Given the abrupt end to the 2019-20 college basketball and NBA seasons at an important point, how does it change the 2020 NBA Draft Big Board?
Since novel coronavirus upended one of the final major events prior to the official offseason scouting process for the 2020 NBA Draft, the waters are muddied. Teams at or near the top of the draft lottery odds like the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Golden State Warriors will need to have clear priorities set now for their 2020 NBA Draft Big Board.
Figuring out what each team will do for their various draft strategies and big board rankings could play into what decisions they make in the 2020 NBA Draft. The first round will be decisive since this is not the deepest draft class in recent history.
There is no Ja Morant and/or Zion Williamson at the top of draft boards like there was in 2019 and there’s likely not the guard depth that there was between Trae Young and Luka Doncic in 2018. Even the 2017 NBA Draft likely will end up churning out more quality at the top of the class than the 2020 players will. But that is yet to be seen for sure.
For the time being, a very scrutinized and over-analyzed pool of games from the 2019-20 college basketball season will now take into effect as the NCAA Tournament is cancelled due to COVID-19 precautions. A time when most college hoops players have to shine and prove their progress in the Big Dance is now taken away.
Players that suited up overseas instead of playing college hoops domestically are now coming out ahead for then unforeseen reasons.
Here’s a deeper look into how the 2020 NBA Draft Big Board, Version 2.0, plays out with the novel coronavirus outbreak fears and precautions playing halt to the NCAA Tournament.