Here’s the latest as the NBA draft approaches
The NBA Draft will take place on Nov. 18th, where the Minnesota Timberwolves hold the first pick in the draft. With a couple weeks to go, nothing is set in stone, especially with the current conditions thanks to the pandemic, it’s harder to get players in for workouts.
Who goes number one
There are rumors that the Wolves are shopping the first pick in the draft in order to get a player or two that can help them win now. This draft doesn’t have that surefire, number one prospect, so trading the pick and getting players that will help the young duo of D’angelo Russell and Karl Anthony Towns this season could be the most beneficial.
Whoever ends up making the first pick in the draft will most likely be choosing between Anthony Edwards out of Georgia or big man James Wiseman out of Memphis. Wiseman has started to make it clear that he has no interest in playing in Minnesota, which makes sense as they already have an all-star big man in Towns.
Lamelo Ball struggling in interviews
It is being reported that Ball has not performed very well at the predraft interviews. This could just be a bunch of noise, however, there are teams at the back end of the top ten who are starting to give Ball a deeper look, as they weren’t anticipating him still being available.
TCU’s Bane a late riser
When the 2020 college basketball season came to an abrupt end, TCU’s Desmond Bane was seen as a fringe first-round prospect. Most mock drafts had him going somewhere in the early second round. However, his stock has been on the rise the last couple of months and he could go as high as pick 14. At this point, it would be surprising to see Bane fall out of the top 20 and most think he won’t fall past Dallas at 18.
Celtics looking to package first rounders
The Boston Celtics have three first round picks in this year’s draft, numbers 14, 26 and 30. It is being reported that they are trying to package all three of their first rounders in order to move into the top ten. They are most likely trying to get into position to grab USC big man Onyeka Okongwu, who will most likely go in the 7-10 range.
Hawks shopping the sixth pick
There are reports that the Hawks are looking to move the sixth pick in order to get a win-now player. Atlanta has high expectations for their young core coming into next season, and feel like getting a veteran player will help accelerate the process. They are also expected to be aggressive in free agency, so this upcoming season is looking like it will be playoffs or bust for the Hawks.