Tag: anthony edwards mock draft

Anthony Edwards projected to go No. 3 in 2020 NBA mock draft

Georgia G Anthony Edwards is projected by Rookie Wire to go No. 3 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft to the Charlotte Hornets.

The 2019-20 NBA season came to a close this October as the Los Angeles Lakers were crowned champions of the world for a record tying 17th time.  With the end of last season here, now it’s time for teams to focus on the future and look towards the ever so close 2020 NBA Draft.

Starting just last week, team personnel have been allowed to visit potential draft prospects in their hometowns in order to make evaluations.

For the first time in seven years, the Georgia Bulldogs have a lottery pick in the mix.  Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who just won his first title with the Lakers, was selected 8th overall in 2013 by the Detroit Pistons.

Rookie Wire released their 2020 NBA Mock Draft 6.0 earlier this Thursday, giving great insight as to what teams are thinking based on their draft position and needs.

Of that list of 60 picks, Anthony Edwards is projected to go No. 3 overall to the Charlotte Hornets.

The list has two superstars in front of Edwards in the NBL’s LaMelo Ball going No. 1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton going No. 2 to the Golden State Warriors.

Here’s what Rookie Wire had to say about Edwards and the fit in Charlotte:

“The Charlotte Hornets need a bona fide star on their roster, and that kind of potential is exactly what Anthony Edwards offers.

The 19-year-old wing is someone whose teams have been built around him, boasting an absurdly high usage rate through AAU and college competition. But the Hornets can give him the keys to the team as their franchise alpha, riding with the highs and letting the lows be learning experiences for his development.

During his freshman year at Georgia, his scoring output increased as the season progressed. He scored extremely well within five feet of the rim, and he can be an above-average defender by virtue of his athleticism alone.”

Many experts see Edwards going No. 1 or No. 2 behind Ball but the fit does seem right in Charlotte.  They’ve had a lack in scoring for years, especially now that Kemba Walker is no longer with them.

Edwards averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in his one season at Georgia.

The 2020 Draft is scheduled for November 18th and will be aired live on ESPN.

Georgia men’s basketball announces new season attendance record

For the second consecutive year, Georgia’s men’s basketball has surpassed Stegeman Coliseum’s annual attendance record.

For the second consecutive year, Georgia’s men’s basketball has surpassed Stegeman Coliseum’s annual attendance record.

Attendance spiked following Tom Crean’s 2018 appointment as the Bulldogs’ head coach. When Crean managed to secure the commitment of 2019’s top high school prospect Anthony Edwards, excitement built further for Georgia basketball fans.

So, an average season with an above-average NBA prospect ended on a sour note against rival Florida. Georgia fans have every right to feel dejected.

Win or lose, however, Georgia faithful kept buying tickets to hoot and holler for the Dawgs. The Steg was packed and, oh my, was it loud.

A sure sign of an impassioned fanbase, the majority of the home crowd stayed until each game’s final whistle all year.

Mind you, that’s not just because of the fans’ recognition of the inevitably horrific post-game traffic splitting from Carlton Street toward either Lumpkin Street or East Campus Road.

The 2019-2020 Bulldogs’ hopes aren’t dead. There’s still an entire conference tourney left to be played.

Crean’s squad, which entered the campaign with high hopes, needs to win next week’s SEC Tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Unless conference tournament results prove otherwise, the Dawgs are considered a bubble team for the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

In that case, a conference quarterfinal or semifinal would ostensibly improve Crean and company’s chances, but after such an up-and-down season, nothing can be guaranteed (always the case in the sports) or even predicted (always the case in Georgia sports).

Should the Bulldogs receive an NIT invite, they have the opportunity of hosting another game in Athens, potentially adding to the season’s attendance record.

Opinion: No, Georgia basketball did not waste its only season with Anthony Edwards

After Anthony Edwards committed to UGA in February of 2019, many Georgia fans quickly deemed him the Dawgs’ deliverer from mediocrity.

Anthony Edwards arrived in Athens, Georgia to much fanfare.

Depending on which recruiting service you asked, Edwards was either the first- or second-ranked high school basketball prospect of the 2019 recruiting cycle.

After the senior out of Atlanta’s Holy Spirit Prep announced his commitment to Tom Crean’s Bulldogs in February of 2019, many Georgia fans quickly deemed him the Dawgs’ deliverer from mediocrity.

Reminder: this was over three months before Edwards had even graduated high school and over eight months before he would play in his first collegiate competition.

What is almost certainly the Dawgs’ only regular season featuring Anthony Edwards ends with an even 15-15 record. Unless the 2020 Bulldogs can replicate the results of 2008’s unlikely winners in next week’s SEC tournament, Georgia may not qualify for any further postseason play.

