NBA Draft
NBA PM: Executives in Love With Joel Embiid
NBA executives love Joel Embiid and he may end up being the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft … LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant tonight
Several months ago, nobody thought that Joel Embiid would be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He wasn’t even expected to be the No. 1 prospect on Kansas’ campus.
In a loaded draft class that’s expected to include potential stars Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, Marcus Smart and Dante Exum among others, Embiid was an afterthought prior to the start of the season. After all, the Cameroonian seven-footer just started playing organized basketball in late 2011. Whenever Embiid’s name did come up, the word “raw” was sure to follow.
However, 20 games later, Embiid has been a monster. He has developed much quicker than expected, showing significant progress from game to game. He’s averaging 11.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 22.5 minutes while shooting 66.7 percent from the field.
Embiid has shown glimpses of brilliance throughout the season. Two weeks ago, he had 16 points, nine rebounds, five blocks and two steals in a win over No. 8 Iowa State. The very next game, Embiid nearly recorded a triple-double in a win over No. 9 Oklahoma State, finishing with 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks. It’s remarkable how far he has come as a player in such a short amount of time.
NBA scouts and executives are blown away by the center’s development. Many teams now view Embiid as the best prospect in the 2014 NBA Draft. Some are so high on the center that they say the gap between Embiid and the rest of the pack – Wiggins, Parker, Randle, Smart, Exum, etc. – is significant. That’s why Embiid has climbed to No. 1 in most mock drafts in recent weeks. More and more teams are moving the big man up their draft board, and believe he has the highest ceiling of all the 2014 prospects.
This would’ve sounded crazy until very recently, but NBA decision-makers have fallen in love with Embiid. When an executive starts talking about things they like about Embiid, they can go on forever. They drool over his graceful movements, soft touch, exceptional footwork, incredible instincts, high basketball IQ, 7’5 wingspan, extraordinary athleticism and, of course, limitless potential. He’s drawn comparisons to Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon, which may seem crazy, but you can’t help but notice a lot of The Dream’s traits in Embiid when watching him play.
In 2011, Embiid played organized basketball for the first time when Luc Richard Mbah a Moute traveled to his native Cameroon to hold a basketball camp. Embiid hadn’t even watched much basketball at that point, but he was able to pick up on the game quickly.
According to Jason King of Bleacher Report, Embiid was able to translate skills he learned from other sports over to basketball. His footwork was honed on the soccer field, while his aggression and blocking ability originated on the volleyball court. Embiid’s father, Thomas, actually wanted his son to pursue a professional volleyball career in Europe, and had to be persuaded to let his son attend Mbah a Moute’s alma mater, Montverde Academy, to pursue his professional basketball dreams.
At this point, it’s looking like Mr. Embiid made the right decision. If his son is the top pick in this year’s draft, Embiid would make $4,592,200 in his first year and potentially more than $20 million on his first contract. Embiid is a strong candidate for the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and he won’t slip much further if another prospect ends up going first overall.
Not bad for a kid who just recently started taking basketball seriously.
LeBron James, Kevin Durant Set to Face Off
Tonight on ESPN, LeBron James’ Miami HEAT and Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder will go head-to-head, putting arguably the two best basketball players on the planet against one another. Both players are looking forward to the match-up.
“Oh yeah, it’s a challenge,” James said of covering Durant, according to Fox Sports. “It’s not secondary it’s first-dary. He’s one of the toughest coverages. It’s between him and (Carmelo Anthony) for me individually. It’s a game within a game. You want to win, but you also want to try to do your part in who you’re going against. I like going against the best and K.D.’s definitely up there.”
“I’m looking forward to just going up against him,” Durant said James, according to NewsOK.com. “Everybody wants to see the one-on-one matchup. I know that’s the big thing. But we’re going to matchup together, so I’m sure you guys are going to get what you want. But at the end of the day, it’s all about the Thunder versus the HEAT, and it’s going to be fun playing against them.”
