NBA draft: Player comparisons for projected first-rounders

One of the most compelling ways to quickly study any draft class is to look at the NBA comparisons for all of the prospects available.

One of the most compelling ways to quickly study any draft class is to look at the NBA comparisons for all of the prospects available.

Now that the 2020 NBA draft is less than two weeks ago, all of the folks looking for a crash course in learning more about the players that will be available for selection can use this as a guide for the potential outlook of each projected first-round draft pick.

This exercise is far from foolproof, of course, considering that outcomes for each prospect will depend heavily on the teams that draft them as well as the roles they are given and the development process that surrounds them.

But this does give a sense of the archetype that each top prospect fits in so casual fans can get a more succinct view of the next generation entering the league.

While our own opinion was also included, we also studied comparison models and surveyed other experts, including conversations with NBA scouts around the league, to give the best context available. The results included were the most common responses.

NOTE: All comparisons pulled from NBADraftcomp.herokuapp.com are based on statistics per 40 minutes. 

Suns showing ‘a lot’ of interest in NBA prospect Kira Lewis Jr.

The Alabama guard has received interest from several teams recently ahead of the NBA draft, including the Suns.

[jwplayer k7zH6sSU]

With two weeks to go until the NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns have been linked to a few prospects, including Tyrell Terry, Isaac Okoro and Patrick Williams among others. The front office also reportedly has their eye on Alabama guard Kira Lewis Jr.

According to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, the Suns have shown a lot of interest in the 19-year-old. Lewis has drawn interest from several teams recently and is said to be climbing up draft boards around the league, as a result.

He earned First Team All-SEC honors last season after averaging 18.5 points, 5.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 31 games played. He shot 50.7% from the field, including 36.6% from 3-point range on 4.9 attempts, and projects to check a lot of boxes for the Suns.

Lewis was tasked with leading an up-tempo offense at Alabama and could give Phoenix an injection of speed and penetration next to Devin Booker, something Ricky Rubio doesn’t provide. Phoenix could view Lewis as the long-term answer and target him with the 10th overall pick.

However, Lewis has recently worked out in-person with the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic. Teams are certainly interested in the 6-foot-3 guard and it remains to be seen if he’ll be on the board when Phoenix is on the clock.

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Latest USA TODAY NBA mock draft predicts Kira Lewis Jr.’s destination

Former Alabama guard Kira lewis Jr. makes an appearance in the latest USA TODAY 2020 NBA mock draft at No. 15 being selected by Orlando.

Kira Lewis Jr. played two seasons with the Crimson Tide, beginning as a 17-year old freshman guard from Alabama. Now, he will take his talents to the NBA and likely be a first-round draft selection in the upcoming 2020 draft.

USA TODAY’s Scott Gleeson, Jeff Zillgitt and Mark Medina put together a first round mock up of the 2020 NBA draft. Lewis sits right in the middle of the pack.

15. Orlando Magic – Kira Lewis, G

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

They point to Lewis’ time at Alabama and how strong he was compared to the rest of the pack, which also consisted of talented players. however, his leadership qualities at a young age set him apart.

“Lewis led Alabama in scoring (18.5 per game) and assists (5.2 per game) and shot 45.9% from the field, 36.6% on 3s and 80.2% from the foul line. He has a great handle and uses it well, with speed to beat defenders off the dribble.”

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on Lewis as the NBA draft gets closer and what the future holds in the NBA for the Alabama product.

2020 NBA aggregate mock draft 8.0: Draft day ranges for top prospects

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done. 

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done.

We looked at mock drafts from NBADraft.net, ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, The Ringer, Stadium, SI.com, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire, USA Today and Yahoo to give us a more clear understanding of consensus rankings and projections.

This also provided context for realistic high-end and low-end predictions for the players most often included in mock drafts.

Please note that the range included for each player is not based on our own reporting or intel and it only reflects the data pulled from the various mock drafts.

The full list of our latest aggregate mock draft rankings can be found here. HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report.

2020 NBA aggregate mock draft 8.0: Draft day ranges for top prospects

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done. 

The 2020 NBA draft is fairly unpredictable and prospects have wider ranges in where they could get selected when it is all said and done.

