Every pick? Check. Detailed analysis? Check. Financial breakdowns and implications? Check. Strange parking lot phone interviews with college basketball coaches outside of grocery stores? Err... we didn't get to that in our coverage of the 2020 NBA Draft here, but you can still find it below.
But outside that last part, RADIO.COM Sports NBA insider and former Suns general manager Ryan McDonough teamed up with Yahoo Sports NBA analyst Keith Smith to bring you everything you needed to know about the 2020 NBA Draft on a special show that aired live during the event, unveiling the picks before Adam Silver did and bringing you the front office know-how that regular coverage couldn't quite provide.
We hope you didn't miss it, but if you did, look no further than the RADIO.COM Sports complete 2020 NBA Draft guide below, filled with analysis for all 30 first-round picks and what certain selections, trades and snubs meant for how the 2020-21 season will unfold.
Picks 1-5
Georgia's Anthony Edwards was the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)1. Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards, Georgia
2019-20: 19.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, .402/.294/.772
It's clear that, for the time being, the Timberwolves' success depends mainly upon the trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell and the team's decision at No. 1 overall in the 2020 Draft. To McDonough, this choice was fairly easy to figure out.
"When you look at the Timberwolves' roster, you look at D'Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns, their two building blocks," McDonough said. "James Wiseman was not a great fit with those guys. LaMelo Ball was not a great fit with those guys.
"(Edwards) was the best fit. He was my prediction throughout the last couple of weeks... he's a powerful driver, he gets to the basket, and he's a good shooter."
McDonough also points out that while his work ethic and defensive abilities come into question, there's a lot of potential on both fronts. Darren Wolfson of KSTP echoed this sentiment, saying that he has the most upside of any prospect and that he can naturally slot between Russell and Towns in order to maximize everyone's role and talent.
2. Golden State Warriors: James Wiseman, Memphis
2019-20: 19.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 3.0 bpg, .769/.000/.704
The Timberwolves had their chance at Wiseman, and they certainly wanted some face-to-face time with him leading up to the draft to ensure they had scouted him properly, according to Wolfson. However, his presence would have acted as an impediment to the success of Minnesota's best player.
"If you bring in Wiseman, do you really want Karl-Anthony Towns defending opposing power forwards?" Wolfson questioned. "Do you want KAT chasing guys around the perimeter?"
The obvious answer: no. And that's part of the reason why Wiseman, instead, fell into the laps of Golden State at No. 2, a pick that was widely praised. Keith Smith called the talented Memphis product a "bridge to the future" for the Warriors, an immediate fit who can get important experience right away.
Of course, the pick was cast in the shadow of the severe injury that could cause Klay Thompson to miss a significant amount of time, in what Matt Steinmetz of 95.7 The Game called a "bittersweet" affair. The injury also clouds whether or not this is truly what the Warriors wanted to do.
"The only thing that some Warrior fans had been clinging to is that they still want the Warriors to win a title," Steinmetz explained, "so there's still a segment of fans that wonders if you could have traded the No. 2 pick and brought a veteran in here and kept the window open for Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. But that point is moot now because of the Klay Thompson injury.
"I think Bob Myers right now may want to just exhale and think about things. The problem is, free agency is in two days, and the Warriors now need to fill out their roster... now, time is working against them."
3. Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball, Illawarra Hawks
2019-20: 17.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 6.8 apg, .375/.250/.723
Buzz surrounding the Hornets' prospects in a trade for Westbrook reached fairly intriguing highs in the days leading up to the draft, but their pick at No. 3 will likely quiet that speculation.
"You don't draft a kid in the top three who's that talented," McDonough said, "and then go trade for a star veteran guard like Russell Westbrook."
Keith Smith agreed, mentioning that the roster has added multiple young forwards over the years and have now added a good young guard, signaling that youth is the key moving forward.
"That's really interesting," Smith said of the pick. "They can do some really fun three-guard lineups with him, Devonte' Graham and Terry Rozier going forward."
Both Graham and Rozier averaged at least 18 points per game in the 2019-20 season, with Graham emerging as a largely unexpected breakout star, and adding a talented playmaker like Ball to the equation will make Charlotte basketball entertaining, if not immediately successful, for 2020-21.