James said that it’s impossible to guard Durant one-on-one, which Durant said was “flattering.” Durant returned the compliment, saying that James is one of the most difficult players to cover in the league.
“He’s a tough guy to cover,” Durant said. “But I’m going to go out there and play with extreme effort every play and just give it my all and rely on my teammates. I know I can’t do nothing on this court by myself. I just got to rely on my teammates.”
Right now, Durant and James are locked in a race for this season’s Most Valuable Player award. James has taken home the trophy in four of the past five season, with Durant finishing second three times. Both players downplayed the importance of winning MVP.
“It doesn’t rank too much,” James said. “It’s a great accomplishment and I thank my teammates every time I get a chance to be part of that. But like I said, I love being the MVP of our team. If it results in me being MVP of the league from among your peers, it’s a great achievement.”
“You guys pump that up,” Durant said of the media hyping up the MVP race. “Fans pump that up more than the players, I think. Every day is a process for me. I’m just trying to work every single day to get better. And at the end of the year, I guess, we’ll see where we’re at. But every single day, I just try not to look past it and just keep working and see where we are. I try not to worry about that because I can’t control none of that. All I can control is how I play, how I approach the game and how I prepare and the rest will take care of itself.”
This season, James is averaging 26 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists. Durant is averaging 31.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
Mock Drafts
2020 NBA Mock Draft – The Final 60-Pick Mock
What a long and winding road the 20201 NBA Draft has been. While this draft cycle has seen its ups and down, the moment of truth if finally upon us.
What a long and winding road the 20201 NBA Draft has been. While this draft cycle has seen its ups and down, the moment of truth if finally upon us.
Here is a final look at the 2020 Draft, and how it may play out in this final 60-pick Mock Draft of the 20202 NBA Draft process:
Mock Drafts
2020 NBA Mock Draft – First Round – 08/21/2020
The 2020 NBA Draft order is now locked in, however, there are tons of additional questions to be answered in the coming weeks. Here is a look at the first round, in this Basketball Insiders Mock Draft.
To say the 2020 NBA Draft has been chaotic is an understatement, however with last night’s NBA Draft Lottery out of the way, things are starting to at least trend in a positive direction.
That doesn’t mean there are not challenges ahead, namely when the actual NBA Draft will take place.
There is a growing sense that the NBA and the players are going to push back the start of the next cap year, which will likely impact when and how the NBA Draft plays out.
Typically, the Draft is a major transaction window for NBA teams, and with so much unknown surrounding how the salary cap will be set, and when trades and transactions typically consummated around the draft would become official, there is a lot of uncertainty, making the 2020 NBA draft wide open on many fronts.
The hope among teams is that some clarity on all of this will surface in the coming weeks, but for now most teams are operating in uncharted waters.
With all of that in mind, here is a look at the 2020 NBA Draft First round, which will be the first of many weekly Mock Drafts we’ll be dropping all the way up to the draft, whenever that finally gets set.
The Basketball Insiders Annual Consensus Mock Drafts will begin in September, as will full 60-pick mocks starting next week, so stay tuned.
NBA Draft
NBA ANNOUNCES EARLY ENTRY CANDIDATES FOR 2020 NBA DRAFT
The National Basketball Association announced today that 205 players — 163 players from colleges and other educational institutions and 42 international players — have filed as early entry candidates for the 2020 NBA Draft
NEW YORK, April 28, 2020 – The National Basketball Association announced today that 205 players — 163 players from colleges and other educational institutions and 42 international players — have filed as early entry candidates for the 2020 NBA Draft presented by State Farm.
Players who have applied for early entry have the right to withdraw their names from consideration for the Draft by notifying the NBA of their decision in writing 10 days prior to the 2020 NBA Draft.
Following is the list of players from colleges and other educational institutions who have applied for early entry into the 2020 NBA Draft.
