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The NBA draft is an exciting event which every basketball fan looks forward to. College players get to realise their dream of playing in the NBA while the teams get to pick the best talents and strengthen their rosters.
We have some incredible performances by the number one picks of the last decade. Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Karl Anthony Towns have established themselves extremely well in the NBA. The NBA 2020 draft gives more exciting talents an oppurtunity to showcase their skills in the NBA. Who will be selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft may be dependent upon team need and fit more than overall talent in recent years.
In this article, we will take a look at the five most talented college players going into the NBA 2020 draft.
Top five prospects for the upcoming NBA draft
#1- LaMelo Ball, Illawarra Hawks
Position- Point Guard
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LaMelo Ball is the most hyped prospect coming into the NBA draft 2020. He is the younger brother of the New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball. Like his brother, LaMelo Ball plays the point guard position.
LaMelo is a gifted playmaker with great court vision and is extremely good at finishing around the rim. He has a good handle, which allows him to create offence easily in transition situations. He is blessed with exceptional basketball IQ, which might translate to him becoming a star in the NBA.
However, LaMelo's habit of making a highlight reel worthy play instead of a simple pass is what might hold him from becoming an intelligent player. Teams will also be wary of the fact that he is an average defender and a lot of work needs to be done on that end.
NBA comparison- Trae Young
#2- Killian Hayes, Ratiopharm Ulm
Position- Point Guard
The French prospect, who plays for the Basketball Bundesliga team Ratiophram Ulm is going to be one of the most sought after players in the NBA draft 2020. Hayes plays the point guard position and does it extremely well thanks to his great court vision and passing skills.
He has good positional size and can read the game at a high level in an instant, making him a threat to thrive in the modern, pick-and-roll heavy NBA. He also has a James Harden like stepback three shot in his arsenal which makes him unguardable. However, there is a question mark over his three-point shooting, as that is a pre-requisite in the modern NBA.
NBA comparison- Goran Dragic
#3- Onyeka Okongwu, USC
Position- Centre
In the modern NBA, it is vital for any player to guard multiple positions. Positionless basketball is becoming common these days and coaches expect point guards to guard centres and vice-versa. Onyeka Okongwu, the centre from USC is a player of that exact mould. His nimble feet and positional awareness allow him to guard the paint and the perimeter equally well.
He is also a very capable scorer and he excels in pick-and-roll situations. However, there are doubts over his shooting ability as his free throw shooting percentage is quite low. He has also been in foul trouble quite often in college, something that he will need to improve on in the NBA.
NBA comparison- Bam Adebayo
Also read: NBA All-Star game scheduled for next year in Indianapolis in serious jeopardy
#4- Deni Avdija, Israel
Position- Small Forward
Hailing from Israel, a country which doesn't boast of a lot of basketball talent, this might be the most surprising name on this list. Avdija is a very capable passer for his position who reads the court well and makes smart, precise passes; an asset especially when leading the break in transition opportunities.
He is a very good finisher in the paint as well and has an array of shots to score from the area under the basket. There is a lingering doubt over his shooting ability though as he is more a floor-spacer in theory than in practice: Shot just 33.6% from 3 last year, and troublesome 52% from free throw line - an indicator that improvement as a distance shooter may be difficult in the NBA.
NBA comparison- Danilo Gallinari
#5- Anthony Edwards, Georgia
Position- Shooting Guard
An explosive athlete and leaper, Anthony Edwards looks like a player who is going to win multiple NBA dunk contests in the future. He is quite comfortably the best athlete in the NBA 2020 draft class and has incredible shot-creation ability off the dribble for his age. Younger than other prospects, Edwards got into basketball quite late so there is a good chance that he blossoms into a fantastic NBA player.
The only reservations the NBA teams might have regarding Edwards is that his shot selection is quite poor at times. He is also inconsistent on defence which can be taken advantage of in the NBA.
NBA comparison- Zach Lavine
Also read: Utah Jazz vs Denver Nuggets Prediction and Match Preview - August 19th, 2020 | Game 2