4. Chicago Bulls: Patrick Williams, Florida State
2019-20: 9.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, .459/.320/.838
There's no guarantee that the Bulls roster looks anything like it does right now when the 2020-21 season gets underway. But adding Williams to the roster, with the way it's currently constructed, makes sense to Keith Smith.
"He's a guy who's risen up the draft boards pretty quickly," Smith said. "The big wing is what they didn't have on this roster outside of Otto Porter, and he's going to be a free agent after this season.
"This is another team that's got an interesting cap sheet moving forward when Porter is off the books next year. They could be a team that's in play with some cap space."
Should the Bulls be in play for a superstar, Williams could develop under Porter in the veteran's potential final year in Chicago before another wing takes his place. Meanwhile, the supporting case of Coby White, Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter and Zach LaVine remains an exciting bunch, even amid trade speculation.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Isaac Okoro, Auburn
2019-20: 12.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, .514/.286/.672
Several reports seemed to indicate that the Cavaliers were intrigued by a player who spent his time at a nearby college, dominating his opposition.
"The Cavs, or somebody with ties to that organization, put out a lot about Toppin, Toppin, Toppin," McDonough said, acknowledging a potential smokescreen. "A little bit of a curveball here at No. 5 with the Cleveland Cavaliers going with Isaac Okoro."
However, Keith Smith explains why it's a sensible pick.
"My guess is the issue with Toppin is that he's older than both Collin Sexton and Darius Garland," Smith said. "I like Okoro for them, with the personal, off-the-court issues that Kevin Porter Jr. has had over the past couple of weeks.
"Teams want to stockpile these wing players, these are the guys you need to win... I think he'll fit in nicely alongside Garland and Sexton."
Picks 6-10
Obi Toppin skies toward the basket for a dunk.(Andy Lyons/Getty Images)6. Atlanta Hawks: Onyeka Okongwu, USA
2019-20: 16.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.7 bpg, .616/.250/.720
If Okoro was a curveball at No. 5, then this one was an eephus pitch to McDonough and Smith, who saw the current roster construction of the Hawks as something that stood in the way of this being a sensible selection.
"I'm just speculating, but it doesn't make sense to me if you have Clint Capela who's under contract for a while, to bring in Okongwu," McDonough said immediately after the selection was made. "You have John Collins in the front court as well.
"This is just a guess, but I think this pick may be in play with Okongwu ending up somewhere else other than the Hawks... or this could be a preemptive strike here if they don't want to pay John Collins."
Collins, who is up for a contract extension soon, may be someone that the team looks to move if they don't find him to be the right fit or worth the lucrative deal he will likely seek. Still, McDonough found it more likely that Okongwu would be the one packaged and ultimately moved elsewhere, and Keith Smith agreed.
"I know there were several teams, including the Boston Celtics, who were interested in Okongwu, and maybe they're the ones making the move up here," Smith said. "This doesn't make a ton of sense. Capela, Dedmon, Collins up front, (and) you've got enough cap space to fill out that front court and add somebody else, so I am very curious to see what's going on here, unless this signals that maybe John Collins isn't long for the Hawks like we thought he was. Maybe Okongwu is his replacement."
No deal moved Okongwu by the end of the draft.
7. Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes, Ratiopharm Ulm
2019-20: 12.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 6.2 apg, .455/.390/.909
Though French phenom Killian Hayes fills a hole that the Piston desperately needed to fill — one of a solid guard in the backcourt — neither McDonough nor Smith saw this move as an instant fix. Heck, McDonough doesn't even think there is a such thing as an instant fix in Detroit, and the two insiders came to realize what Troy Weaver's vision is all about as the draft moved forward.
"There are no more quick fixes in Detroit," McDonough said. "There's no more patching it together to try to make the eighth seed. I think that's not only why they took Hayes — who has some talent but will take a while to develop — that's also why they made the trade earlier today to get the No. 16 pick from the Houston Rockets."
Moves like these make sense, considering Weaver was Sam Presti's right-hand man for a while in Oklahoma City, as McDonough noted. Presti completed a trade earlier on Wednesday that provided the Thunder with 18 first-round draft picks over the next seven drafts. If this M.O. is something that Weaver adopted, stockpiling young assets would make sense.
"When you draft a point guard that is this young, you're, to me, saying this is a two- to three-year process," Smith agreed. "We're going to really develop, we're going to put kids around this guy... I think that's the right way to build that out."