EARLY ENTRY CANDIDATES FOR 2020 NBA DRAFT
|
Player |
School |
Height |
Status |
|
Precious Achiuwa |
Memphis |
6-9 |
Freshman |
|
Milan Acquaah |
California Baptist |
6-3 |
Junior |
|
Jordyn Adams |
Austin Peay |
6-3 |
Freshman |
|
Abdul Ado |
Mississippi State |
6-11 |
Junior |
|
Ty-Shon Alexander |
Creighton |
6-4 |
Junior |
|
Timmy Allen |
Utah |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
|
Derrick Alston Jr. |
Boise State |
6-9 |
Junior |
|
Cole Anthony |
North Carolina |
6-3 |
Freshman |
|
Joel Ayayi |
Gonzaga |
6-5 |
Sophomore |
|
Brendan Bailey |
Marquette |
6-8 |
Sophomore |
|
Saddiq Bey |
Villanova |
6-8 |
Sophomore |
|
Tyler Bey |
Colorado |
6-7 |
Junior |
|
Jermaine Bishop |
Norfolk State |
6-1 |
Junior |
|
Jomaru Brown |
Eastern Kentucky |
6-2 |
Sophomore |
|
Marcus Burk |
IUPUI |
6-3 |
Junior |
|
Dachon Burke Jr. |
Nebraska |
6-4 |
Junior |
|
Jordan Burns |
Colgate |
6-0 |
Junior |
|
Jared Butler |
Baylor |
6-3 |
Sophomore |
|
Manny Camper |
Siena |
6-7 |
Junior |
|
Vernon Carey Jr. |
Duke |
6-10 |
Freshman |
|
Marcus Carr |
Minnesota |
6-2 |
Sophomore |
|
Tamenang Choh |
Brown |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Kofi Cockburn |
Illinois |
7-0 |
Freshman |
|
David Collins |
South Florida |
6-3 |
Junior |
|
Zach Cooks |
NJIT |
5-9 |
Junior |
|
Jalen Crutcher |
Dayton |
6-1 |
Junior |
|
Ryan Daly |
St. Joseph’s |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Nate Darling |
Delaware |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Darius Days |
LSU |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
|
Dexter Dennis |
Wichita State |
6-5 |
Sophomore |
|
Lamine Diane |
CSUN |
6-7 |
Sophomore |
|
Ayo Dosunmu |
Illinois |
6-5 |
Sophomore |
|
Devon Dotson |
Kansas |
6-2 |
Sophomore |
|
Nojel Eastern |
Purdue |
6-7 |
Junior |
|
Anthony Edwards |
Georgia |
6-5 |
Freshman |
|
CJ Elleby |
Washington State |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
|
Mason Faulkner |
Western Carolina |
6-1 |
Junior |
|
LJ Figueroa |
St. John’s |
6-6 |
Junior |
|
Malik Fitts |
St. Mary’s |
6-8 |
Junior |
|
Malachi Flynn |
San Diego State |
6-1 |
Junior |
|
Blake Francis |
Richmond |
6-0 |
Junior |
|
Hasahn French |
St. Louis |
6-7 |
Junior |
|
DJ Funderburk |
NC State |
6-10 |
Junior |
|
Both Gach |
Utah |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
|
Alonzo Gaffney |
Ohio State |
6-9 |
Freshman |
|
Luka Garza |
Iowa |
6-11 |
Junior |
|
Jacob Gilyard |
Richmond |
5-9 |
Junior |
|
Grant Golden |
Richmond |
6-10 |
Junior |
|
Jordan Goodwin |
St. Louis |
6-3 |
Junior |
|
Tony Goodwin II |
Redemption Academy (MA) |
6-6 |
Post-Graduate |
|
Jayvon Graves |
Buffalo |
6-3 |
Junior |
|
AJ Green |
Northern Iowa |
6-4 |
Sophomore |
|
Darin Green Jr. |
UCF |
6-4 |
Freshman |
|
Josh Green |
Arizona |
6-6 |
Freshman |
|
Ashton Hagans |
