The opinions are very mixed as to what the Virginia Cavaliers senior big man Mamadi Diakite brings to the table in the 2020 NBA Draft. This big board still gives the respect to Diakite since he can still tout a high level of improvement over the course of his four years in Charlottesville and a number of big time accolades. He also improved his three-point shooting, hitting his looks from beyond the arc at a clip better than 36 percent.
A very intriguing NBA Draft prospect in this class comes out from an unlikely source. The Oregon State Beavers produced an underrated standout five-year power forward in Tres Tinkle that could make an immediate impact deeper down the bench on an NBA team. The 6-foot-7 and 225 pound forward is a good outside shooter and averaged 18.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in the season that was.
Head coach John Calipari had a deeper rotation of guards with the Kentucky Wildcats this season. Although the star of the backcourt rotation was not the sophomore 6-foot-3 and 200 pound point guard Ashton Hagans, he was surely a big riser up draft boards of late. Hagans is a great facilitator, although he lacks the outside shooting ability of most at his position in this class.
Here’s where we got off and running with the best international prospects in this draft class. I’m very intrigued by what the 6-foot-6 18-year-old French shooting guard Malcolm Cazalon can bring to the table. He’s a good shot creator off the dribble, keeps showing improvement in his field goal percentages, and is a two-way wing that is an ideal in the modern NBA.