Smith also added that they do want to figure out a way to re-sign Christian Wood if they can, as he's young enough to fit the timeline of their rebuilding efforts.
8. New York Knicks: Obi Toppin, Dayton
2019-20: 20.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, .633/.390/.702
While our insiders were largely on the same page regarding a good amount of the picks that came through on Wednesday night, the Knicks' No. 8 pick sparked some controversy. Could anything be more Knicks than that?
First, the positives.
"He creates mismatches for the defense. He's a versatile offensive player," McDonough said. "He was too powerful for small guys, but he was too skilled for big guys. He runs the floor in transition... he's a good passer, (and) he's a pretty complete offensive player.
"He's one of the more readymade players in the draft. He doesn't necessarily have high, high upside because of his age and because of some of his defensive limitations"
Along with his defensive abilities, both McDonough and Keith Smith questioned whether or not his dominance at Dayton would translate to an NBA environment, specifically regarding whether or not he'll still have a physical advantage against inevitably more physical competition.
But for Brandon Tierney of CBS Sports Radio's "Tiki and Tierney," it was less about what the Knicks got in Toppin and more about what they left on the board.
"I don't like the pick," Tierney started, before letting loose. "And I'm not even too wrapped up in his age. I am wrapped up in the lack of defensive tenacity which obviously is a weird fit given Thiboeau's demands to play defense.
"The one constant is that they don't have a penetrating point guard that makes other players better. That they passed on Tyrese Haliburton is criminal... the board fell perfectly for the Knicks. They had Haliburton... they just let a modern point guard with incredible IQ walk right out the building, and they should have had him."
9. Washington Wizards: Deni Avdija, Maccabi Tel Aviv
2019-20: 4.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.2 apg, .436/.277/.556
One of the biggest fallers of the night was Deni Avdija, projected by many to go in the top five. Besides the fact that he may have been the best player available, both McDonough and Smith see the Israeli wing as filling a need.
"Washington needs a forward, especially since they made the deal a few years ago to send out Otto Porter. They've had a hole in the wing," McDonough said, adding that the Wizards front office did not expect Avdija to be available at No. 9.
How will they deploy him?
"I think they're just going to basically ask him to run the floor with John Wall, space it a little bit, cut, get open off of Bradley Beal... see what you can do as a rookie and learn the league."
10. Phoenix Suns: Jalen Smith, Maryland
2019-20: 15.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.4 bpg, .538/.368/.750
Like Okongwu going to the Hawks, the Suns' selection of Jalen Smith caught McDonough and Keith Smith by surprise.
"This pick is a little odd to me," Smith said. "I like Jalen Smith. I think he will help teams in the NBA... but Deandre Ayton's your man at the five. Cam Johnson came a long way when they started playing him as a small-ball stretch four. So now it's a little curious if you're going to bring back Saric."
What a pick like this signals to Smith is that Aron Baynes is likely on his way out. In any case, he thought that several of the available players would have been of more value to the Suns, and McDonough agreed, considering Jalen Smith was in the 20s on his big board. Still, he sees plenty of positives.
"He got a lot better," McDonough said. "The biggest improvement for me was on the perimeter... that is what every NBA team wants, especially when you have a young big.
"You want a guy to space the floor... at the four. So the bet from the Suns is that Jalen Smith will be their floor-spacing four and also may give them some insurance in case... the price tag gets too expensive for (Dario Saric) in free agency."
Picks 11-15
Tyrese Haliburton squares up for a shot with defense closing in.(David Purdy/Getty Images)11. San Antonio Spurs: Devin Vassell, Florida State
2019-20: 12.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.6 apg, .490/.415/.738
We don't typically get to see the Spurs draft this high, but it doesn't exactly surprise us that they went with a sensible pick given their past draft success.
Among Vassell's strengths are his explosiveness and range defensively, on display in plays ranging from closeout blocks to passing lane interceptions. However, McDonough worries that physical limitations and an inability to create space for himself could hinder his success at the NBA level.
12. Sacramento Kings: Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State
2019-20: 15.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 6.5 apg, .504/.419/.822
The "award" for the biggest draft faller probably goes to Haliburton — much to the chagrin of Brandon Tierney — and McDonough and Keith Smith, in turn, lauded the Kings' pick at No. 12.