Kentucky |
6-3 |
Sophomore |
|
Tyrese Haliburton |
Iowa State |
6-5 |
Sophomore |
|
Josh Hall |
Moravian Prep (NC) |
6-8 |
Post-Graduate |
|
Rayshaun Hammonds |
Georgia |
6-9 |
Junior |
|
Jalen Harris |
Nevada |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Niven Hart |
Fresno State |
6-5 |
Freshman |
|
Aaron Henry |
Michigan State |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
|
Jalen Hill |
UCLA |
6-10 |
Sophomore |
|
Nate Hinton |
Houston |
6-5 |
Sophomore |
|
Jay Huff |
Virginia |
7-1 |
Junior |
|
Elijah Hughes |
Syracuse |
6-6 |
Junior |
|
Feron Hunt |
SMU |
6-8 |
Sophomore |
|
Chance Hunter |
Long Beach State |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
|
DeJon Jarreau |
Houston |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Damien Jefferson |
Creighton |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Isaiah Joe |
Arkansas |
6-5 |
Sophomore |
|
Dakari Johnson |
Cape Fear CC (NC) |
6-0 |
Freshman |
|
Jalen Johnson |
Louisiana |
6-7 |
Junior |
|
Andre Jones |
Nicholls State |
6-4 |
Junior |
|
C.J. Jones |
MTSU |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Herbert Jones |
Alabama |
6-7 |
Junior |
|
Mason Jones |
Arkansas |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Tre Jones |
Duke |
6-3 |
Sophomore |
|
Corey Kispert |
Gonzaga |
6-7 |
Junior |
|
Kameron Langley |
NC A&T |
6-2 |
Junior |
|
AJ Lawson |
South Carolina |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
|
Saben Lee |
Vanderbilt |
6-2 |
Junior |
|
Kira Lewis Jr. |
Alabama |
6-3 |
Sophomore |
|
Matt Lewis |
James Madison |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Isaiah Livers |
Michigan |
6-7 |
Junior |
|
Denzel Mahoney |
Creighton |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Makur Maker |
Pacific Academy (CA) |
7-0 |
Post-Graduate |
|
Sandro Mamukelashvili |
Seton Hall |
6-11 |
Junior |
|
Tre Mann |
Florida |
6-4 |
Freshman |
|
Nico Mannion |
Arizona |
6-3 |
Freshman |
|
Naji Marshall |
Xavier |
6-7 |
Junior |
|
Kenyon Martin Jr. |
IMG Academy (FL) |
6-7 |
Post-Graduate |
|
Remy Martin |
Arizona State |
6-0 |
Junior |
|
Tyrese Maxey |
Kentucky |
6-3 |
Freshman |
|
Mac McClung |
Georgetown |
6-2 |
Sophomore |
|
Jaden McDaniels |
Washington |
6-9 |
Freshman |
|
Isiaha Mike |
SMU |
6-8 |
Junior |
|
Isaiah Miller |
UNCG |
6-0 |
Junior |
|
Matt Mitchell |
San Diego State |
6-6 |
Junior |
|
EJ Montgomery |
Kentucky |
6-10 |
Sophomore |
|
Andrew Nembhard |
Florida |
6-5 |
Sophomore |
|
Aaron Nesmith |
Vanderbilt |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
|
Zeke Nnaji |
Arizona |
6-11 |
Freshman |
|
Obadiah Noel |
Massachusetts-Lowell |
6-4 |
Junior |
|
Jordan Nwora |
Louisville |
6-7 |
Junior |
|
Onyeka Okongwu |
USC |
6-9 |
Freshman |
|
Isaac Okoro |
Auburn |
6-6 |
Freshman |
|
Elijah Olaniyi |
