Tag: Nico Mannion

Nets 2020 NBA mock draft radar: Arizona guard Nico Mannion

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.

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:

Nico Mannion | Arizona | Guard

STATS:  14 PPG | 5.3 APG | 39.2 FG%

NBC Sports‘ James Ham thinks Mannion is a fit in Brooklyn even if the Nets don’t move Spencer Dinwiddie:

Brooklyn has a pair of quality point guards in Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie, but neither seem capable of playing anywhere near 82 games.

Maybe he forgot Dinwiddie played in 80 games in 2017-18 and he played in each of the Nets’ 64 games before the NBA had to put the season on pause.

Now, if Brooklyn decides to move Dinwiddie, then drafting Mannion would make sense. Unless he becomes more efficient as a shooter, Mannion isn’t going to be a scoring point guard off the bench. But with the way the Nets’ roster looks with Irving and Kevin Durant healthy, a facilitator might be the right fit at the reserve point guard role.

Nets 2020 NBA mock draft radar:

Florida State wing Patrick Williams
Arizona wing Josh Green
Villanova wing Saddiq Bey
Colorado wing Tyler Bey
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

RELATED: Ranking the top five shooting guards in Nets history

RELATED: Ranking the top five point guards in Nets history

Sixers draft profiles: Nico Mannion would help solve bench issues

Our next draft profile for the Philadelphia 76ers focuses on Nico Mannion of Arizona.

With the NBA season on hold, we continue our continuation of the 10 part draft profile series for the Philadelphia 76ers. We have focused mostly on a bunch of shooters, and there will be more shooters to come, but Wednesday’s edition focuses on some more bench help.

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The Sixers need some help at the backup point guard position after losing T.J. McConnell in free agency and the additions of Raul Neto and Trey Burke just not working out. So, why not look at a point guard who can provide some offensive punch off the bench?

Nico Mannion, Arizona

The Sixers bench has been so up and down all season and the only real contributor they can count on for offense is Furkan Korkmaz. Rookie Matisse Thybulle has been elite defensively, but he has not had the same type of impact on the offensive end of the floor while there is no guarantee that Alec Burks returns. That is where Mannion could come in and help.

We all know his weaknesses, he isn’t the most athletic guy in the world, but he does have a scorer’s mentality. It would be a huge pickup for this team if they could have a guy like that off their bench. He gets to the foul line 4.2 times per game and that is a huge asset for any team.

In the latest mock draft put out by Rookie Wire, Mannion goes 17 in the draft to the Boston Celtics.

As the season progressed, Arizona freshman point guard Nico Mannion’s confidence took a bit of a hit as he struggled on the court against tougher competition. But that is one reason why he might be a perfect fit for a team like the Celtics, who already have a star point guard in Kemba Walker. Mannion could take his time to develop under head coach Brad Stevens, while also potentially serving as the backup point if the Celtics do not re-sign Brad Wanamaker.

The reason why Mannion began falling in the draft was his inconsistency with his shot. He shot 47.1% from deep in November, 20.7% in December, 36.1% in January, 23.9% in February, and he was up to 41.2% in March. Those numbers suggest that he has the ability to shoot the ball, but it will require a lot of work and muscle memory to get the right form down.

Considering his limitations, Mannion has time to develop behind Ben Simmons. All the Sixers will ask of him is to not turn the ball over and provide an offensive punch when it’s needed. He can then continue to develop and learn the game a bit more. [lawrence-related id=29425,29413,29406]

Ranking top five prospective draft options for the Philadelphia 76ers

We have ranked the top five draft options for the Philadelphia 76ers.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has the NBA in suspension and it has canceled the NCAA Tournament which means that NBA teams can really only use video and interviews done online. So, due to the fact that we only have video to work with, let’s analyze a few prospects.

The Philadelphia 76ers have lucked out in the draft process a bit as they now possess a first-round pick at 22 due to the success of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Therefore, they can pick up a solid prospect in Round 1 of this draft.

There are five prospects that make the most sense for this team and we will count them down from in terms of their fit. With that said, let’s get into this!

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Projected first-round pick Nico Mannion has declared for the NBA Draft

Mannion is widely projected to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft after a solid season at Arizona.

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Arizona Wildcats guard Nico Mannion told Jonathan Givony of ESPN on Tuesday afternoon that he will leave school early and declare for the 2020 NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-3 guard is widely projected to be a first-round pick after a strong freshman year in which he averaged 14 points, 5.3 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 32 games played.