"I think we're seeing more and more teams prioritizing having dual ball-handlers in their backcourt where you can get two playmakers, guys who can do things off the dribble," Smith explained. "I think Haliburton, because of his size, can really fit in nice next to De'Aaron Fox. I think you put him on the bigger guy, put Fox on the quicker guy, that's how you'll defend."
He sees "no reason" that the duo can't fit together really well as the Kings' backcourt of the future, and McDonough agrees, adding that it's a great way for Monte McNair to begin his reign in Sacramento.
13. New Orleans Pelicans: Kira Lewis Jr., Alabama
2019-20: 18.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.2 apg, .459/.366/.802
Is it a case of too many guards in New Orleans? It might not be the worst problem to have, but with their draft selection of Kira Lewis Jr. at No. 13, Keith Smith is apprehensive about whether or not there is enough space for all of them.
"I'm not entire sure (Lewis) is really a playmaking point guard... but if you're the Pelicans, you've already got that in Lonzo Ball," Smith said. "So if the role for Lewis is to come off the bench as a bench scorer, I don't mind that so much for New Orleans... They now have Lonzo Ball, Eric Bledsoe, George Hill and Kira Lewis, (so) there's got to be a move coming because that's way too many guards together in the backcourt."
Though, as he mentioned, Smith doesn't think playmaking is Lewis' strong suit, he does love his toughness and drive, something that McDonough saw and compared to another NBA guard.
"The name that kept sticking out to me when I watched Kira Lewis play at Alabama," McDonough said, "was Darren Collison."
14. Boston Celtics: Aaron Nesmith, Vanderbilt
23.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.9 apg, .512/.522/.825
The Celtics finished just outside the top-10 teams in three-point percentage in the 2019-20 season, but their selection at No. 14 will likely change that.
"He's a wing known mostly as a shooter-scorer type," Keith Smith said. "That's something I know the Celtics had targeted coming into this draft. They needed to add more shooting off their bench."
And though his dribbling and defense aren't up to par with what a lot of teams would be looking for, the Celtics came for a shooter, and they got a shooter.
"He is, in my opinion, the best shooter in this year's draft," McDonough said, which is high praise from the man who drafted Devin Booker.
15. Orlando Magic: Cole Anthony, North Carolina
2019-20: 18.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.0 apg, .380/.348/.750
One of the top high-school players in his class, Cole Anthony lived up to the hype at UNC, earning All-ACC honors in his lone campaign.
McDonough and Smith see the passing of the baton from D.J. Augustin, who averaged 24.9 minutes per game in 2019-20, to Markelle Fultz, who started down the stretch and averaged 27.7 minutes per contest. With that move, in Smith's mind, comes the inevitable departure of Augustin at some point, and the subsequent fulfillment of the backup point guard role by Anthony.
Picks 16-20
Saddiq Bey takes a deep jump shot.(Justin Casterline/Getty Images)16. Detroit Pistons (via Rockets, via Trail Blazers): Isaiah Stewart, Washington
2019-20: 17.0 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.1 bpg, .570/.250/.774
With the No. 16 pick acquired from the Rockets, which was initially acquired from the Trail Blazers, the Pistons ended up with Washington's Isaiah Stewart, whose physicality and toughness are two attributes that McDonough heard a lot of good things about.
"Every team I talked to that interviewed this kid loved him," McDonough said. "They loved his intangibles, they loved his makeup, they loved his toughness."
However, McDonough also notes that he's not the most athletic guy in the world and is someone who could play below the rim often. Could his drive and energy make up for those deficits? Keith Smith has heard that teams are confident this will be the case.
"I had a few people tell me that Isaiah Stewart reminded them a little bit of Montrezl Harrell, just with his motor," Smith said. "He's gonna attack and attack, he's gonna get after it, he's gonna block shots, he's gonna rebound, he's gonna run the floor.
"He wants that contact, he's gonna bang in there... so I think that makes a lot of sense for Detroit, especially if they're going to retain Christian Wood, who's a little bit more of a finesse big than he is a big, rugged guy like Isaiah Stewart."
17. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Minnesota): Aleksej Pokusevski, Serbia
2019-20: N/A
What Sam Presti's plan with his boatload of first-round picks was up to interpretation, but Keith Smith heard that one player caught the team's eye as a potential trade-up target. Thus, when the Thunder traded away Ricky Rubio and other picks to get up to 17, Smith was confident in where they were going.