Stony Brook |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Daniel Oturu |
Minnesota |
6-10 |
Sophomore |
|
Reggie Perry |
Mississippi State |
6-10 |
Sophomore |
|
Filip Petrusev |
Gonzaga |
6-11 |
Sophomore |
|
John Petty Jr. |
Alabama |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Nate Pierre-Louis |
Temple |
6-4 |
Junior |
|
Xavier Pinson |
Missouri |
6-2 |
Sophomore |
|
Yves Pons |
Tennessee |
6-6 |
Junior |
|
Immanuel Quickley |
Kentucky |
6-3 |
Sophomore |
|
Darius Quisenberry |
Youngstown State |
6-1 |
Sophomore |
|
Jahmi’us Ramsey |
Texas Tech |
6-4 |
Freshman |
|
Paul Reed Jr. |
DePaul |
6-9 |
Junior |
|
Nick Richards |
Kentucky |
6-11 |
Junior |
|
Colbey Ross |
Pepperdine |
6-1 |
Junior |
|
Fatts Russell |
Rhode Island |
5-10 |
Junior |
|
Joe Saterfield |
Ranger CC (TX) |
6-4 |
Freshman |
|
Jayden Scrubb |
John A. Logan College (IL) |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
|
Aamir Simms |
Clemson |
6-9 |
Junior |
|
Ja’Vonte Smart |
LSU |
6-4 |
Sophomore |
|
Chris Smith |
UCLA |
6-9 |
Junior |
|
Collin Smith |
UCF |
6-11 |
Junior |
|
Jalen Smith |
Maryland |
6-10 |
Sophomore |
|
Justin Smith |
Indiana |
6-7 |
Junior |
|
Mitchell Smith |
Missouri |
6-10 |
Junior |
|
Stef Smith |
Vermont |
6-1 |
Junior |
|
Ben Stanley |
Hampton |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
|
Cassius Stanley |
Duke |
6-6 |
Freshman |
|
Isaiah Stewart |
Washington |
6-9 |
Freshman |
|
Parker Stewart |
UT-Martin |
6-5 |
Sophomore |
|
Terry Taylor |
Austin Peay |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
MaCio Teague |
Baylor |
6-3 |
Junior |
|
Tyrell Terry |
Stanford |
6-1 |
Freshman |
|
Justin Thomas |
Morehead State |
5-11 |
Junior |
|
Ethan Thompson |
Oregon State |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Xavier Tillman Sr. |
Michigan State |
6-8 |
Junior |
|
Jeremiah Tilmon |
Missouri |
6-10 |
Junior |
|
Obi Toppin |
Dayton |
6-9 |
Sophomore |
|
Jordan Tucker |
Butler |
6-7 |
Junior |
|
Devin Vassell |
Florida State |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
|
Alonzo Verge Jr. |
Arizona State |
6-3 |
Junior |
|
Chris Vogt |
Cincinnati |
7-1 |
Junior |
|
CJ Walker |
Ohio State |
6-1 |
Junior |
|
Trendon Watford |
LSU |
6-9 |
Freshman |
|
Ibi Watson |
Dayton |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Nick Weatherspoon |
Mississippi State |
6-2 |
Junior |
|
Kaleb Wesson |
Ohio State |
6-9 |
Junior |
|
Jarrod West |
Marshall |
5-11 |
Junior |
|
Romello White |
Arizona State |
6-8 |
Junior |
|
Kahlil Whitney |
Kentucky |
6-6 |
Freshman |
|
DeAndre Williams |
Evansville |
6-9 |
Sophomore |
|
Emmitt Williams |
LSU |
6-6 |
Sophomore |
|
Keith Williams |
Cincinnati |
6-5 |
Junior |
|
Patrick Williams |
Florida State |
6-8 |
Freshman |
|
James Wiseman |
Memphis |
7-1 |
Freshman |
|
Robert Woodard II |
Mississippi State |
6-7 |
Sophomore |
|