We looked at mock drafts from NBADraft.net, ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, The Ringer, Stadium, SI.com, USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire, USA Today and Yahoo to give us a more clear understanding of consensus rankings and projections.

This also provided context for realistic high-end and low-end predictions for the players most often included in mock drafts.

Please note that the range included for each player is not based on our own reporting or intel and it only reflects the data pulled from the various mock drafts.

The full list of our latest aggregate mock draft rankings can be found here. HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report.

Report: Heat have expressed interest in NBA prospect Kira Lewis Jr.

The 6-foot-3 guard earned First Team All-SEC honors after averaging 18.5 points, 5.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals at Alabama.

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Fresh off of a run to the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat have started to look ahead to the draft. Armed with a first-round pick, the Heat have quite a few options to consider when they are on the clock and have recently been linked to a couple of prospects.

The Heat, who have the No. 20 pick, recently conducted a workout with second-round prospect Zeke Nnaji. Additionally, the team has also reportedly shown interest in Alabama guard Kira Lewis Jr. during the pre-draft process, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

However, Lewis is most commonly projected to be off of the board by the time the Heat are on the clock so they may not have an opportunity to select him. Lewis is penciled in as the 13th overall pick in the latest 2020 Rookie Wire NBA Mock Draft.

The 6-foot-3 guard earned First Team All-SEC honors after averaging 18.5 points, 5.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 31 games played. Lewis shot 50.7% from the field, including 36.6% from 3-point range on 4.9 attempts.

Heat president Pat Riley was non-commital recently on whether or not the team will keep the pick so they could look to make a move on Nov. 18. However, that could be dependent on if Lewis, or another prospect they like, falls to them at No. 20.

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Rookie Wire 2021 NBA mock draft predicts Kira Lewis’ landing spot

Former Alabama guard Kir Lewis is set to be drafted in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft in Rookie Wire’s latest mock draft.

With the 2020 NBA draft less than a month away, analysts are scrambling to predict who is getting drafted when and where. One name that Alabama fans will be keeping an eye on is 19-year old guard Kira Lewis.

Lewis played two seasons with the Crimson Tide and his speed has been what sets him above the rest in a strong 2020 draft class.

Bryan Kalbrosky of Rookie Wire presented his latest 2020 NBA mock draft, and it includes Lewis at an early spot just outside the top ten.

13. New Orleans Pelicans – Kira Lewis, G

Alabama basketball-Kira Lewis-USA Basketball
Photo Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

In this mock draft, Lewis is the third SEC player to be selected, after Georgia’s Anthony Edwards and Auburn’s Isaac Okoro.

Kalbrosky has high praise for Lewis,

“New Orleans Pelicans executive David Griffin wants his team to be the fastest in league history, surrounding franchise cornerstone Zion Williamson with speed. Even though the Pelicans already have Lonzo Ball as their starting point guard, Alabama’s Lewis is perfect for their system and worth consideration.

Lewis, whose Crimson Tide team had the fourth-fastest tempo and sixth-shortest possession time in all of college basketball last season, is elite in transition and can be a speedy option on the floor for the Pelicans.”

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on Kira Lewis and all other former Alabama players in the NBA.

Rookie Wire 2021 NBA mock draft predicts Kira Lewis’ landing spot

Former Alabama guard Kir Lewis is set to be drafted in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft in Rookie Wire’s latest mock draft.

With the 2020 NBA draft less than a month away, analysts are scrambling to predict who is getting drafted when and where. One name that Alabama fans will be keeping an eye on is 19-year old guard Kira Lewis.

Lewis played two seasons with the Crimson Tide and his speed has been what sets him above the rest in a strong 2020 draft class.

Bryan Kalbrosky of Rookie Wire presented his latest 2020 NBA mock draft, and it includes Lewis at an early spot just outside the top ten.

13. New Orleans Pelicans – Kira Lewis, G

Alabama basketball-Kira Lewis-USA Basketball
Photo Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

In this mock draft, Lewis is the third SEC player to be selected, after Georgia’s Anthony Edwards and Auburn’s Isaac Okoro.

