NBA Draft 2020: Analyzing Jalen Smith, More Prospects with Rising Stocks

Maryland's Jalen Smith appears to be breaking away from the rest of the big men projected to land in the second half of the 2020 NBA draft's first round. 

Smith has risen from a potential top-20 pick to a possible mid-teens selection in mock drafts over the last few weeks. 

The increase in buzz surrounding Smith's NBA potential could put four centers in the top 15, if a team is willing to use a high selection on him. 

Smith is far from the only player generating positive buzz ahead of the November 18 selection process. RJ Hampton has reportedly impressed with the work made on his shot, and San Diego State's Malachi Flynn is making the case to be one of the first college upperclassmen off the board. 

NBA Draft Prospects With Rising Stocks

Jalen Smith, PF/C, Maryland

John Minchillo/Associated Press

If Smith keeps rising in mock drafts, his floor will be between No. 15 and No. 20, and he would be the fourth center off the board.

James Wiseman and Onyeka Okongwu are bonafide top 10 picks, and Precious Achiuwa is a potential late lottery pick, but outside of them, Smith could be the best big man on the board. 

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman noted "teams are high on Smith's shooting, defense and character," and he placed Smith at No. 13 to the New Orleans Pelicans in his latest mock draft. 

The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor also paired the Pelicans with Smith in his most-recent projection. He called Smith "a perfect fit for the Pelicans next to Zion Williamson." 

Smith averaged a double-double in his sophomore season at Maryland with 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He also displayed a willingness to shoot from three-point range and hit 36.8 percent of those attempts. 

Smith's range from beyond the arc and rebounding ability could intrigue the Pelicans in their attempt to get better around Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

If new Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy opts to go in a different direction, Portland may be intrigued by Smith at No. 16 to provide support behind Jusuf Nurkic. Brooklyn could also take a look at No. 19 to add help for Jarrett Allen in the post. 

No matter where he lands, Smith could make an immediate impact because he has the inside-outside skill set that suits the current NBA style of play.

RJ Hampton, SG, New Zealand Breakers

Rick Rycroft/Associated Press

Hampton could end up as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the delayed draft date. 

Instead of plying his trade in college basketball, Hampton went to the NBL to play for the New Zealand Breakers, but his move was overshadowed by LaMelo Ball doing the same thing with the Illawarra Hawks. 

As CBS Sports' Gary Parrish noted, Hampton "reworked his shot and sought help from Mike Miller" in an attempt to bolster his draft stock. 

Hampton did not have the best NBL tenure, and that resulted in a drop in a handful of mock drafts. 

Thanks to the extra time he has had to make improvements, Hampton is now considered a consensus top 20 selection.

Wasserman, Parrish and Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo all have Hampton landing between Dallas at No. 18 and Miami at No. 20. 

Miller's connection with the Heat franchise could persuade the reigning Eastern Conference champion to take Hampton if it chooses to move on from Goran Dragic and Jae Crowder in free agency. 

If he does not make it to Miami, Dallas could swoop up Hampton to add a shooter to its mix of backcourt depth that features Seth Curry and Tim Hardaway Jr. 

Dallas could be the perfect landing spot for Hampton since he could develop while not facing the pressure of being a starter right off the bat. 

Malachi Flynn, PG, San Diego State

Isaac Brekken/Associated Press

Diehard college basketball fans that searched out late-night Mountain West games are aware of how skilled of a point guard Malachi Flynn is. 

Flynn was the engine that drove the San Diego State offense, as he put up 17.6 points, 5.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. 

The point guard is nowhere near the top of the draft rankings because of his age. Most of the lottery selections are expected to be freshmen, sophomores or teenagers coming from international leagues. 

O'Connor pointed out in his last mock draft that, "Flynn's stock is on the rise; teams see a player who can contribute right away as a playmaking guard who hits spot-up threes and plays tough defense." 

Flynn could be a great pickup for an NBA Finals contender searching for backcourt depth. Milwaukee, Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers could all fall into that category.

The Bucks could use a young point guard to develop behind Eric Bledsoe and George Hill, who are both in their 30s. 

Boston collected an abundance of talent in the last few drafts, and it could either allow Flynn to develop in the G-League for a year or as back end depth. 

The Lakers need to get younger in their quest to repeat, and they also need to add cheap talent to balance out the massive contracts of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. 

Flynn could be the perfect fit in Los Angeles because he has a few years of college experience and engineered a winning offense at San Diego State. 

There is a possibility Flynn lands higher in the first round, and that could put him in contention with Colorado's Tyler Bey, DePaul's Paul Reed and Desmond Bane out of TCU to be the first upperclassmen chosen.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com