He is projected to selected 17th in the latest 2020 Rookie Wire NBA Mock Draft.

Mannion struggled some once conference play began, which may have affected his draft stock. He is viewed as a player that will need development and may not see a ton of action in his first year in the NBA.

Despite those struggles, Mannion has been highly touted as a player that is unselfish and willing to get his teammates involved. He finished second in the Pac-12 in assists and fourth with a 31.4 assist percentage.

Mannion is the son of former NBA player Pace Mannion.

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While Nico Mannion is fully expected to …

While Nico Mannion is fully expected to declare for the 2020 NBA Draft, the Arizona Wildcats point guard has yet to officially announce his intentions. Expect that to happen pretty soon. The freshman told an Italian newspaper—La Repubblica—that he will make a decision “entro pochi giorni” which translates to “within a few days” in English. The article was published on April 6.

2020 aggregate NBA mock draft 5.0: International prospects are rising

Scouting and preparing for the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft is incredibly challenging due to circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

Scouting and preparing for the upcoming 2020 NBA draft is incredibly challenging due to circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

As always, we examine the mock drafts from the most trusted analysts to give us the best idea of a consensus for what the upcoming class will look like in June. The latest 2020 NBA mock drafts from experts at ESPN, CBS Sports, SI.com, Bleacher Report, NBADraft.net, The Athletic, SB Nation, Sporting News and USA Today Sports Media Group’s Rookie Wire were used for these rankings.

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Currently, the first three players expected to be selected (Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman) have remained in the exact same order for the third aggregate mock draft in a row.

After dropping from No. 5 all the way to No. 11 between December and January, Maccabi Tel Aviv forward Deni Avdija has jumped back to No. 4 for this version.

He played well recently at the 2020 Eurobasket Qualifiers, scoring 21 points with eight rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal while also shooting 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. This was a welcome change of pace for scouts hoping to learn as much as possible about Avdija as he had averaged just 4.0 points in 14.3 minutes in Euroleague games earlier this season.

Several other prospects playing overseas have seen their stock increase as well. This makes some sense considering many in the NCAA rely on their performance in March Madness to solidify their draft position whereas the international players gain momentum in other ways.

Killian Hayes, who was ranked No. 18 overall on our last aggregate mock draft, jumped up to No. 8 for this edition. The 6-foot-5 guard was 14-for-61 (39 percent) from 3-point range while also connecting on 90.9 percent of his free-throw attempts during Eurocup action. Several outlets are currently projecting him as a Top 5 pick in the 2020 NBA draft.

Another prospect playing outside of the United States but currently making waves is Leandro Bolmaro. He debuted on our aggregate mock draft in the most recent edition before this one but has jumped all the way to No. 29 this time around.

Meanwhile, in the NCAA, some college basketball players managed to make some serious momentum for themselves before the season was unexpectedly cut short. Some of those players are seniors Killian Tillie (Gonzaga), Grant Riller (Charleston), Udoka Azubuike (Kansas) and Desmond Bane (TCU).

As mentioned here, it makes sense for upperclassmen to be more appealing in this class than in previous years. Seniors have far more game film to draw film which may be necessary considering individual team workouts and even the 2020 NBA Draft Combine may be canceled. Plus, older players are likely more ready to contribute immediately.

On the flip side, there are freshmen around the country who have seen their draft stock drastically decline in recent months.

Oregon’s N’Faly Dante has fallen off our boards completely after playing just twelve games and making no appearances in the starting lineup. Kahlil Whitney, who was considered a lottery pick when we did this exercise in October 2019, also dropped off after withdrawing from Kentucky.

Some other freshmen who saw their draft stock fall: Duke’s Matthew Hurt was ranked No. 16 overall back in October but is now at No. 76 overall. LSU’s Trendon Watford was ranked No. 14 in October but has fallen to No. 63. Florida’s Scottie Lewis was No. 9 in July and is currently No. 53 overall.

Less drastic but still valid: Arizona’s Nico Mannion has fallen from No. 6 back in January 2020 all the way to No. 16 now in April. Likewise, UNC’s Cole Anthony dropped from No. 2 back in July 2019 to No. 10 in our new study.

