NBA Draft
NBA PM: Why Exum Is a Top Draft Prospect
An explanation why Dante Exum is so highly coveted despite having such a limited body of work… Some background on Mark Tatum, the NBA’s new Deputy Commissioner.
Australia’s Dante Exum, the premier international draft prospect, signed with agent Rob Pelinka today, confirming that he will declare for the 2014 NBA Draft. Exum was eligible to play in the NCAA this semester due to graduating at the end of 2013 and he originally left the possibility of attending a college for the 2014-15 school year open. However, with his stock already close to peaking, he’s going to bypass college and go straight to the NBA.
How has Exum vaulted to the top of the draft boards, in contention with the likes of Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker? Those players are on national TV regularly, but as Steve Kyler noted in the NBA AM this morning, sometimes it pays to be out of the spotlight. It certainly has in Exum’s case.
He’s months removed from the last chance NBA teams were genuinely able to scout him against quality competition, the FIBA U19 tournament this past summer. Outside of that, in the last year he also participated in the 2013 Nike Hoops Summit and adidas Nations 2012.
That body of work isn’t anywhere near as extensive as the other top prospects, but it’s quite impressive. Exum averaged 18.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the U19 tournament despite dealing with an ankle injury throughout. He closed out the tournament with 33 points against Spain, 21 against Serbia and 28 against Lithuania.
While matched up against Andrew and Aaron Harrison and Kasey Hill at the Nike Hoops Summit, he scored 16 points on 6-8 shooting from the field, dished out two assists and had two steals in 22 minutes. In the week prior to the game, Exum also got to go up against Sergey Karasev, Andrew Wiggins and Dennis Schroeder in practice, an experience that he put as much importance on as the actual game.
In six games at the 2012 adidas Nations, when he was just 17 years old, Exum put up averages of 15 points, four rebounds and nearly four assists a game. The camp consisted of the best prospects from across the globe, including the best from the United States.
As the numbers indicate, scoring is a strength of Exum’s. The NBA game will provide him his best opportunity to really showcase his point guard skills, though. Not only is there better spacing and no hand checking, Exum will be surrounded by far and away the best supporting cast that he’s ever played with. When he’s surrounded by quality options, he could look much more like the true point guard some criticize him for not being right now.
Exum will only be 19 years old by the time the draft comes around and teams will be riding heavily on that impressive, albeit limited, body of work. With how regulated and inactive the pre-draft process has become, especially for top-ranked prospects, it’s highly unlikely that he participates in anything that resembles five-on-five basketball. He’ll primarily do interviews, drills and maybe some head-to-head stuff – depending on the competition and their willingness to participate.
It’s easy to see why they would assume based on how Exum has performed in the previous events that if Exum was playing in the NCAA he would stand out in a similar fashion. As far as point guard prospects go, Exum is on par with some of the best to come across in recent years, including Michael Carter-Williams, Trey Burke and even Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard.
As far as comparisons go, Exum will hear Carter-Williams’ name a lot and Shaun Livingston, who was a top five pick out of high school believed to have superstar potential before suffering a devastating knee injury early in his career. He’s a large point guard at 6’6 with a 6’9 wingspan and the speed to get by, and more importantly, keep up with the smaller, quicker point guards of the NBA. He’s a work in progress defensively, but his potential there is immense.
His jump shot is the second most unrefined part of his game. The farther away from the basket he is, the less comfortable he becomes. However, keeping him out there is no easy task and he has been improving as a shooter. He’s a good athlete, but has really worked hard on developing a reliable floater, which should serve him very well in the NBA.
With the reputation of a hard worker and still quite young, Exum is a safe bet to eventually become a reliable shooter. Combine that with some additional strength that his big frame can clearly support and we could be talking about another elite point guard in what is already being regarded as the golden era for them.
When projecting where Exum could land in the draft, there’s really no need to look outside of the top 10. Even if all of the other top prospects declare, there’s really no feasible way Exum drops below eight, but we’re going to look at the top 10 in the case of one getting lucky in the lottery or Exum slipping a bit.
The Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers would be the teams most likely to consider selecting him.
Basketball Insiders’ next full 2014 NBA mock draft will be released Friday January 31.
Who is Mark Tatum?: NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver is set to officially take over for David Stern next month. He’s been groomed for this position for years, but almost more important than being prepared is having the right person take his old spot.
Today, Yahoo! Sports reported that Silver has picked Mark Tatum, formerly the Executive Vice President of Global Marketing Partnerships, to be the next Deputy Commissioner. Tatum’s work has largely been behind the scenes, so this may be the first time you’ve heard his name, but his background and qualifications make it clear that he is qualified and deserving of the position:
- A 1991 Cornell graduate in business and management and marketing.
- A 1998 graduate of Harvard Business School, where he was the President of the Harvard Business School Student Association.
- A three-time winner (2006, 2007, 2008) of the SportsBusiness Journal’s Forty Under 40 award.
- An employee of the NBA since 1999, where he has also served as Senior Vice President, Vice President of Business Development, Senior Director and Group Manager of Marketing Properties and Director of Marketing Partnerships.
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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