Crean’s squad, which entered the campaign with high hopes, needs to win the conference tourney to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Unless tournament results prove otherwise, the Dawgs are considered a bubble team for the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

A quarterfinal or semifinal appearance in the conference tourney would likely earn them a spot, anything less would likely leave them out. But Georgia basketball fans probably don’t want to think of any more what-ifs.

Though plagued with blown leads and those pesky what-ifs, the Bulldogs’ 2019-2020 campaign was highlighted by several miraculous finishes, wins over Georgia Tech and Auburn, and a slew of NBA-worthy clips from Edwards.

All of that sounds bad. And don’t get me wrong, it’s not great. But here’s the thing: Edwards is still projected as the top NBA draft pick by more than one draft analyst.

This isn’t a moral victory thing. Anyone who watched Georgia’s men’s basketball team all season saw the team fold and surrender late leads on multiple occasions.

To me, a recovering pessimist constantly checking my peripheral vision for any sort of bright side, such results don’t blind me from what I’ve learned to see truth of the matter:

If a star player like Anthony Edwards can come into Georgia’s historically average basketball program and maintain his projected draft position while packing Stegeman Coliseum to the brim, it shows young local talent that they can do the same and receive that fanfare and adoration similar to Edwards’.

That is, before they go get a fat paycheck in the NBA.

Though not assuredly, this could prove vital for a program currently struggling to tread water alongside a strong and balanced Southeastern Conference no longer run just by traditionally powerful Kentucky, Florida, and Tennessee (each of which can usually predict its two annual division games against Georgia as wins).

The Atlanta area is one of the highest-concentrated NBA breeding grounds in the United States. Georgia often lands local four-star recruits but very seldom secures commitments from upper echelon five-stars. The last was current Los Angeles Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in 2011.

Examples: 2018’s Ashton Hagans and E.J. Montgomery enrolled at Kentucky. Wendell Carter enrolled at Duke in 2017. Kobi Simmons enrolled at Arizona in 2016.

So, yeah, in the short term, this isn’t ideal. Especially knowing that .500 winning percentage could’ve been a .533 or a possibly a .567, or heck, maybe even .600!

But since I’m speaking in hypotheticals, Georgia could very well have lost some of their eventual dramatic victories, namely against SMU, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas.

Given what Edwards’ success could mean for the future of Georgia men’s basketball recruiting in the future, I choose to see this year’s 15-15 record as a glass half full.

Even in the short term, the Bulldogs’ hopes aren’t dead. There’s still an entire conference tournament to be played.

Georgia basketball earns much-needed win over Arkansas

Tom Crean’s Georgia Bulldogs came out on top over Arkansas in a contest filled with one-sided scoring streaks.

Needing a win to stay in contention for a first-round bye in the SEC tournament, Tom Crean’s Georgia Bulldogs came out on top over Arkansas in a contest filled with one-sided scoring streaks.

Amidst a season plagued with blown leads and resultant losses, Georgia faithful could never feel comfortable with the Bulldogs’ 18-point lead.

The visiting Hogs twice cut the lead to a single point before the home Dawgs sealed the game.

Projected top NBA Draft pick Anthony Edwards took over the final 1:07 of the game, scoring nine of his 26 points in crunch time. Edwards punctuated the game with a ferocious two-handed dunk that sunk Arkansas.

Fellow NBA prospect Rayshaun Hammonds posted 22 points and nine boards.

Despite a lackluster season for Georgia basketball, the NBA’s projected top pick Anthony Edwards has thrown together a rather modest highlight film in what will almost certainly be his only season in Athens.

Watch: Georgia basketball’s Anthony Edwards runs court, lifts for two-handed slam

The NBA’s projected top pick Anthony Edwards has thrown together a highlight film in what will almost certainly be his only season at UGA.

Despite a lackluster season for Georgia basketball, the NBA’s projected top pick Anthony Edwards has thrown together a rather modest highlight film in what will almost certainly be his only season in Athens.

For your viewing pleasure, our own James Morgan gathered and posted a compilation of Ant Man’s nastiest dunks sporting red and black.

In the Bulldogs’ home game against Arkansas, Edwards added another clip to his human highlight reel (if you’re reading this, Dominique Wilkins, we love you).

In the game’s closing moments, Edwards reassured fans that the proper phrase is “Dawgs on Top” as opposed to “Hogs on top.”

To emphasize, here’s another look at how Edwards sprinted down-court and embarrassed five other adults at once:

 

Georgia closed out the game to improve to 15-14 on the season.

Edwards finished the game with 26 points and seven boards.