"There had been a lot of speculation that Oklahoma City was acquiring those extra picks to move up for Aleksej Pokusevski," Smith said. "He's a skinny big man who can come in and do a lot of things. They need to start giving him some of the Oklahoma City barbecue because this kid is skinny, skinny, skinny.
"If you can add weight, that adds a whole different level to his game."
Kristaps Porzingis comparisons were something that Smith heard when discussing Pokusevski's future, and McDonough acknowledged his unique skill set.
"He's very skilled," McDonough said. "He can make not only spot-up shots, but can make shots off the dribble, which is very rare for a seven-footer."
In relinquishing this pick, the Timberwolves added Ricky Rubio, a move that both McDonough and Smith think could mean trouble for the future of Malik Beasley.
"Seems to me that the Timberwolves are unlikely to break the bank to re-sign Beasley, especially if they're significantly worries about his legal issues," McDonough said, adding to Smith's analysis of the Rubio/Edwards/Russell backcourt and whether or not that was enough to force Beasley out.
18. Dallas Mavericks: Josh Green, Arizona
2019-20: 12.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, .424/.361/.780
Kevin Hageland of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas joined the show after this pick, and he wasn't blown away by the selection but also didn't hate it.
"I like the pick of Josh Green, who I think instantaneously comes on to this team and becomes, I think, one of its best three defenders," Hageland said, adding that his positional flexibility is a plus. "People are gonna compare this pick to Justin Anderson from a few years ago and that really didn't pan out, but when you have the most efficient offense in NBA history, you need some people who can play defense."
Hageland also wonders if this means Tim Hardaway Jr. could be forced out the door if he doesn't seem to fit as a mentor for Green.
McDonough's primary concern lies in how the Mavericks operate under Rick Carlisle's spacing and shooting system, whereas Green's primary deficiency is his lack of perimeter consistency. However, because of just how many good shooters they have — though they lost Seth Curry in a Round 2 trade with the 76ers — Keith Smith doesn't think his lack of solid shooting will hurt too badly.
19. Detroit Pistons (via Clippers, via Nets): Saddiq Bey, Villanova
2019-20: 16.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.4 apg, .477/.451/.769
McDonough no longer sees the NBA in the five positions that have for so long defined a roster's positional make up. Instead, there are guards, wings and bigs.
Troy Weaver's "full-blown youth movement," as termed by McDonough, had already checked off two of those boxes. Killian Hayes was the guard. And Isaiah Stewart was the big. Now, the wing spot is complete as well, with 6-foot-8 Saddiq Bey's arrival. Though both McDonough and Smith have their worries about his effectiveness as a shooter, they love his toughness and physicality.
The Pistons gained this pick, initially belonging to the Nets, by trading Luke Kennard to the Clippers, who in turn dealt Landry Shamet to the Nets. McDonough liked the trade from the Nets' perspective, as it continued the team's trajectory toward the end goal a la the Bruce Brown acquisition from earlier in the week — another player, like Kennard, that Troy Weaver didn't draft himself and subsequently sent out.
"I love the moves Sean Marks has made," McDonough said. "Bruce Brown, I thought that was a steal getting him for Dzanan Musa and a second-round pick. Now bring in Landry Shamet, who is a little bit limited as a player but is an elite shooter.
"Now, they're building their depth, and what I think... no, what I know that'll allow them to do is package a bunch of players involving Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, maybe Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince... do a deal like that with Houston. Keep their two stars in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but also have depth, not be reliant on rookies and minimum contracts. Kudos to Sean Marks."
20. Miami Heat: Precious Achiuwa, Memphis
2019-20: 15.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 1.9 bpg, .493/.325/.599
If there's one player in the draft that epitomized what the Miami Heat value as a franchise, it might have been Memphis' Precious Achiuwa.
"Another athletic, tough big, and that's what the Heat want," Keith Smith said. "He'll learn how to work through the Miami Heat way... he'll be in the best shape of his life by the end of his rookie season.
"The one spot on their team where they don't have a lot of guys signed long-term is the big man spot — except for Bam Adebayo — so I like this addition because this is a guy who can really help fill out some of that frontcourt depth."
