The 2020 NBA Draft is Wednesday night. Wednesday night! This is not a drill, people.
After spending most of the last six months breaking down tape, talking with scouts and front offices, and gauging how this draft class is viewed throughout the league, our team of experts has come to final conclusions on how we view the 2020 class. Now we've put pen to paper to formalize it.
Our first-ever consensus board, which comprises the prospect rankings of five of our basketball experts, can be seen here. As you might imagine, some have different views than others -- some starkly different. Matt Norlander, for instance, has Obi Toppin at No. 1 on his board, whereas Colin Ward-Henninger has him 13th. On the subject of French guard Killian Hayes, Ward-Henninger and I have him top two, whereas Gary Parrish and David Cobb have him well outside their top five. And one of us has Anthony Edwards outside their top five. (No spoilers, but scroll down and you'll see.)
That's the beauty of the consensus ranks. We've averaged them out to settle on a wider view of how our team views the class on the whole, with outliers smoothed out. LaMelo Ball is our consensus No. 1, followed by James Wiseman and Anthony Edwards. Killian Hayes and Obi Toppin round out our top five.
To break down our board, we each wrote about the players we were highest (or lowest) on, and why.
LaMelo Ball | 6-6 | PG
Top 100 rank: No. 1
There is no consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2020 NBA Draft like there was in 2003 (LeBron James), 2012 (Anthony Davis) or 2019 (Zion Williamson). That's my way of making it clear reasonable minds can disagree on which player should be selected first. I understand the arguments for Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman — or even Deni Avdija and Obi Toppin. But, in my opinion, the prospect available with the highest upside, with the best chance to be a multiyear NBA All-Star, is LaMelo Ball.
Is he flawed?
Sure.
But he's also a 6-foot-6 point guard who sees things most players his age can't see, and create plays most players his age can't create. Ball needs to play a little more under control, and make jumpers more consistently (probably after totally reworking his shot). But the natural talent is undeniable. And the basketball IQ is undeniable. And those are among the things that should soon make LaVar Ball the first father in history to have multiple sons selected inside the top two of the NBA Draft. -- Gary Parrish
Want more analysis of the top prospects in the NBA Draft? Listen below and subscribe to the Eye on College Basketball podcast where we take a deep dive on the top players heading to the next level.
Obi Toppin | 6-9 | PF
Top 100 rank: No. 5
I have Toppin at No. 1 on my personal big board. There are a few reasons why. The first being that this is regarded as one of the three weakest drafts at the very top (read: top-10 picks) in the past decade. With that much uncertainty, Toppin's case as No. 1 becomes even stronger. From a college perspective, he lifted Dayton to heights it had never been before while being the best player in college basketball and showcasing his athleticism, knack for scoring near the rim and consistent shooting ability.
Toppin is physical but slippery, has good form on his shot, is well-built, can post up and is capable of putting the ball on the floor and working against forwards and centers. His ceiling is not as high as players like James Wiseman, LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards. But his floor is higher than all of those players. Toppin is not as bad of a defender as some have pegged him to be. He has high hips, strong legs, a good core and good strength to grow into an average NBA defender. Combine that with his consistency the past two seasons and his proven track record of being an A-level teammate and it's only logical to take him No. 1. He'll be a 10-year starter at worst. -- Matt Norlander
Desmond Bane | 6-6 | SF
Top 100 rank: No. 22
If you're a fan of offense, it's impossible to watch Desmond Bane without falling head over heels in love. The guy is a straight knock-down shooter who made 43% of his 3-pointers in his four years at TCU, sinking almost three 3-pointers per game as a senior. In previous iterations of the NBA he might have been viewed as a "tweener" due to his 6-5 frame and lack of ball-handling/creation skills, but he has a sturdy enough frame and is athletic enough to more than hold his own at both the two and the three at the next level.
Bane profiles as an elite spot-up shooter, and worked off of screens beautifully in college. He may not be as tantalizing as some of the 3-and-D prospects above him on draft boards but, given his experience and frame, he'll be ready to plug into a contender right away with a ceiling of JJ Redick and a floor of Landry Shamet. I'm buying all the stock. -- Colin Ward-Henninger
Anthony Edwards | 6-5 | SF
Top 100 rank: No. 3
At what skill will Anthony Edwards be elite in the NBA? LaMelo Ball is an elite ball-handler and passer, James Wiseman is a potentially elite rim protector and weapon in the pick and roll. Isaac Okoro is a potentially elite perimeter defender with great versatility. The list goes on. But what about Edwards? He's an elite shot creator, you say? Well what good is elite shot-creation if you are not an above-average shot maker?
Edwards hit just 29.4% of his 3-pointers as a freshman at Georgia. Now he'll be playing with a longer 3-point line against better defenses. So, sure, he can create good mid-range looks and is athletic enough to get in the paint and finish at the rim (though that theory may be tested in the NBA since he is just 6-foot-3). But in a league trending evermore toward the 3-point line, Edwards' long-term star power feels too uncertain, unless a shorter version of Zach Lavine with even more questionable shooting credentials is your vision of stardom. -- David Cobb
Aleksej Pokusevski | 7-0 | C
Top 100 rank: No. 19
There was arguably no wider range of opinions on any prospect in this class than Aleksej Pokusevski. I, along with Ward-Henninger, have him top-10 on our boards. But Parrish and Norlander don't even have a first-round grade on him. That speaks to the mystery of the international wunderkind. Will the draft projections match his hype?
It's still impossible to get a firm read on where the 7-footer may land. But with star power at a premium in this draft, his combination of size, skill and agility has teams in the lottery and just outside it showing interest.
At some point in the late teens, the upside is going to far outweigh the risk. Is he skinny as a twig? Yes. Is the competition level he faced cause for concern? Also yes! But 7-footers who can put the ball on the floor, create offense and move the way Pokusevski does just don't come around every year. He could wind up being a developmental project that lasts years and ultimately busts, but the chance that he becomes a top-five prospect from this class is enough to gamble on. He finishes on my final top 100 just inside the top-10. -- Kyle Boone
Final CBS Sports Top 100 Big Board
| Rank | Player | School/Country | Class | Pos. | Pos. rank | Ht. | Wt. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LaMelo Ball | USA | - | PG | 1 | 6-6 | 180 |
| 2 | James Wiseman | Memphis | Fr | C | 1 | 7-1 | 240 |
| 3 | Anthony Edwards | Georgia | Fr | G | 1 | 6-5 | 225 |
| 4 | Killian Hayes | France | - | PG | 2 | 6-5 | 192 |
| 5 | Obi Toppin | Dayton | Soph | PF | 1 | 6-9 | 220 |
| 6 | Tyrese Haliburton | Iowa St. | Soph | PG | 3 | 6-5 | 175 |
| 7 | Deni Avdija | Israel | - | SF | 1 | 6-9 | 215 |
| 8 | Onyeka Okongwu | USC | Fr | C | 2 | 6-9 | 245 |
| 9 | Isaac Okoro | Auburn | Fr | SF | 2 | 6-6 | 225 |
| 10 | Saddiq Bey | Villanova | Soph | F | 1 | 6-8 | 216 |
- Check out the full CBS Sports Top 100 Big Board
