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

15. Kira Lewis, Alabama

18 years old | Point guard | 6-foot-3 | 165 lbs
Stats (SO): 18.5 ppg (.459/.366/.802), 4.8 rpg, 5.2 apg

Kira Lewis Jr. is a dynamite scorer, who averaged 25.8 points per 100 possessions in the 2019-20 season for Alabama. This past season was the first year for new head coach Nate Oats and he had the Crimson Tide playing very different on offense. After shooting 718 total 3-pointers (204th) in the 2018-19 season, Oats had ‘Bama 4th in the country in 3-point attempts in 2019-20, taking a whopping 957 attempts from 3-point range over 31 games. In the wake of the offensive shift, rather than become a more selfish player, Lewis showed why he can thrive as an NBA lead guard.

Lewis is likely the fastest player in the 2020 NBA Draft class. On top of being able to go coast-to-coast in a blur, Lewis is a great 3-point shooter and solid pull-up shooter. Over his two years at Alabama, he hit 36.2%of his 3-point attempts with a decent amount of them being very difficult attempts. At the NBA level, Lewis will be able to leverage his great speed and athleticism into open shots for his teammates, even as it takes time for him to understand higher-level reads. At just a reported 165 lbs., I worry about Lewis’ ability to finish at the rim, avoid injury, and defend. But with a 2.5% steal rate, I believe Lewis gives enough effort on defense for it to not outweigh his many positive offensive contributions.

14. Josh Green, Arizona

19 years old | Wing | 6-foot-6 | 210 lbs
Stats (FR): 12 ppg (.493/.325/.599), 4.6 rpg, 2.6 apg

Arizona was a top-15 defense this past defense per KenPom and a big part of it was the defensive versatility of Josh Green. At 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, Green is a very capable switch defender. Green is physical to boot and maintained a 2.8% steal rate and a 1.6% block rate over 926 minutes. While his awesome athletic tools were primarily used on defense, Green used his explosiveness to dominate around the basket (63.5% shooting at the rim). He underwhelmed as a rebounder but I would surmise a decent amount of that is due to the time spent guarding No. 1 options.

Because of the ease of which Green changes directions, I believe he will hold up quite well on guards and his strength and length will allow him to frustrate lanky forwards (and weaker centers) too. On offense, though Green served as a complementary player, he was a darn good one. Green scored 22.1 points per 100 possessions and hitting 36.1% of his 3-point shots despite his form needing some work. With the size and strength to guard from Day 1 in the NBA and the athleticism and IQ to find ways to score, expect Green to sneak into the lottery.

13. Deni Avdija, Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv (Israel)

19 years old | Small forward | 6-foot-9 | 215 lbs
Stats: 7.7 ppg (.493/.325/.599), 4.1 rpg, 1.7 apg

Deni Avidja has an excellent feel for the game and it shows up almost immediately on tape. You have to actually watch full games or specific highlight reels to find evidence of Aavdija’s passing prowess, as it doesn’t immediately show up in a good assist percentage that is still lower than his turnover rate. At 6-foot-9, Avdija is a point forward with legit size who can also score efficiently to boot. Avdija finished with an extremely impressive 58.7% true shooting percentage this past season (over 47 games).

Even with legit concerns about his lateral movement on defense, there is no doubt in my mind that Avdija will be a successful NBA player, I am just wary of if he will end up being the type of prospect worthy of being a top-5 pick. I suspect that Avdija will get a bit of a bump if there is a lack of workouts leading up the 2020 NBA Draft, as he is more of a known commodity on the international circuit as compared to some of the ballyhooed NCAA freshmen.

Avdija has a nice form on his jump shot and though he only hit 33.6% of his 3-pointers last season, that percentage was reportedly brought down by him taking a considerable amount of heaves. Since he clearly has the size to hold up defensively, an NBA team will be happy to have Avdija’s high basketball-IQ, floor-raising game in their lineup.

12. RJ Hampton, New Zealand Breakers

19 years old | Point guard | 6-foot-5 | 188 lbs
Stats: 8.8 ppg (.407/.295/.679), 3.9 rpg, 2.4 apg

RJ Hampton shocked the basketball world when he chose to play for the New Zealand Breakers over playing college basketball. Hampton played 21 minutes per game for the Breakers and was perhaps the team’s best playmaker at the young age of 19. Hampton shot an unimpressive 29.4% from the 3-point line but mostly served as an on-ball player in his time on the floor. Though he only shot 73.7% from the free throw line, Hampton’s jump shot form appears to be projectable to NBA 3-point range.

At this point, he functions at his best in the midrange area with a live dribble. Hampton will be able to do damage against teams with a big man playing drop coverage but he will need to develop a counter to the many, many NBA squads that will go under on screens, daring Hampton to shoot off the dribble jumpers. Hampton has the length and athleticism to pull off impressive finishes at the rim despite not quite having NBA strength.

Despite not being one of the primary scoring options on his team, Hampton is averaging 9.5 points per game. His reported 6-foot-7 wingspan allows him to finish over the top of most guard defenders, and if you have to commit a bigger, wing-sized defender to Hampton, he will find the mismatch and get them the ball. Hampton has the basketball-IQ to be an impact player from Day 1, but his strength and 3-point shot will need to come along considerably for him to stand out in a packed class in terms of guards. Even with his flaws, Hampton is a clear top-10 talent in a weak overall class despite me having him at No. 12, which has more to do about him being more of a long-term play.

11. Nico Mannion, Arizona

19 years old | Point guard | 6-foot-3 | 179 lbs
Stats (FR): 14 ppg (.392/.327/.797), 2.5 rpg, 5.3 apg

There has been much discussion over whether or not Mannion is going to enter the 2020 NBA Draft or return for what would no doubt be a strong sophomore season at Arizona. Mannion could use an extra year in college to improve from a physicality standpoint, as avoiding being pushed around on both sides of the floor is going to be his biggest struggle early on in the NBA. As far as strength goes, Mannion is no doubt one of the three best passers in this class (should he enter). He averaged 9.3 assists per 100 possessions and helped lead a very young Arizona team to top-35 offense via KenPom. While Mannion’s best skills are easily his passing and shooting–despite a so-so 3-point percentage of 32.7%–he has the ballhandling ability and athleticism necessary to breakdown defenders off the dribble and makes plays in the paint.

Mannion had a healthy 36.2% free throw rate despite being a player that relies on finesse. At the NBA level, Mannion will be able to function in a multi-guard offense as a player who will be able to thrive as a spot-up shooter or on-ball playmaker. Tankathon.com projects Mannion to have a 3-point percentage more in-line with his reputation (36%) and overall he looks like a prospect who will definitely raise any lineup’s offensive ceiling. Mannion’s ability as a clear-cut offensive engine will make him worth a high pick regardless of the very legit defense shortcomings.