Tencent Sports talks to ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony about 2020 NBA Draft
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L-R: Anthony Edwards of the University of Georgia, Jalen Green of Prolific Prep, James Wiseman of the University of Memphis and LaMelo Ball of the Illawarra Hawks. /VCG

L-R: Anthony Edwards of the University of Georgia, Jalen Green of Prolific Prep, James Wiseman of the University of Memphis and LaMelo Ball of the Illawarra Hawks. /VCG

Tencent Sports has talked to Jonathan Givony, NBA Draft analyst and reporter for ESPN who founded the well-known draft site "DraftExpress," about this year's draft. Givony gave a lot of insight in his answers.

James Wiseman #32 of the Memphis Tigers and Anthony Mathis of the Oregon Ducks battle for position in the game at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, November 12, 2019. /VCG

James Wiseman #32 of the Memphis Tigers and Anthony Mathis of the Oregon Ducks battle for position in the game at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, November 12, 2019. /VCG

What trouble is the coronavirus causing?

The 2020 NBA Draft was originally scheduled to happen on June 25 but a postponement seemed inevitable thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Givony, teams wanted it to happen before August 1 but the true deciding factor was when the 2019-20 season would resume.

Currently there's no clear returning schedule but the Draft Combine is definitely out of the picture. So are the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, an important pre-draft camp, and the non-public workouts. Team have been interviewing the promising young men remotely via Skype or Zoom, but some of them told Givony that interviewing online was nothing close to true workout. The young players missed many college games, March Madness and all pre-draft events. Teams are unable to get players' medical records, which should play an important role in their decision-making process.

LaMelo Ball of the Illawarra Hawks in the game against the New Zealand Breakers at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, November 30, 2019. /VCG

LaMelo Ball of the Illawarra Hawks in the game against the New Zealand Breakers at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, November 30, 2019. /VCG

Are young men of 2020 Class promising?

Givony admitted that the 2020 Class lacks stars, unlike the past two classes that contributed Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Zion Williamson and Ja Morant to the league. When the teams that are hopeful of getting top 5 picks talked to Givony, they did not sound very excited.

There are some good talents, of course – Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, LaMelo Ball – but they also have many problems. Teams with top draft picks usually just finished a terrible season and looked for a new cornerstone. If they cannot find it in the young man they select, it will be very depressing.

However, Givony also pointed out that the 2020 Class showed great depth, which means that teams should be able to select some good ones at the end of the first round and the beginning of the second round.

Anthony Edwards of the Georgia Bulldogs in the game against the Auburn Tigers at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia, February 19, 2020. /VCG

Anthony Edwards of the Georgia Bulldogs in the game against the Auburn Tigers at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia, February 19, 2020. /VCG

Who are the most generally established top 3 choices?

Most teams agreed on Edwards, Wiseman and Ball. The 2.16-meter-tall Wiseman who has a wingspan of 2.29 meters and remarkable athleticism is a real monster physically. His professionalism was also praised by many teams. Nonetheless, his finishing ability under the rim could be better, just like his 3-pointer shooting. He has what it takes to make an intimidating defender but judging by the only valuable college game he had (he played three in total), Wiseman still has a lot work on to control his fouls.

Many teams considered Edwards as the best choice for the first pick because of his outstanding scoring ability. However, he needs to enrich his arsenal – delivering 2.8 assists accompanied by 2.7 turnovers on average was far from acceptable for a playmaker in today's league. Even if Edwards wants to focus on scoring, his 40.2-percent FG rate and 29.4-percent-3-point rate were not qualified for a starting shooting guard.

Givony's favorite of the three is Ball, who like his big brother Lonzo of the New Orleans Pelicans, is a 2.01-meter-tall guard and a first-class passer. Ball's problem is shooting, both in percentage and choices. Moreover, though he is very creative in launching early offense, Ball struggled in half court situations as he lacks explosiveness. Givony recommended the Golden State Warriors to select him in the draft.

Jalen Green #14 of Team Zion dunks in the SLAM Summer Classic game against Team Jimma at Dyckman Park in New York City, August 18, 2019. /VCG

Jalen Green #14 of Team Zion dunks in the SLAM Summer Classic game against Team Jimma at Dyckman Park in New York City, August 18, 2019. /VCG

What about Jalen Green's choice?

California high school star Jalen Green chose to skip college and entered the NBA G League. Givony was excited about Green's choice. If Green and Isaiah Todd, Daishen Nix perform well in the G League and make the NBA via high draft picks, their stories can enlighten more teenagers that going to college is not necessarily the only way to the NBA.

Of course, Givony also stressed that going to college is still helpful to a lot of players. That system has been working for a long time and brought many players to the NBA where they had successful careers. College will remain as one of the players' access to the NBA for a long time.