How does the 2020 NBA Draft work and who needs what?
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We look ahead at the differences to this year’s NBA Draft
Just 38 days after Los Angeles Lakers defeated Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals, the anticipation builds towards the new season, starting with the 2020 NBA Draft.
The trade rumour mill has started to gain momentum, with some of the biggest names in the league such as James Harden, Chris Paul and Jrue Holiday linked with offseason moves.
But on Wednesday night, it’s the stars of the future that will be in the spotlight, with the draft taking place outside of June for the first time since 1975.
Ahead of one frantic night of action, which is bound to include thrills, trades and undrafted disappointment, we look at how the 2020 NBA Draft is different to the rest, and which roster spots teams will be looking to bolster with their draft selection.
How will the 2020 NBA Draft Work?
As is normal with the NBA Draft, we’ll have two rounds with 30 selections in each, amounting to 60 selections in total.
In the first round, picks one through to 14 are determined by the Draft Lottery. The 14 teams that failed to make it into the 2020 NBA playoffs are entered, and randomly selected by lottery determining their first-round draft pick.
The Draft Lottery ensures that three teams with the worst regular season record receive the highest chance of getting the top draft pick.
In the 2020 NBA Draft, Minnesota Timberwolves are due to receive the first pick, while the league’s lowest-ranked side, Golden State Warriors, hold the second pick.
Hypothetically, each team should get two draft picks, one per round, but that’s not always the case as draft picks are often included in blockbuster offseason trade deals, meaning some teams can go without.
The Commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, was due to host the 2020 NBA Draft at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York in front of league officials and thousands of fans, with draftees presenting the jersey of their new team on stage.
However, for this year’s draft proceedings, Silver will host the event virtually, like that of the 2020 NFL Draft. The NBA’s Commissioner will call out draft picks from the ESPN studios in Bristol, Connecticut with no fans or players in attendance.
All draftees will be presented via videoconference, with reaction from general managers and head coaches throughout the proceedings.
Which teams need what from the 2020 NBA Draft?
With the first selection in the 2020 NBA Draft, Minnesota Timberwolves are rumoured to be looking at improving their backcourt combo with the addition of another guard.
That means they could end up choosing either point guard LaMelo Ball or shooting guard Anthony Edwards, who have both been linked with the number one selection in this year’s draft, to form a partnership with D’Angelo Russell.
Whoever doesn’t get selected first between the two could wind up on Chicago Bulls roster, with Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets ahead of them more in need of bigs rather than guards.
Much like Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA Draft, could those that pass up on the prospective Bulls pick rue their choices?
Warriors suffered from a whole host of injuries last season, but with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and co. coming back, there’s just one glaring position they need to fill.
Upgrading the frontcourt must be the mindset of those behind the Warriors number two pick, with James Wiseman the ideal draftee to fill the void at centre they so desperately need to fill.
New York Knicks have been hovering around the bottom of the pile for a while now, and there’s one key position they fail to address every time the NBA Draft comes to town.
They’re in desperate need for a franchise point guard that has decent size, buckets of creativity and fits in well to combine with RJ Barrett.
2019 NBA champions Toronto Raptors could be in for a big offseason, with plenty of potential roster losses rumoured. They should look to pick up another shooting guard with solid shooting stats to offset any potential losses.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of date of publication.
