are written in as starters. It could be hard for either franchise to justify taking a first-round big man with holes at other positions. 

Atlanta may be the most intriguing landing spot for the Los Angeles-born player since it has built up a decent core around Trae Young. 

Center is the one position where the Hawks are lacking a dominant young player after landing De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish in the 2019 NBA draft.

Okongwu would be a nice complement to John Collins in the frontcourt, and there would be little pressure on him to score at a high volume with Young, Reddish and Hunter in the fold. 

Of course, Okongwu will be asked to contribute some scoring, but if he does not press for points down low, he could develop a strong paint presence that could be started by his rebounding ability. 

If he develops a three-point shot of some capacity to adapt to the NBA game, he could be a higher volume scorer after shooting 25 percent from deep at USC. 

If the Hawks pass on him, Okongwu could tumble to Washington since Detroit may look to add pieces around Wood and Blake Griffin while New York chases a point guard to run its offense.

Prediction: No. 6 overall to Atlanta

James Wiseman, Memphis

Wiseman's chances of being the No. 1 overall pick diminished when the Minnesota Timberwolves won the lottery. 

Although nothing is official until NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announces the pick, it seems Minnesota should approach LaMelo Ball or Anthony Edwards for the top selection instead of a prospect who plays the same position as Karl-Anthony Towns. 

The most intriguing fit for Wiseman could be Golden State, who may see Ball or Edwards as surplus behind Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins. 

During their championship reign, the Warriors did not have a controlling frontcourt power because they relied so much on the three-point shot and Draymond Green's aggressiveness down low. 

Since there are so many Western Conference contenders with dominant big men, it may be worth taking Wiseman in the hopes he eventually competes well against Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic and others. 

The one drawback to selecting the 19-year-old is his lack of collegiate playing time, which was curtailed by a suspension. Instead of returning to Memphis when the ban ended, he turned to focus on the draft process. 

In his small window of games, Wiseman controlled the paint with a pair of double-doubles and a nine-rebound performance. 

However, those concerns may be washed away by what NBA personnel have seen from him recently. According to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, "there is genuine buzz that he looks phenomenal" during his pre-draft workouts in Miami.

If Golden State believes in Wiseman's potential, thinks he can level the frontcourt matchups a bit and develop some semblance of a three-point shot, he could be the ideal pick at No. 2 over Ball or Edwards.

Prediction: No. 2 overall to Golden State

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com