NBA Draft 2020: Grades, reactions, analysis for the first round

Well, this is interesting, and not necessarily in a good way. It should be said outright that Okongwu, in a vacuum, is a perfect center prospect to place on an NBA team built around Trae Young’s strengths and weaknesses.

He’s scheme-proof, capable of defending the pick-and-roll in a variety of ways because of his lateral quickness and polished footwork, and few players sport comparable vertical explosion and rim protection like Okongwu. He’s a great lob threat and interior finisher, too, and there’s hope that his mid-range jumper and short roll passing can improve.

But after trading up to select a center (Bruno Fernando) last year and then trading to acquire another two veteran centers during the season (Clint Capela, Dewayne Dedmon), using a top-ten pick — which may be the team’s last premium draft asset for the foreseeable future, with rumors that they’re angling to sign major win-now players in free agency — on a position that had been addressed with multiple trades seems rather questionable.

Picking from the available assortment of prospects (Devin Vassell, Tyrese Haliburton) would’ve made more sense, given the need for more help in the backcourt and on the wing. Okongwu is arguably the best center in the draft and a very nice prospect, but this appears to be poor asset management.

Grade: C+

The Cavs addressed their defense! Finally! And they did so while adding a player with real complementary offensive traits and advanced playmaking for his position! Finally! On a serious note, leaving the 2020 NBA Draft with a defensive prospect such as Auburn’s Isaac Okoro is a huge win for a Cleveland team that ranked dead-last in defensive rating in back-to-back seasons.

We had Cleveland as Okoro’s best fit due to his defensive prowess on- and off-ball, in addition to his powerful slashing/cutting talents. The Cavs fanbase should be excited about their draft night, especially when considering the alternative pick (i.e., Obi Toppin) that had been projected for quite some time.

Grade: A-

Well, that was unexpected, huh? A dramatic late-riser on mock drafts and big boards, Florida State combo-forward Patrick Williams’ rise has been meteoric. The youngest college player in the class, there is a lot to like about the 19-year-old’s package of interior defensive instincts, vertical athleticism, above-the-rim stylings, and untapped shotmaking upside.

The allure is obvious: A 6’8, 230-pound forward with a gargantuan 7-foot wingspan and outlier strength does appear, on paper, to be a player who could eventually be a wing stopper as a 3 and/or 4 at the next level.

Unfortunately, that reasoning is pretty flawed, given how far Williams is from adequately defending out on the perimeter in the NBA given his below-average lateral quickness and hip flexibility. He’ll need to work diligently with Chicago’s strength and conditioning program to rebalance his tree-trunk thighs, as to regain some of his pre-college mobility. Williams isn’t that much of a reach at four, even with the other players on the table.

He’s a very, very interesting fit next to both Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. in the frontcourt, and is a very promising building block, but given the team’s perception that he can play the 3 early on, the reasoning for this pick is pretty poor.

Grade: C