NBA Draft 2020: Biggest steals and reaches from 1st round selections
By Joe Casey
Even in the current climate, the 2020 NBA Draft lived up to the expectation of being extremely unpredictable.
The NBA Draft has been and always will be extremely unpredictable and this year was no exception. In a year clouded by the pandemic, many of the top prospects in the draft have not played an organized game of basketball in around eight months.
Teams have had minimal contact with their potential selections and have had to rely on video workouts, zoom interviews, and the word of the scouts that saw them play.
In a time like this players often can go higher than they expect or begin to slip through the cracks ending up in the lap of a legitimate contender. During the first round of this years draft, the Chicago Bulls (#4), Phoenix Suns (#10), Sacramento Kings (#12), Detroit Pistons (#19), and Philadelphia 76ers (#21) all made selections that could be classified as a reach or steal.
Every first-round pick is essential to moving a team closer to the ultimate goal of a championship and where they were selected could give teams in the league, including their own, headaches for years to come.
Focusing on these five selections, in the order they were picked, Patrick Williams, Jalen Smith, Tyrese Haliburton, Saddiq Bey, and Tyrese Maxey all have a chance to be impact players for the teams that selected them. During their time in college, all five men had an impact on the success of their team in different ways. As they move to the next level the pressure will continue to rise and where they were selected will be scrutinized by fans, analysts, and front offices alike.