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

25. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova

19 years old | Power forward | 6-foot-9 | 232 lbs

Stats (FR): 10.5 ppg (.453/.328/.814), 9.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.1 spg

Villanova had yet another top-3 finish in the Big East and the play of freshman Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is a big reason. The McDonald’s All-American has a skill set that could see him develop nicely in the NBA, lack of elite explosion/athleticism aside. Robinson-Earl makes some solid passes, especially from the post, but still has a quite high (19.0%) turnover rate. Cleaning up the mistakes will go a long way for Robinson-Earl, as he is a good post scorer with a soft touch.

He shot over 30% from the 3-point line and over 80% from the free-throw line this season. Robinson-Earl is also a great defender. He is mobile and has demonstrated the ability to move well laterally and go for steals with his long arms (2.0% steal rate), which will ultimately aid his ability to get (limited) NBA minutes early on in his career.

24. Tre Jones, Duke

20 years old | Point guard | 6-foot-3 | 185 lbs

Stats (SO): 16.2ppg (.423/.361/.771), 4.2 rpg, 6.4 apg

Tre Jones is perhaps the best perimeter defender in the country, something that is backed up by his recent ACC Defensive Player of the Award. And that is the start of his case to be a strong first-round draft choice in June. Jones has an elite 2.9% steal rate over his two seasons at Duke and was the primary reason Duke was able to stifle so many offenses this year. But at this point, no one in the NBA doubts Jones’ ability to survive on the defensive end of the floor.

Tre’s biggest weakness is his outside shooting, which despite some improvements, is still going to be a question mark heading into the draft. In the 2019-20 season, he shot 36.1% on 3-pointers, 77.1% from the free throw line, and most impressive, Jones improved on his efficiency on midrange/2-point jumpers (38.3%) despite the fact that almost all of those shots (95.2%) were unassisted. His finishing in the paint was decent but was much better his freshman year when flanked by RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson, which is obviously a better representation of the kind of talent he will be surrounded by at the NBA level. With his playmaking and ability to hit shots from the midrange, Jones will make a fine backup PG with the possibility of evolving into much more should the 3-point shooting improvement prove to be real.

23. Jahm’ius Ramsey, Texas Tech

18 years old | Shooting guard | 6-foot-4 | 195 lbs

Stats (FR): 15.0ppg (.442/.426/.641), 4.0 rpg, 2.2 apg

Jahm’ius Ramsey is already a very nicer scorer at 18 years old. He is averaging 28.3 points per 100 possessions with a 54.6 true shooting percentage.

Ramsey’s 23.3% free throw rate is fine for a prospect who relies on jumpers as much as he does but he obviously needs to improve from the charity stripe, something reflected in the so-so true shooting percentage. What makes Ramsey an upside play beside his age is the fact that he has great two-way potential. Despite a high-usage rate on offense (26.2%), Ramsey maintained a tidy steal (2.5%) and block rate (2.5%) over his 842 minutes of regular season play. He shows playmaking skills but can develop tunnel vision because of his obvious talent on offense.

Ramsey isn’t the most explosive leaper and may have some trouble finishing in the lane at the NBA level. Being a bit of a tweener/combo guard, Ramsey is going to need to play next to a capable, veteran playmaker to take advantage of his shooting ability as he adjusts to NBA defenses. He may get powered through in the paint by bigger guard/wings at the beginning of his career, but the tools are there for Ramsey to become a two-way, impact player.

22. Matthew Hurt, Duke

19 years old | Power forward | 6-foot-9 | 214 lbs

Stats (FR): 9.7 ppg (.487/.393/.741), 3.8 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.7 bpg

Every team in the NBA is at least a bit intrigued by a young big with clear stretch-four potential but 19-year old Matthew Hurt has the potential to be much more. Hurt shot 67% at the rim per Hoop-Math.com and did that while being efficient from 3-point and the free throw line. He showed off the ability to hit step-back and off the dribble jumpers when facing up plodding bigs. Hurt is pretty coordinated for his height, so he can also drive to the rim when mismatched on a smaller defender, easily shooting over the top of them.

The problem for Hurt at the NBA level will be dealing with the strength of post players. He showed some fight on defense, protecting the paint well (2.0% block rate) but Hurt fouled way too often. Hurt’s foul issues were connected to the lack of strength but again, he is very young and I wouldn’t worry about it too much at this stage of his development. Hurt is worth a first-round pick, even if he is used as a situational shooter. But as he gains strength and learns NBA defense, Hurt has the ability to play the 4 or the 5 in the league.

21.  Patrick Williams, Florida State

18 years old | Power forward | 6-foot-8 | 225 lbs

Stats (FR): 9.2ppg (.459/.320/.838), 4.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 bpg, 1.0 spg

I like Patrick Williams a lot as a prospect and it starts with the fact that he is a good team defender on a top-15 KenPom defense. Williams’s advanced numbers on defense were noteworthy. He had a 2.5% steal rate and a 5.6% block rate and could be found covering for his teammates (very few) mistakes. He occasionally was blown by on defense quicker combo forwards, something that could be a bit of an issue at the NBA level. But I don’t think of Williams as a point-of-attack defender, so that doesn’t concern me as much.

Williams projects to be a solid shooter at the NBA level (projected 35.1% NBA 3PT% per Tankathon.com) and is an explosive athlete who is a solid enough ballhandler to pose a threat attacking closeouts. Regardless of what role he is asked to fit into from Day 1, Williams’ versatile skill set will allow him to grow into a rotation player on a winning team.