But some encouraging news for prospects who were considered Top-25 recruits coming out of high school but had a disappointing freshman year (e.g. Duke’s Wendell Moore as well as the aforementioned Dante, Whitney, Watford, Hurt and Lewis) can be found in Kentucky’s Immanuel Quickley.

The 6-foot-3 guard was the No. 13 overall recruit in the nation coming into Kentucky as a freshman. But after averaging just 5.2 points as a freshman, he returned for his sophomore campaign.

Fortunately, the SEC Player of the Year dramatically improved his draft stock in 2019-20. His season was highlighted by 21.3 points per game in February and a free throw percentage (92.3%) that ranked as the sixth-best among all underclassmen. This month, he debuted on our aggregate mock draft at No. 42 overall.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report.

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2020 NBA mock draft: Obi Toppin, LaMelo Ball offer intrigue

Rookie Wire breaks down the film and crunches all the relevant statistics to predict all 60 picks of the 2020 NBA Draft.

Like much of the world right now, the 2020 NBA Draft is full of uncertainty due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The cancellation of the NCAA Tournament changes the evaluation process and denies NBA teams the opportunity to see how players react to the pressure of performing on college basketball’s biggest stage. Nevertheless, scouts and front offices are doing their homework on this year’s top prospects.

As of now, the draft remains scheduled for June 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. However, the event could be pushed back in reaction to the pandemic.

Meantime, our two-round mock draft accounts for potential fit for every team that currently owns picks. Some teams, such as the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans and Boston Celtics, have enough picks to trade up or turn them into higher picks for future years. Others, such as the Golden State Warriors, may want to trade down to select a player based on roster fit.

That said, we made our selections without trying to predict trades.

A few quick notes: Some notable freshmen (such as Florida’s Scottie Lewis, Villanova’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Duke’s Wendell Moore and Matthew Hurt) have been omitted because Rookie Wire expects them to return to school.

Similarly, top juniors (such as San Diego State’s Malachi Flynn, Iowa’s Luka Garza, Georgetown’s Omer Yurtseven) were excluded because we expect them to return for their senior year.

Generally speaking, players who have already declared for the draft or are testing the waters were given priority over prospects who we may rate a bit higher but have not officially put the name into the draft pool.

Draft order is based on NBA standings when the league went on hiatus.

1. Golden State Warriors: Anthony Edwards, Georgia

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Wing, 6-foot-5, 18 years old

The Warriors, obviously, have little need for a player who needs the ball in his hands as often as Anthony Edwards does. But the SEC Freshman of the Year arguably has the most star power of anyone in this draft class. Edwards averaged a strong 21.8 points per game in February and is a highlight-reel in transition. Edwards could conceivably be traded, which would allow Golden State to collect another asset while also selecting a player (perhaps either Obi Toppin or Deni Avdija) who fits better with the Warriors’ core.

Second pick | Third pick | Fourth pick | Fifth pick | Remainder of lottery | Remainder of first round | Second round

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Sixers mock draft options: Arizona freshman playmaker Nico Mannion

A Philadelphia 76ers mock draft has them selecting Arizona freshman Nico Mannion.

No matter if the NBA was still in action at this time or not, it’s never too early to begin taking a look at mock drafts. Especially when considering the Philadelphia 76ers had a low chance of getting a first-round draft pick when the season began, but they now can have a pick if the season ended at this time.

The pick the Sixers are to receive from the Oklahoma City Thunder was a top 20 protected pick. Not a lot of people expected that pick to convey after it appeared the Thunder would enter a rebuilding phase after trading away Russell Westbrook and Paul George, but they have played some good basketball leading up to the league suspension and their pick would be landing at 22 which conveys to Philadelphia.

A mock draft put out by Bleacher Report has the Sixers focused on a backup point guard in the form of Arizona freshman Nico Mannion.

After shooting just 37.0 percent from the floor in 2020, Mannion could slide due to questions about how effective he can be without plus tools or explosion. He’d enter value-pick territory in the 20s, where the Sixers could look at Mannion as a backup behind Ben Simmons to play-make and knock down jumpers for the second unit.

Mannion is not a supreme athlete or anything, but he can run an offense. The Sixers could use a real backup point guard for Ben Simmons as they have struggled to find a consistent option behind him. Mannion can move the ball as he averaged 5.3 assists with the Wildcats in his freshman season and he would be a low-risk option at 22. [lawrence-related id=27832,27813,27808]