Among the uncertainties surrounding the NBA as the novel coronavirus continues to be a major issue in the U.S. is the 2020 draft.
NBA teams won’t be able to look at college players during March Madness, and the rest of the pre-draft process is expected to be limited. The matter of when the draft will actually happen is up in the air, as well. Especially if the league tries to crown a 2020 champion.
For the Brooklyn Nets, based on where the standings were when the league went on hiatus, their first-round pick would convey to the Timberwolves. Minnesota acquired Brooklyn’s top-14 protected pick from the Hawks, which the Nets sent to Atlanta in a trade that delivered Taurean Prince.
But the Nets will not be without a first-round selection. They have Philadelphia’s top-14 protected pick, which Brooklyn acquired when they sent the No. 27 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft — which wound up being Mfiondu Kabengele — to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Nets’ second-round pick belongs to the Boston Celtics, but Brooklyn the Denver Nuggets’ second-round selection.
Right now, the Nets fall have the No. 20 and No. 55 picks.
Here’s a look at one player Brooklyn could take at No. 55:
DeAndre Williams | Evansville | Forward
STATS: 15.2 PPG | 64.8 FG% | 6.9 RPG
Willams told USA Today SMG‘s own Bryan Kalbrosky he is “keeping all of his options open,” regarding the 2020 NBA Draft. If The 6-foot-9, 23-year-old does declare for the draft, Kalbrosky thinks he’s a fit for the Nets at No. 55, writing:
DeAndre Williams, one of the most efficient pick-and-pop players in the country … Some time in the G League could make him a solid NBA player.
Williams shot 45.5% from deep for Evansville this year, but he only averaged 0.8 3-pointers made per game on 1.8 attempts a night.
The forward is a strong free-throw shooter (80%). Williams also averaged one block per game.