NBA Draft Picks 2020: List of Results, Grades and Analysis

The upper half of the first round of every NBA draft always has some surprises, and 2020 didn't disappoint.

Chicago, which was thought to be a team that could trade up to the No. 1 overall pick, elected to stay put and selected Florida State's Patrick Williams, the ACC Sixth Man of the Year, at No. 4 overall.

Meanwhile, Iowa State's Tyrese Haliburton, expected by many not to make it out of the top five, dropped all the way to No. 12 to Sacramento. And that was just the beginning of a first round that had plenty of head-scratchers, trades and potential stars. 

Picks No. 1-30

Tony Tribble/Associated Press

1. Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards, G, Georgia

Grade: A

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

Grade: B+

3. Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball, G, Illawarra Hawks

Grade: A-

4. Chicago Bulls: Patrick Williams, F, Florida State

Grade: B-

5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Isaac Okoro, F, Auburn

Grade: B

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

Grade: B+ 

7. Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes, G, Ratiopharm Ulm

Grade: A-

8. New York Knicks: Obi Toppin, F, Dayton

Grade: A

9. Washington Wizards: Deni Avdija, F, Maccabi Tel Aviv

Grade: A

10. Phoenix Suns: Jalen Smith, F, Maryland

Grade: C+

11. San Antonio Spurs: Devin Vassell, G/F, Florida State

Grade: B+

12. Sacramento Kings: Tyrese Haliburton, G, Iowa State

Grade: B+

13. New Orleans Pelicans: Kira Lewis Jr., G, Alabama

Grade: B-

14. Boston Celtics: Aaron Nesmith, G, Vanderbilt

Grade: B+ 

15. Orlando Magic: Cole Anthony, G, North Carolina

Grade: B

16. Detroit Pistons: Isaiah Stewart, F, Washington

Grade: B+

17. Minnesota Timberwolves: Aleksej Pokusevski, F, Olympiacos Piraeus

Grade: B

18. Dallas Mavericks: Josh Green, G, Arizona

Grade: A-

19. Detroit Pistons: Saddiq Bey, G/F, Villanova

Grade: A

20. Miami Heat: Precious Achiuwa, F, Memphis

Grade: B+

21. Philadelphia 76ers: Tyrese Maxey, G, Kentucky

Grade: B-

22. Denver Nuggets: Zeke Nnaji, F/C, Arizona

Grade: B+

23. Minnesota Timberwolves: Leandro Bolmaro, FC Barcelona

Grade: B

24. Denver Nuggets: RJ Hampton, G, New Zealand Breakers

Grade: B+

25. New York Knicks: Immanuel Quickley, G, Kentucky

Grade: B-

26. Boston Celtics: Payton Pritchard, G, Oregon

Grade: B+

27. Utah Jazz: Udoka Azubuike, C, Kansas

Grade: C+

28. Minnesota Timberwolves: Jaden McDaniels, F, Washington

Grade: B-

29. Toronto Raptors: Malachi Flynn, G, San Diego State

Grade: B+

30. Memphis Grizzlies: Desmond Bane, G, TCU

Grade: B+

Picks No. 31-60

John Locher/Associated Press

31. Dallas Mavericks: Tyrell Terry, G, Stanford

Grade: B+

32. Charlotte Hornets: Vernon Carey Jr., C, Duke

Grade: B

33. Los Angeles Clippers: Daniel Oturu, C, Minnesota

Grade: B

34. Oklahoma City Thunder: Theo Maledon, G, France

Grade: B-

35. Memphis Grizzlies: Xavier Tillman, C, Michigan State

Grade: A-

36. Dallas Mavericks: Tyler Bey, F, Colorado

Grade: A

37. Oklahoma City Thunder: Vit Krejci, G, Czech Republic

Grade: C+

38. Detroit Pistons: Saben Lee, G, Vanderbilt

Grade: B+

39. Utah Jazz: Elijah Hughes, G, Syracuse

Grade: B

40. Sacramento Kings: Robert Woodard, F, Mississippi State

Grade: C+

41. San Antonio Spurs: Tre Jones, G, Duke

Grade: A-

42. Charlotte Hornets: Nick Richards, C, Kentucky

Grade: B-

43. Sacramento Kings: Jahmi'us Ramsey, G, Texas Tech

Grade: B

44. Chicago Bulls: Marko Simonovic, C, Montenegro

Grade: C-

45. Milwaukee Bucks: Jordan Nwora, F, Louisville

Grade: B+

46. Portland Trail Blazers: CJ Elleby, G, Washington State

