NBA Draft: Anthony Edwards No.1 Pick, James Wiseman Second, LaMelo Going to Charlotte

Anthony Edwards was selected as the No.1 pick at the NBA 2020 draft last night, with the Minnesota Timberwolves acquiring the explosive guard.

This is the second time in franchise history that the Timberwolves got a chance to pick first, with the previous No.1 being Karl-Anthony Towns.

“We really challenged him on who he’s been to this point and what he’s going to become into the future,” Gersson Rosas, Minnesota’s president of basketball operations, stated. “The passion for who he wants to become is something that we’re excited about.”

The 19-year old played for Georgia Bulldogs, spending just one season in the NCAA, without producing some notable results. The Bulldogs were 16-16, with only five wins and 13 losses in their SEC conference.

However, his 19.1 points per game were the most among the freshmen in Division 1. Edwards is a strong and explosive combo guard who is yet to define his position. According to many, he is much more comfortable playing as a shooting guard due to his excellent attacking potential. Strong attacks to the rim, solid jump shoot, and excellent awareness when playing one-on-one are his main strengths.

On the other side, Edwards needs to improve his three-point shooting, and above all, his shooting selection, in order to become an elite scorer. His defense is not very good right now, but it needs to be said that Edwards played for a mediocre team during his NCAA stay and that his shooting percentage and defense couldn’t be evaluated properly.

He would often take very tough shots, which decreased his overall percentage, while on the other side, constant obligations in attack forced him to save his energy in defense.

“It is an indescribable feeling,” Edwards said in his speech following the selection. “My family is emotional. I feel like when I get off of here, I am going to be emotional. I am just blessed beyond measure to be in this situation.”

The Golden State Warriors took James Wiseman as the second pick. The athletic center who is 7’1” but moves incredibly perfectly suits Steve Kerr’s philosophy of play. He is a very good rim protector able to cover a solid space around the basket and brings a solid dose of glass-control on both ends of the floor.

Wiseman’s offense has a very high ceiling, and he is the most complete big man in the draft once talking about that are of play.

LaMelo Ball was third tonight, with the Charlotte Hornets taking the 19-year old from third place. He and his older brother Lonzo became the first brothers to finish the draft inside the top three choices.

Ball didn’t go to NCAA but instead spent the last two years playing senior basketball in Lithuania and New Zealand. His controversial father LaVar didn’t show some thrilling emotions after Adam Silver’s announcement that the Hornets picked his son.

LaMelo is a point guard with an extremely offensive-minded approach, and unlike Lonzo, he has a much better arsenal when attacking the basket. However, many doubts are surrounding this guy, mainly because of his desire to be in the center of attention, and due to his ineffectiveness to be a team player.

Obi Toppin, the AP Player of the Year, will play for the New Yor Knicks, who drafted him 8th, one place ahead of Washington Wizards’ Deni Avdija, arguably the biggest talent coming from Europe.