Busting Brackets
Fansided

2020 NBA Draft Big Board: Top 30 player rankings, scouting reports

By Michael Walton

WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 25: Lamelo Ball of the Hawks shoots from the free throw line during the round 8 NBL match between the Illawarra Hawks and the Cairns Taipans at WIN Entertainment Centre on November 25, 2019 in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 25: Lamelo Ball of the Hawks shoots from the free throw line during the round 8 NBL match between the Illawarra Hawks and the Cairns Taipans at WIN Entertainment Centre on November 25, 2019 in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 9
Next
2020 NBA Draft
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 07: Vernon Carey Jr. #1 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks against the North Carolina Tar Heels. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

30. Daniel Oturu, Minnesota

20 years old | Center | 6-foot-10 | 185 lbs
Stats (SO): 20.1 ppg (.563/.365/.707), 11.3 rpg, 2.5 bpg

Daniel Oturu is a center who has really turned a corner in his sophomore season at Minnesota. He is an excellent finisher and skilled scorer from the low-post and mid-post areas on the court. Oturu’s jumper has expanded to the 3-point line this year (34.7% on 3.2 3-point attempts per 100 possessions) and he has increased his True Shooting percentage (TS %) to 62.4% despite a big leap in usage rate. Combine Oturu’s potential as a rim-protector (7.6% block rate) with his stretch-five potential and you have the makings of a worthy first-round big. Oturu may get powered through by the stronger bigs in the league but his perimeter shooting gives him the possibility of sliding down to the four for stretches. He could be an intriguing late-round steal.

29. Paul Reed, DePaul

20 years old | Power forward | 6-foot-9 | 220 lbs
Stats (JR): 15.1 ppg (.516/.308/.738), 10.7 rpg, 2.6 bpg

While age is obviously a huge factor in the NBA Draft process, it shouldn’t stop you from drafting a player you think can be a difference-maker from the start. Paul Reed fits that description to a ‘T’. In his junior season at DePaul, Reed has transformed himself into an absolute beast on the defensive end of the floor. He utilizes his massive wingspan and leaping ability to smother shots at the rim. Reed also excels at getting into passing lanes on D, and if he gets his mitts on the ball he can quickly turn defense into offense in transition. If his 3-point shooting—which took a dip to 21.4% on 0.5 attempts per game this season—can get back to previous above 30% levels in the NBA, he will greatly outperform this slot.

28. Jalen Smith, Maryland

20 years old | Power forward | 6-foot-10 | 225 lbs
Stats (SO): 15.5 ppg (.538/.368/.750), 10.5 rpg, 2.4 bpg

Jalen Smith may appear to be quite the wiry forward but he is deceptively strong. Smith excels as a rebounder and shot-blocker, and with the way the NBA is sizing down, Smith should be able to function quite well as a rim protector. Offensively, Smith is an excellent finisher at the rim and will do well in the league off of cuts and as a roll man. He is quick enough to beat opposing bigs from a faceup/triple-threat position and his improvement as a 3-point shooter makes him capable of manning two of the forward spots (and three in an ideal world) offensively. But despite Smith’s deceptive strength that will allow him to rebound well and function in the paint, he still will struggle with some of the more physical 4 and 5 men in the league, which will ultimately limit his usage.

27. Precious Achiuwa, Memphis

20 years old | Power forward | 6-foot-9 | 223 lbs
Stats (SO): 15.8 ppg (.493/.325/.599), 10.8 pg, 1.9 bpg

Precious Achiuwa is extremely fast, especially in terms of speed on straight-line drives and in transition and it feels like the best place to start with his draft prospects. It is easy to imagine Achiuwa as a mismatch nightmare in the NBA. He uses his intriguing combination of speed and strength to bruise his way to the rim à la Julius Randle. Despite his productivity and ability to dominate as a small ball-5, the are still enough legit concerns about Achiuwa’s pro prospects. He has an over 7-foot wingspan but his lack of touch on offense and terrible free-throw shooting on (58.4%) on high-volume limits his ceiling.

26. Vernon Carey Jr., Duke

19 years old | Center | 6-foot-1 | 270 lbs
Stats (FR): 17.8 ppg (.577/.381/.670), 8.8 pg, 1.6 bpg

Vernon Carey Jr. is one of my favorite prospects, mostly because he seems like an upperclassman NCAA prospect from 1999 who stepped into a time machine and came out an walked right onto Duke’s campus in 2020. Carey is a bruising back-to-the-basket low-post scorer who has some intriguing tools in the toolbox. Despite being a player who succeeds best when he gets a post touch with his man sealed deep in the paint, Carey has flashed the ability to hit the 3-point shot on low volume and beat opposing bigs off the dribble.

Carey’s ability to score in a variety of ways is evident. Small improvements in his passing help him look even better as a prospect. Carey is a solid rim-protector as well but Duke has went zone with him on the backline often. If Carey can become an average pick-and-roll defender (or even just below average) in the NBA, the idea of him as a starting big man down the road isn’t too far-fetched considering his physical tools.

Home/NBA Draft News