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. 20:
Devin Vassell | Florida State | wing
STATS: 12.7 PPG | 41.5 3-PT% | 1.4 SPG
If Vassell slips all the way to No. 20, as Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report expects him to, Brooklyn will be in a position for a steal.
As USA Today SMG‘s Bryan Kalbrovsky points out in his mock draft for Rookie Wire, Vassell is closer to “a sure thing in the pros than boom-or-bust” prospect, adding:
Vassell could be this year’s version of Brandon Clarke.
Vassell’s impact on the defensive end and ability to shoot from deep could also make some Nets expendable if Brooklyn intends to move for a veteran for a third star.
Nets 2020 NBA mock draft radar:
Duke guard Tre Jones
Florida State wing Patrick Williams
Arizona wing Josh Green
Villanova wing Saddiq Bey
Colorado wing Tyler Bey
Washington forward Jaden McDaniels
Evansville forward DeAndre Williams
Oklahoma wing Kristian Doolittle
Pesaro forward Paul Eboua
Kentucky guard Tyrese Maxey
Olympiacos center Aleksej Pokusevski
Western Kentucky center Charles Bassey
Arizona guard Nico Mannion
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