Grading 2020 NBA Draft: OKC Thunder are active and aggressive
Steals and dark horses:
It could be argued the teams on this list simply got lucky when prospects fell down the board. However, these teams still had to have the presence of mind to make the selection and believe their draft research to be correct.
Mavericks
- Josh Green (18th) SG, Arizona
- Tyrell Terry (31st) PG, Stanford
- Tyler Bey (36th) SG, Colorado
Talk about a steal – the Mavericks who needed to add shooting (especially now that Seth Curry left town) snagged Stanford sniper Tyrell Terry. I’m not the only one who thought he could’ve gone in the lottery so he was a steal at 31. Plus if there is a club that knows how to fit a small sniper into the rotation it’s the Mavs (see JJ Barea and Seth Curry).
Green was another great pick as Dallas looked to add defensive depth and shooting with the Arizona Wildcat freshman checking off both those skills. With the final pick, the Mavs selected Tyler Bey who should be earmarked with the caveat “potential” 3 and D wing. Rick Carlisle’s group has demonstrated strong player development skills so odds are Bey becomes a solid rotational contributor in time.
Grade: A
Grizzlies
- Desmond Bane (30th), SF, TCU | Sr | SF | 6-6 | 215 (from Celtics)
- Xavier Tillman, (35th), PF, Michigan St. | Jr | PF | 6-8 | 245 (from Kings)
The scouting crew in Memphis keep hitting home runs and did it again this season despite selecting late in the first round. Desmond Banes could get serviceable minutes in his rookie year and while he has an odd reach for his size is a quality offensive option and can more than hold his own defensively.
Tillman will add depth to the frontcourt with a fully developed toolbox that’s rarely already present in a second-round pick.
The Grizzlies may move into the ‘Culture Club’ category soon if they keep knocking the ball out of the part on draft night.