McDonough added that he was a freak athlete and embodies that Pat Riley/Erik Spoelstra DNA, represented by hard, physical play and constant effort, energy and enthusiasm. With a frontcourt duo of Adebayo and Achiuwa, no offense is going to have an easy time.
Picks 21-25
Tyrese Maxey flexes in celebration of play.(Andy Lyons/Getty Images)21. Philadephia 76ers: Tyrese Maxey, Kentucky
14.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, .427/.292/.833
It's been a good start to Daryl Morey's reign as a front office executive in Philly. He somehow found a way to unload the impossibly large contract of Al Horford, has added shooters through trade acquisitions and later draft picks, and made a home run selection at No. 21 that had pretty much everyone happy.
On the surface, though, it looked like just another typical 76ers move.
"Guards who can't shoot in Philly? That's a perfect match," Keith Smith joked, before getting into his analysis. "They don't have anything off their bench. They've got very little depth, so I think anybody who can come in, play hard, move the ball, push it up the floor, make plays, do some scoring... that's a huge help for them.
"This kid's gonna fit in great with Doc just because of how tough he is... I'm of the mindset now, if you tell me it's a Kentucky guard, just draft him. I don't think you can go wrong with one."
Spike Eskin of SportsRadio 94WIP emphasized the fact that Maxey filled a major need.
"It's not just that they're short on players on their bench," Eskin explained, "they don't have any guards... Shake Milton was starting at the end of the year and in the playoffs, and Josh Richardson, I don't even know if he'll be here next year."
Spoiler alert: about an hour later, we'd all find out that Spike's conjecture regarding Richardson's future would come true.
"They're super thin on perimeter creation and this is the kind of player that they need," Eskin added. "Perimeter creation is an even bigger thing (than shooting) that they were missing... what struck me about him is that he gets to the basket. He seems like a perfect sixth man, and he's tough."
That's not to say he's a perfect prospect, though. McDonough noted that his shot isn't great, and he can get a little bit out of control on his drives, which is another sight that Sixers fans are likely more than accustomed to at this point.
22. Denver Nuggets: Zeke Nnaji, Arizona
2019-20: 16.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 0.9 bpg, .570/.294/.760
The Nuggets were getting a little bit too expensive on their cap sheet for Keith Smith's liking, and this draft pick may have solved that issue.
"Unless Mason Plumlee was going to come back for far less money than what he made this past season, they were starting to get a little too expensive moving forward," Smith said. "They needed to start figuring a way to get some cheaper talent in on the pipeline... I like this pick for Denver, I think it's a chance to get a little bit younger.
"I think they'll probably sign a veteran, but it'll probably be more a veteran for the minimum or for a small chunk of their mid-level exception so that they can get somebody in there that's a little bit more ready behind Jokic, but I think long-term, they just drafted Jokic's backup"
23. Minnesota Timberwolves (via New York Knicks): Leandro Bolmaro, FC Barcelona
2019-21: 3.1 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 1.7 apg, .325/.222/.867
The Nuggets aren't the only team who are going to have to start worrying about expenses, and seeing as the Timberwolves just added Ricky Rubio to their cap sheet, a pick like Leandro Molmaro may benefit them from a financial perspective.
"The unique thing about this pick is that he's still playing for FC Barcelona," McDonough said. "My guess is that the Timberwolves are likely to leave him in Barcelona at least for the remainder of the this season before they think about bringing him to the NBA."
Keith Smith added on that the team doesn't even have a roster spot for him for the time being, and that a couple years down the road, he'll be a much more welcome commodity.
"I almost think of this as a bonus pick," Smith said, "so in a year or two when he does come over he kind of becomes their bonus extra first rounder because they owe a first rounder to golden state to complete the Russell trade from last year."
24. Denver Nuggets (via New Orleans Pelicans, via Bucks): R.J. Hampton, New Zealand Breakers
2019-20: N/A
Though McDonough notes that Hampton is extremely talented and was recently one of the best high school players in the country, he also noted how an abundance of guards in the draft may have led to Hampton, Winston, Terry and other guards falling this late.
25. New York Knicks (via Timberwolves, via Oklahoma City Thunder): Immanuel Quickley, Kentucky
2019-20: 16.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, .417/.428/.923
Keith Smith was very high on this pick, commending the Knicks for drafting an all-around talent that also filled a need.
