NBA Draft 2020: Updated first-round mock with a month to go
By Trevor Marks
Guard. Orlando Magic. Kira Lewis. 15. player. 38.
Orlando likes drafting forwards; like, really likes drafting forwards. This infatuation with frontcourt length is so persistent and well-established that it’s genuinely difficult to predict the Magic brass straying from that drafting ethos. But the substantial need for backcourt scoring and playmaking is too much to ignore, even when accounting for Markelle Fultz’s revival as Orlando’s starting point guard (12.1 points, 5.1 assists), which makes Kira Lewis an intriguing option with the 15th pick.
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He’d likely spend his rookie season as Fultz’s backup, but Lewis’s elite quickness as a slasher and underrated jumper (career 36.2% 3PT) should allow the two guards to share some time on the floor together. Plus, with Fultz entering the last year of his rookie deal, his future in Orlando isn’t exactly a sure thing.
. Guard. Boston Celtics. Tyrese Maxey. 14. player. 18
After another trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics are set to rebuild their bench unit with Enes Kanter (player option), Brad Wanamaker (RFA), Semi Ojeleye (team option), and a few other end-of-bench players (Javonte Green, Vincent Poirier) not guaranteed to return to the team this offseason.
The Toronto and Miami series exposed Boston’s lackluster guard depth behind Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart, making Tyrese Maxey a reasonable target here, especially with his desirable blend of length, functional strength, and strong two-way play. He’s a perfect fit for any contenders picking in the teens and early twenties, and he very well could be the next Kentucky guard to blow up in the NBA after underwhelming in college.
69. . Big. New Orleans Pelicans. Jalen Smith. 13. player
This is one of the more popular player-team predictions among mainstream mock drafts and there is rationale behind the pairing. Despite selecting Jaxson Hayes eighth overall in the 2019 draft, David Griffin could go with a floor-spacing big man to play next to Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson in the frontcourt, and the Terrapin center’s 2.4 blocks per game and 36.8 three-point percentage as a sophomore have his stock on the rise.