Kalbrosky has high praise for Lewis,

“New Orleans Pelicans executive David Griffin wants his team to be the fastest in league history, surrounding franchise cornerstone Zion Williamson with speed. Even though the Pelicans already have Lonzo Ball as their starting point guard, Alabama’s Lewis is perfect for their system and worth consideration.

Lewis, whose Crimson Tide team had the fourth-fastest tempo and sixth-shortest possession time in all of college basketball last season, is elite in transition and can be a speedy option on the floor for the Pelicans.”

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on Kira Lewis and all other former Alabama players in the NBA.

2022 Alabama target PG names Crimson Tide as recruitment finalist

Alabama basketball and Nate Oats targets 2022 3 star point guard from Virginia and is listed in his final three programs.

Nate Oats completely reinvigorated Alabama men’s basketball. In his debut season as the Crimson Tide’s head coach, the team finished the season with a 16-15 record. Though, the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, so his postseason record with the SEC program remains unknown.

One factor that sets Oats apart from previous Alabama coaches is his ability to sell players on the program’s culture, and recruit across the country.

The Crimson Tide finished the 2020 recruiting cycle ranked No. 12 in the nation and No. 6 in the SEC. There’s plenty of excitement surrounding this new-look team in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Alabama will enter the 2020-2021 college basketball season missing a few players. Guard Kira Lewis will take his talents to the NBA and is expected to be a mid-first round draftee. Oats also lost guard Jaylen Forbes, center Raymond Hawkins and center Galin Smith to the NCAA transfer portal.

Despite not having any commits for the 2021 class, Alabama is already starting to gauge interest.

The 247Sport’s No. 36 point guard in the 2021 class, Darius Johnson, announced via Twitter that Alabama is in his final three schools.

The three-star recruit is native to Virginia and included Providence and UCF in his short list of programs.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on Alabama basketball and the nonstop recruiting news.

 

Nets 2020 NBA mock draft radar: Alabama guard Kira Lewis

If the NBA standings remain where they were at the start of the league’s hiatus, the Brooklyn Nets will have the No. 20 and 55 picks.

As the NBA prepares for the resumption of the 2019-20 NBA season at Disney World in Florida, organizations also have to continue their work for this year’s draft, which will take place on October 16.

It’s still a ways away, but teams haven’t been able to hold individual workouts amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

With so many members of the Nets ruled out for the Disney bubble, Brooklyn could realistically get bounced from playoff contention — which means the franchise gets to hold onto its 2020 first-round pick. Because, if the Nets make the playoffs, their first-round pick conveys 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.

Either way, the Nets will have at least one 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 has the Denver Nuggets’ second-round selection.

Right now, the Nets have the No. 20 and No. 55 picks.

Here’s a look at one player Brooklyn could take at No. 20:

Kira Lewis | Alabama | Guard

The 2019-20 All-SEC selection can do a little bit of everything. At 19 years old, he would be a remarkable steal at No. 20 in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Although, Lewis may not be a fit for teams who need a player who can contribute right away. The skill is there, but as Gary Parrish of CBS Sports points out, he still needs to fill out — especially at 6-foot-3.

If Lewis is available at No. 20, he’d be a great investment for Brooklyn. He’d have the chance to learn from a pair of impressive point guards — Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie — and potentially become an impactful player in time.

RELATED: 2020 NBA Draft: Nets’ 5 best options in first round

RELATED: 2020 NBA Draft: Nets’ 5 best options in second round

Nets 2020 NBA mock draft radar:

TCU guard Desmond Bane
Hapoel Tel Aviv guard Yam Madar
LSU guard Skylar Mays
Kansas guard Devon Dotson
New Zealand Breakers guard RJ Hampton
Texas Tech guard Jahmi’us Ramsey
Duke guard Tre Jones
Maryland forward Jalen Smith
Florida State wing Patrick Williams
Arizona wing Josh Green
Villanova wing Saddiq Bey
Colorado wing Tyler Bey
Florida State wing Devin Vassell
Seton Hall guard Myles Powell
Washington forward Jaden McDaniels
Ohio State center Kaleb Wesson
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
ASVEL wing Theo Maledon

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