"He comes in with definable NBA skills... the way he defends and the way he shoots the ball are going to keep him on an NBA roster for a very, very long time," Smith said. "They needed some shooters... so I think he'll fit right away."
Picks 26-30
Kansas's Udoka Azubuike throws down a ferocious dunk.(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)26. Boston Celtics: Payton Pritchard, Oregon
2019-20: 20.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.5 apg, .468/.415/.821
Though McDonough saw some physical limitations that could hold back Pritchard, he notes how he just finds ways to win.
"Scouts I spoke to described him as a killer, a winner, a worker," McDonough said. "The dude just wins, i've been watching him play since high school. He's got deep NBA range... and has very quick hands defensively."
All of this screams "Celtics" to Keith Smith, who has been covering the team for some time.
"He's going to be a bulldog, and that's what Danny Ainge wants out of his guards," Smith said. "The questions going into his senior year at Oregon were, was he going to be a good enough offensive player? Was he going to shoot it well enough? And he took major steps forward.
"This says to me Brad Wanamaker may not be back in Boston next season."
27. Utah Jazz: Udoka Azubuike, Kansas
2019-20: 13.7 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.6 bpg, .748/---/.441
At 7-foot-0, 270 pounds, Azubuike certainly had the frame to dominate in college hoops. And that he did, winning the 2019-20 Big 12 Player of the Year honors en route to his first and only double-double per-game average. But the obvious concern here is whether or not his frame and physical dominance will remain once he gets to the NBA.
"Questions about him are his average vertical explosiveness, he's not the lob threat that Gobert is, and I thought a lot of his college production was based on physical dominance," McDonough said. "I don't think he'll have those same physical advantages in the NBA."
Keith Smith thinks the fact that Azubuike had a four-year career at Kansas also hurt his draft day prospects.
"I think Azubuike, had he come out after a really good sophomore season, he would have been drafted a lot higher, I think," Smith said. "But then he really struggled, he missed a lot of games as a junior, then bounced back this year."
28. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Oklahoma City Thunder, via Los Angeles Lakers): Jaden McDaniels, Washington
2019-20: 13.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, .405/.339/.763
Jaden McDaniels is on the Timberwolves thanks to the deal that sent Ricky Rubio back to his former team, as well, and Ryan McDonough thinks that Rubio's presence will be useful in the Washington product's development.
"I personally wasn't as high on Jaden McDaniels," McDonough said. "Now that you have Edwards and McDaniels, two young, impressionable players coming into that locker room... having another good veteran who's one of the more respected guys in the league in Ricky Rubio — who's been with that franchise before — can hopefully help impact those two young players"
29. Toronto Raptors: Malachi Flynn, San Diego State
2019-20: 17.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.1 apg, .441/.373/.857
The Raptors' backcourt has recently consisted of two guys who have far outplayed their draft day value. One of those is Kyle Lowry, the six-time All-Star who was selected with the No. 24 pick in 2006. The other is Fred VanVleet, who went undrafted in 2016 before signing with the Raptors and turning into a bona fide star in a few years' time.
Perhaps-not-coincidentally, the Raptors selected Malachi Flynn with the No. 29 overall pick, a player who was compared to a certain someone by many.
"When I talked to evaluators around the league who I really respect, the name that came up as a comparison the most for Malachi Flynn was Fred VanVleet," McDonough said. "Undersized, talented, tough..."
Keith Smith added that he saw some Lowry in there as well, given that Flynn is a dogged competitor and always puts up a good fight.
30. Memphis Grizzlies (via Boston Celtics): Desmond Bane, TCU
2019-20: 16.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.9 apg, .452/.442/.789
Keith Smith said that the Celtics didn't want to keep all three of their first-round picks in 2020. So, before the very last selection of the first round came their way, the Celtics fulfilled their promise, giving the pick to Memphis. In turn, the Grizzlies chose a player that McDonough sees as a very good fit, who scouts described frequently as "thick and strong."
"A lot of teams liked his strength, liked his NBA-ready body," McDonough said. "Some worried that he was maybe a little heavy-legged and didn't move as well... (but he) should fit in nicely on the wing between (Ja) Morant and (Jaren) Jackson."
Smith agreed that it was a "perfect" fit, but noted that the Celtics came out of it as winners, too, continuing their decade-long dream of building future picks with each and every offseason.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports
Twitter | Facebook I Instagram
