NBA Draft 2020: Updated first-round mock draft following lottery drawing
By Trevor Marks
Big. Dallas Mavericks. Jalen Smith. 18. player. 79.
As tempting as it is to give the Mavs another white European player who’s been dubbed as this year’s man of mystery (read: Poku), the tumultuous health of Kristaps Porzingis and Dwight Powell makes the addition of a playable backup bigman more important than the selection of a longterm project.
Jalen Smith surprised many evaluators with his growth as a shockingly versatile shooter (pick-and-pops, spot-ups, off-movement), making him an intriguing player to throw into Rick Carlisle’s system. His movement skills and physique need work, but the jumper (36.8 3P% as a sophomore) and rim protection (career 1.8 BPG) have him steadily climbing up draft boards.
Dallas fits: Aleksej Pokuševski, Tyrese Maxey, Leandro Bolmaro
Big. Minnesota Timberwolves. Precious Achiuwa. 17. player. 86.
Erratic and chaotic in nature, Precious Achiuwa is a tornado of a basketball player. On one possession he slide with wings on the perimeter, high-point errant shot attempts, and push a fast break that ends with a thunderous two-hander, and on the next he can put his head down and dribble into a crowd before thrusting a shot up at the rim with no hope for it going in.
There isn’t much method to the madness — his motor burns hot perpetually — and his offensive skill set and decision-making are unrefined to say the least, but there’s outlier speed and mobility as a 6’9 big that makes him a legitimate weapon in transition and a useful defender if he can play under control.
If Minnesota stands pat and goes for one of the guards with the No. 1 pick, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if they go for “defense” with the second of their first-rounders, and Achiuwa seems like a realistic candidate.
Minnesota fits: Leandro Bolmaro, Josh Green, Precious Achiuwa
34. . Wing. Portland Trail Blazers. Aaron Nesmith. 16. player
It’s sensible to argue that the Blazers already roster a pair of Aaron Nesmith-like players in Rodney Hood and Gary Trent Jr., a pair of similarly-sized shooting specialists with drawbacks as defenders and creators, but it’s hard seeing Nesmith slide much further than this given the amount of lottery buzz he’s been receiving as of late — even if this does nothing to quell Portland’s damaging defensive issues.
Portland fits: Josh Green, Leandro Bolmaro, Tyrese Maxey