2020 NBA Mock Draft Version 6.0: Coronavirus halts NBA season
35
Devon Dotson Guard, University of Kansas
18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.1 blocks, 47% fg, 31% 3pt, 35 mpg
Pick Via Detroit Pistons (Unprotected)
Devon Dotson was one of the top recruits in the high school graduating class of 2018, but a quiet freshman season at Kansas required him to stay back for his sophomore season. This year, Dotson was much more aggressive, as he was the leading scorer on what was perhaps the best team in the country.
Although undersized at 6-foot-1, Dotson has been able to hold his own, but his height is a huge question mark going into the NBA.
Although it is very common for undersized players to compensate with a great deep ball, Dotson has struggled to shoot with efficiency in his sophomore season. Ironically enough, he found lots of success on the defensive end, racking up a boatload of steals for the Jayhawks. His ceiling is probably limited to a bench scorer, but Sacramento could certainly use a scoring boost off of the bench and, specifically, a point guard.
Draft Stock Trend: n/a
36
Ayo Dosunmu Guard, University of Illinois
16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks, 48% fg, 30% 3pt, 34 mpg
The Knicks’ number one need is talent, followed by point guards, and Ayo Dosunmu is far too talented to pass on at thirty six. Dosumnu led a lackluster Illinois roster to an incredible season, living up to the five-star pedigree that he earned in 2018 out of Morgan Park in Chicago. Dosunmu is a speedster who is an athletic finisher in transition and at the rim. His game is very one dimensional, however, as he does not do much other than score.
Despite his bread-and-butter ability to get buckets, Dosunmu struggles mightily to shoot the deep ball. He is not afraid to pull the deep ball, as he did so over three times per game as a sophomore.
He is much better suited going to the rack and scoring in transition, but if he cannot find at least some kind of a three point jumper he will be very limited as an NBA player. Nonetheless, Dosunmu’s talent and knack for getting to the bucket are undeniable and he could help serve as a scoring boost off of the Knicks.
Draft Stock Trend: -2
37
Landers Nolley II Guard, Virginia Tech
15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.3 blocks, 37% fg, 32% 3pt, 30 mpg
Pick Via Chicago Bulls (More Favorable of MEM & CHI, Protected 56-60)
Using the Bulls’ second round pick, the Washington Wizards go out and get Landers Nolley II from Virginia Tech. Nolley is a sophomore who found himself academically ineligible for his freshman season, causing him to miss all of 2018-2019.
He was a top-one hundred recruit out of high school, and likely would have formed a lethal backcourt with current New Orleans Pelican Nickeil Alexander-Walker last season. Regardless, Nolley had a solid start to the season at VT, although the wheels fell off towards the end of the year.
Despite jacking up nearly seven three pointers per contest, Nolley shot the ball poorly from range. This is not necessarily reflective of his jumper as a whole, as his free throw numbers and mechanics show promise, but his trigger-happy tendencies are concerning to say the least.
He provides for solid size and rebounding at the two, but he makes little impact on the defensive end, in spite of his great frame. Nolley is a talented piece for Washington to stash on the bench behind Bradley Beal, as he can provide a spark off of an awful Washington reserve group.
Draft Stock Trend: -5
38
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl Forward, Villanova University
10.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.5 blocks, 45% fg, 33% 3pt, 33 mpg
Pick Via Charlotte Hornets (Unprotected)
After a very underwhelming freshman season at Villanova, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl slides even further down in the latest Pippen Ain’t Easy mock draft. With the Knicks in desperate need of talent, grabbing a pre-season projected first round pick is not the worst idea.
Not that Robinson-Earl played poorly in his freshman season, per say, but rather he was not as aggressive as many had hoped he would be. Additionally, the Kansas native was thought of as a stretch four, but he shot poorly from three this year.
Robinson-Earl is still a very young player with the physical tools to be a solid NBA player. The development of his three ball will be by far the biggest deciding factor in how his career will play out, but there is hope that his shot is salvageable, evident in his very solid free throw shooting.
The Knicks will bank on him living up to his potential, and if he does, he would be a steal in the second round.