McKinley Wright IV |
Colorado |
6-0 |
Junior |
|
Omer Yurtseven |
Georgetown |
7-0 |
Junior |
The following is the list of international players who have applied for early entry into the 2020 NBA Draft:
|
Player |
Team/Country of Team |
Height |
Status |
|
Berke Atar |
MZT Skopje (Macedonia) |
6-11 |
1999 DOB |
|
Deni Avdija |
Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) |
6-8 |
2001 DOB |
|
Brancou Badio |
Barcelona (Spain) |
6-3 |
1999 DOB |
|
Darko Bajo |
Split (Croatia) |
6-10 |
1999 DOB |
|
Philippe Bayehe |
Roseto (Italy) |
6-9 |
1999 DOB |
|
Marek Blazevic |
Rytas (Lithuania) |
6-10 |
2001 DOB |
|
Adrian Bogucki |
Radom (Poland) |
7-1 |
1999 DOB |
|
Leandro Bolmaro |
Barcelona (Spain) |
6-6 |
2000 DOB |
|
Vinicius Da Silva |
Prat (Spain) |
7-0 |
2001 DOB |
|
Henri Drell |
Pesaro (Italy) |
6-9 |
2000 DOB |
|
Imru Duke |
Zentro Basket (Spain) |
6-8 |
1999 DOB |
|
Michele Ebeling |
Kleb Ferrara (Italy) |
6-9 |
1999 DOB |
|
Paul Eboua |
Pesaro (Italy) |
6-8 |
2000 DOB |
|
Osas Ehigiator |
Fuenlabrada (Spain) |
6-10 |
1999 DOB |
|
Joel Ekamba |
Limoges (France) |
6-5 |
2001 DOB |
|
Selim Fofana |
Neuchatel (Switzerland) |
6-3 |
1999 DOB |
|
Miguel Gonzalez |
Baskonia (Spain) |
6-7 |
1999 DOB |
|
Killian Hayes |
Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany) |
6-5 |
2001 DOB |
|
Sehmus Hazer |
Bandirma (Turkey) |
6-3 |
1999 DOB |
|
Rokas Jokubaitis |
Zalgiris (Lithuania) |
6-4 |
2000 DOB |
|
Georgios Kalaitzakis |
Nevezis (Lithuania) |
6-8 |
1999 DOB |
|
Vit Krejci |
Zaragoza (Spain) |
6-8 |
2000 DOB |
|
Arturs Kurucs |
VEF Riga (Latvia) |
6-3 |
2000 DOB |
|
Dut Mabor |
Roseto (Italy) |
7-1 |
2001 DOB |
|
Yam Madar |
Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel) |
6-2 |
2000 DOB |
|
Theo Maledon |
ASVEL (France) |
6-4 |
2001 DOB |
|
Karim Mane |
Vanier (Canada) |
6-5 |
2000 DOB |
|
Sergi Martinez |
Barcelona (Spain) |
6-8 |
1999 DOB |
|
Nikola Miskovic |
Mega Bemax (Serbia) |
6-10 |
1999 DOB |
|
Aristide Mouaha |
Roseto (Italy) |
6-3 |
2000 DOB |
|
Caio Pacheco |
Bahia Basket (Argentina) |
6-3 |
1999 DOB |
|
Joel Parra |
Joventut (Spain) |
6-8 |
2000 DOB |
|
Aleksej Pokusevski |
Olympiacos (Greece) |
7-0 |
2001 DOB |
|
Sander Raieste |
Kalev/Cramo (Estonia) |
6-9 |
1999 DOB |
|
Nikolaos Rogkavopoulos |
AEK (Greece) |
6-8 |
2001 DOB |
|
Yigitcan Saybir |
Anadolu Efes (Turkey) |
6-7 |
1999 DOB |
|
Njegos Sikiras |
Fuenlabrada (Spain) |
6-9 |
1999 DOB |
|
Marko Simonovic |
Mega Bemax (Serbia) |
6-11 |
1999 DOB |
|
Mouhamed Thiam |
Nanterre (France) |
6-9 |
2001 DOB |
|
Uros Trifunovic |
Partizan (Serbia) |
6-7 |
2000 DOB |
|
Arnas Velicka |
Prienai (Lithuania) |
6-4 |
1999 DOB |
|
Andrii Voinalovych |
Khimik (Ukraine) |
6-10 |
1999 DOB |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
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