Gonzaga Basketball: 2020 NBA Draft profile for forward Killian Tillie

Draft Stock

Tillie’s draft stock – like everything – will be heavily impacted by his health. I’ve seen him mocked as high as the late first or very early second round, and I’ve seen a handful of mock drafts that skip him altogether.

Personally, Tillie strikes me as a late second-round pick – mostly because I think he’s a better fit on a team that is contending for an NBA championship. Bad or rebuilding teams are far more likely to use a second-round pick on an international flyer or a 19-year-old college kid who needs a few years of development before they are ready to contribute at the NBA level.

Tillie will be ready to play in the NBA right away, and while his ceiling and growth potential are likely capped, his ability to play right now will make him attractive to teams who are hoping to find a legitimate role player right away with their second-round pick – a rarity that is not often easy to find.

Team Fit

While I realistically believe that Tillie’s skill-set is a match for just about any team in the NBA, there are a handful of teams that seem to fit the criteria necessary for Tillie to thrive: close to contention, short on big men, willing to gamble with injury risk, and analytically-focused.

Perhaps my favorite potential destination for Tillie is Golden State. The Warriors have two late second-round picks, No. 48 and No. 51, and they should absolutely use one on Tillie if he is still available. A team that is committed to quickly turning things around with the healthy return of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, plus the addition of the No. 2 overall pick, the Warriors should grab Tillie and plug him into a backup stretch-four role, where he can spot-up and catch Curry’s drive-and-dish passes for open looks.

Additionally, the Celtics are known to be talking with Tillie, and coach Brad Stevens and his squad would be a good fit here. Boston has the 26th, 30th, and 47th overall picks, and they could easily rob the Warriors of the French big man at pick No. 47.

The 76ers have four picks in the second round, and after moving quickly to hire Doc Rivers it is clear they are hoping to make a run at the Eastern Conference finals next year. Adding an NBA ready shooter off the bench with one of those picks makes a lot of sense.

A few other teams that I think make a lot of sense here include the Blazers (No. 46) the Spurs (No. 41) and the Clippers (No. 57).

All-in-all, Tillie has the tools to be a very valuable, highly sought-after NBA commodity. The health will be the determining factor, but if he manages to avoid the injury bug look for him to provide a lot of value to whichever teams take a shot on him in the second round.