Tag: Nico Mannion

Nico Mannion, Isaiah Stewart among prospects Nets interviewed ahead of 2020 NBA draft

Zeke Nnaji, Jaden McDaniels, Josh McDaniels and Vernon Carey have each met with the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the 2020 NBA draft.

Five more 2020 NBA draft prospects confirmed they have met with the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the big event on Wednesday.

Arizona guard Nico Mannion, Washington big man Isaiah Stewart, Arizona big man Zeke Nnaji, Washington forward Jaden McDaniels, Arizona wing Josh McDaniels and Duke big man Vernon Carey each revealed on Zoom calls Monday that they’ve each met with the Nets over Zoom.

While Carey wouldn’t reveal whether or not he’s worked out with the Nets (or any other team), Mannion and McDaniels expressed the didn’t have in-person workouts for Brooklyn, while Green and Stewart did not list the Nets among the teams they worked out for.

Only New Zealand Breakers guard RJ Hampton and ASVEL guard Theo Maledon have confirmed they’re worked out for the Nets.

Brooklyn has also spoken to:

  • Maryland big man Jalen Smith
  • TCU sharpshooter Desmond Bane
  • Memphis forward Precious Achiuwa
  • Stanford guard Tyrell Terry
  • Kentucky guard Immanuel Quickley
  • New Zealand Breakers guard RJ Hampton
  • SE Melbourne wing Terry Armstrong
  • ASVEL guard Theo Maledon
  • Prep-to-pro prospect Josh Hall
  • Prep-to-pro prospect Karim Mane

2020 NBA Draft Big Board 5.0: Final update ranking Top 100 prospects

After numerous delays and postponements, front offices and draftniks have had more time to analyze the 2020 NBA draft than any previous year.

After numerous delays and postponements, front offices and draftniks have had more time to analyze the 2020 NBA draft than any previous year.

Originally scheduled for June, the ongoing pandemic pushed the big night back by five months. While this may cause some teams to overthink their decisions, it gave analysts plenty of time to study all of the top prospects eligible in this class.

This year, players had to participate in a mostly virtual pre-draft process. On the bright side, this meant that teams had the opportunity to interview more candidates than ever before.

However, the number of in-person visits were incredibly limited due to the restrictive parameters set by the league. Similarly, the NBA draft combine was conducted without the typical scrimmages where players can separate themselves from the others with impressive on-court performances.

Overall, the players that stood out in this pre-draft process had a different path to recognition than any other year. College basketball players did not have the opportunity to showcase themselves during March Madness. The nation’s top seniors did not get to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

As such, executives will rely mostly on the existing game footage as well as the intel they gathered during their conversations with the prospects. We also depended on similar strategies, getting access to one-on-one interviews with more than three dozen prospects and exchanging our thoughts with various scouts across the league.

This helped us put together our final big board, looking at the Top 100 players ranked on their potential to make a difference for teams in the NBA.

Relevant statistics were pulled from Synergy Sports Tech, Bart-Torvik, KenPom, Open Look Analytics and RealGM. Note that the age listed for each player references how old they will be on the night of the draft.

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. 

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.

3 point guards the Philadelphia 76ers should target in 2020 NBA Draft

There are some point guards in the 2020 NBA Draft who could help the Philadelphia 76ers right away.

The Philadelphia 76ers have the 21st pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and they should be able to use this pick to the best of their ability. That means examining all of their options with the pick and that includes a couple of different routes they can go to.

They can focus on bringing in a deadeye shooter who will certainly help the spacing on the offensive end of the floor. They can also look at trading the pick in order to acquire a win-now guy or even move up in the draft. Then, there is also the need of a point guard now that the team has moved Ben Simmons off the ball to the power forward position.

We are going to focus on the point guards for their pick in this latest draft preview for Philadelphia and there are three who make sense for them. Let’s get into the list!

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Sixers 2020 NBA mock draft: Nico Mannion provides another ball handler

Arizona point guard Nico Mannion has been mocked to the Philadelphia 76ers at 21.

The Philadelphia 76ers have plenty of needs heading into the 2020 offseason. They obviously need a shooter, they need some bench scoring, and they need another ball-handler or two in order to really move Ben Simmons off the ball to the power forward spot.

They do own the 21st pick in the 2020 draft thanks to the success had by the Oklahoma City Thunder and they have a few options there. They can go after a guy like Tyrell Terry or maybe even go after Jalen Smith as they would fill the need for a shooter and also bench scoring.

However, ESPN’s latest mock draft has the Sixers going in the ball-handler direction with Arizona point guard Nico Mannion.

ESPN:

After electing to move Ben Simmons to power forward, the Sixers could stand to shore up their depth at point guard. Mannion can play on or off the ball thanks to his perimeter shooting and basketball aptitude, and has some upside to grow into as well at just 19.

Mannion averaged 14.0 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 32.7% from deep in his freshman season with the Wildcats. He was named to the All-Pac-12 Team as well as being named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. Mannion would be a nice addition to this team if they stay at 21. He is a streaky shooter, but his ability to put the ball on the floor and create plays for himself and others will be welcomed on a team starved for those types of players. [lawrence-related id=37503,37487,37483]

Nico Mannion shows off his bounce dunking during workout video

The projected first-round pick gave NBA teams a sneak peek at his athleticism in a recent workout clip.

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Projected first-round pick Nico Mannion isn’t necessarily known as the most athletic player but the former Arizona Wildcats guard flashed his bounce in a recent workout.

Mannion emerged as a first-round talent given his ability to get his teammates involved and lead on the court. He averaged 14 points, 5.3 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals and he also posted the second-best assist percentage (31.5) among all high-major freshman.

While prospects are not yet able to workout with teams due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mannion gave viewers a glimpse into what he has been working on in the gym after posting a few of his dunks on social media.

Mannion’s draft stock took a bit of a hit toward the end of the season after he struggled in conference play. Further compounding those struggles, Mannion shot just 26% from 3-point range in 19 games against top 100 competition. Many believe he will need time to develop but could become a solid contributor at the NBA level.

Mannion is 33rd on the latest 2020 Rookie Wire NBA Big Board.

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Arizona freshman Nico Mannion mocked to Sixers in 2020 NBA Draft

Arizona freshman Nico Mannion has been mocked to the Philadelphia 76ers at 22.

It’s not playoff season in the NBA at the moment, but it is mock draft season! That tine of the year where everybody rolls out their mock drafts and everybody is obsessed with who goes whenever the NBA Draft rolls around.

This year’s draft is a bit different than others as the NBA world continues to deal with the effects of the novel coronavirus. The draft will no longer be held on June 25 and will be held at another time and the draft lottery has also been suspended as the league tries to figure it out.

The Sixers will keep all options open as they head into this 2020 draft, but they do need playmakers as much as they need shooters. In a mock draft done by Jonathan Wasserman over at Bleacher Report, he has the Sixers selecting Nico Mannion from Arizona.

Wasserman on Mannion:

A projected lottery pick early in the season, Mannion now looks like a possible value pick later in the first round. He lacks burst for blowing by or finishing, having totaled just 15 field goals at the basket in the half court. But there is enough skill tied to his shot-making versatility and passing for Mannion to serve as a useful second-unit guard.

Mannion averaged 14.0 points and 5.3 assists and he shot 39.2% from the floor. His 3-point percentage went up and down all season and it shows that he can potentially become a 3-point shooting playmaker in the NBA. The Sixers do have a need for a backup point guard in the draft so Mannion is a legitimate option. [lawrence-related id=30630,30622,30611]