NBA Draft 2020: Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman Among Options for No. 1 Pick

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been on the clock ever since the basketball gods gifted them the No. 1 pick of the 2020 NBA Draft.

Even with the event less than one month away, it remains uncertain whom the Timberwolves will target—or if they will even keep the pick.

Three prospects have positioned themselves to be in the running, so barring something unexpected, the selection will be used on one of the following: Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman or LaMelo Ball. Let's break down what each could bring to a team, be it the Timberwolves or their potential trade partner.

LaMelo Ball, PG/SG, Illawarra Hawks

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No matter where LaMelo Ball lands, he'll instantly perk up that team's attack. He's a preternatural passer who's perpetually looking to push the pace and find hit-ahead opportunities.

"In a vacuum, he is my top prospect because of his positional size (6'7" point guard) and unteachable passing instincts and skill, a combination that appears guaranteed to translate to high-level playmaking and assists," Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman wrote.

So long as Ball has the on-ball opportunities—those might be limited should he land with a win-now team like the Golden State Warriors—he should have a better chance than not of finishing among next season's top-10 assist leaders. His vision, creativity and acumen could yield multiple assist titles over his career.

The sticking point is whether he'll be able to iron out his weaknesses. He's an ambitious shooter (to put it mildly), which, when coupled with his unorthodox form, threatens to torpedo his conversion rates. He's also often an indifferent defender (again, being polite), and if he can't offer more resistance than a wet paper bag, he'll have trouble finding substantial playing time.

Anthony Edwards, SG, Georgia

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So much of draft preparation involves projecting the future, and in the case of Anthony Edwards, there is a wide variety of potential paths for his career to follow.

His player comparisons run the gamut from Dwyane Wade and Victor Oladipo to JR Smith, Andrew Wiggins and Dion Waiters. Obviously, there's a pretty significant gulf between the high and low ends, but the common threads are explosive athleticism, tough shot-making, secondary distributing and some off-the-dribble juice.

"His combination of strength, speed, his pull-up jumper off the bounce—he can just rise over people," Arkansas coach Eric Musselman told reporters. "He's an incredible player with an incredibly bright future. Having coached in that league, he's got an NBA body right now."

Edwards will get buckets in the Association, whether they come from isolation chances, fast-breaks or spot-up triples. The questions are whether he'll be selective enough to score efficiently and make better use of his length and strength at the defensive end.

The blueprint of a two-way star is present, but this same profile hasn't always delivered more than volume scoring.

James Wiseman, C, Memphis

Karen Pulfer Focht/Associated Press

James Wiseman has many selling points, the biggest of which surfaces upon first glance. He's 7'1" with a 7'6" wingspan and an unfair amount of athleticism for his size. He'll be blocking shots and punishing rims the first time he graces the NBA hardwood.

But there are things working against him, too, one of which is outside of his control. While the NBA has stopped short of completely devaluing the center spot, its allure has declined in this era of pace-and-space hoops. The game keeps pushing further out to the perimeter, which doesn't help someone who does a lot of his best work from point-blank range.

"Few executives doubt that has size, length and athleticism will translate into being a starting quality NBA center," The Athletic's Sam Vecenie wrote. "Where the disagreement comes is with whether or not he has star upside, something that is necessary for a team to be willing to take a center at the top of the draft in today's day and age."

There are debates over how Wiseman will handle perimeter switches in the NBA and how much skill he can add at the offensive end. His awareness is lacking, though to be fair, that's true of most 19-year-old prospects.

If teams see growth potential away from the basket and think they can coach up his decision-making, then he has a real shot to be the first name called on draft night.