Grade: B-

47. Boston Celtics: Yam Madar, G, Israel

Grade: B

48. Golden State Warriors: Nico Mannion, G, Arizona

Grade: B+

49. Philadelphia 76ers: Isaiah Joe, G, Arkansas

Grade: A-

50. Atlanta Hawks: Skylar Mays, G, LSU

Grade: B

51. Golden State Warriors: Justinian Jessup, G, Boise State

Grade: B-

52. Houston Rockets: Kenyon Martin Jr., F, IMG Academy

Grade: C

53. Washington Wizards: Cassius Winston, G, Michigan State

Grade: B+

54. Indiana Pacers: Cassius Stanley, G, Duke

Grade: B

55. Brooklyn Nets: Jay Scrubb, G, John A. Logan College

Grade: C+

56. Charlotte Hornets: Grant Riller, G, Charleston

Grade: B

57. Brooklyn Nets: Reggie Perry, C, Mississippi State 

Grade: B-

58. Philadelphia 76ers: Paul Reed, F, DePaul

Grade: B+

59. Toronto Raptors: Jalen Harris, G, Nevada

Grade: C+

60. Milwaukee Bucks: Sam Merrill, G, Utah State

Grade: B

Who Won?

Luis M. Alvarez/Associated Press

Charlotte Hornets: This franchise desperately needed a player to rally around, and though he's been controversial as a prospect, LaMelo Ball is exactly that.

Whether they can surround him with enough talent to let his playmaking shine is the big question, but teams like Charlotte need to take big swings and hope they hit it out of the park. 

New York Knicks: New York was a popular trade possibility for a lot of analysts leading up to the draft, but it opted to stand pat and still ended up with a player most people expected to go in the top five.

Obi Toppin is arguably the most league-ready player in the class, and as a hometown kid, he'll be a big draw for an organization in need of some excitement after years of embarrassing mediocrity. However, taking Immanuel Quickley at No. 25 before he was projected to go doesn't exactly make sense. 

Detroit Pistons: Detroit was extremely aggressive on draft night, securing three players—Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey—who it likely believes can be a strong young core to build around. If the Pistons get a healthy Blake Griffin back for 2020-21, this team could potentially push for a playoff spot in the East.

Dallas Mavericks: Dallas came into draft night needing to add secondary scoring behind Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, as well as some perimeter defense and toughness. With Josh Green in the first round and the combination of Tyrell Terry and Tyler Bey in the second, the Mavericks did exactly that.

The latter two could be huge values considering a number of draftniks had them going in Round 1. 

Who Lost?

Ashley Landis/Associated Press

Chicago Bulls: The dropoff between the top three prospects in this class and everyone else was pretty significant. Chicago likely hoped one of the top three would somehow fall, but instead they were left in the position of selecting from a less than stellar second-tier group. Even so, Patrick Williams was a shock here. 

Phoenix Suns: Jalen Smith might end up being a perfectly good NBA player, but there was no reason the Suns needed to take him at No. 10 overall. Nearly every mock draft and analyst had him being taken in the late teens or early 20s, and Phoenix easily could've traded down if he was that high on the board. He will likely slide into the starting power forward spot, cementing Phoenix's starting five with the newly acquired Chris Paul, as well as Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges and DeAndre Ayton. 

Utah Jazz: Utah needed a backup center, but there were there better options than Azubuike. On top of that, the Jazz could've used some outside scoring with Jordan Clarkson possibly commanding more money and leaving in free agency. 

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