2020 NBA Mock Draft: Looking to the future after a chaotic 2019 draft

Our 2020 NBA Mock Draft surveys the 2020 class to see how much stronger it might be than the 2019 class that just produced a chaotic draft.

Our draft order is based upon NBA futures odds from the FanDuel sports book, courtesy of Lineups. Tiebreakers for teams with even odds were determined by our gut. It was super scientific.

For the last time until next season:

A fascinating big man with some skill who should help revitalize the interest (and defense) for Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers.

This one comes to Boston by way of the Ty Jerome/Aron Baynes deal with Phoenix on draft night last week. We won’t give up on Tillie. Ever.

Hagans, a sophomore, was one of the better defensive guards in the country last season. If he can get more comfortable as a playmaker in Year Two, he should be a first-round pick.

Should the Clint Capela trade talks manifest into something real, Queta, a sophomore, could become a replacement possibility in Houston.

This pick already has an interesting history, originally changing hands in the Tobias Harris trade in February and then being flipped on draft night 2019 to Brooklyn so that the Clippers could draft Mfiondu Kabengele.

In Carey, the Nets find another big man as they potentially look for other postseason big man options aside from Jarrett Allen.

Another two-way wing option as Golden State tries to prolong its dynasty.

The dynamic between Maxey and Kahlil Whitney, two score-first wings heading to Lexington this season, will be a fun storyline to follow from an NBA Draft and college basketball perspective.

We love playmaking wings here at The Step Back, and Watford would give Denver another option on the wing to supplement Nikola Jokic on both ends.

Along with Watford, this Senegalese forward could be one of the big risers of this draft class.

If this pick truly lands at No. 21, it will provide incredible value for Markelle Fultz, who still may never play in the NBA again. Whitney brings better size than his teammate, Maxey, but will need to show that he can compete on defense and finish inside.

Atlanta gets this one for taking Allen Crabbe’s contract back from Brooklyn. The Hawks will likely continue hoarding wings around their stud backcourt, as they did in the 2019 draft.

Keep an eye on whether Green is able to show his playmaking ability from the wing and develop that part of his game with the ball-dominant, pass-first point guard Nico Mannion in tow at Arizona.

Jones has the potential to become a lottery pick if he shows more as a self-creator on offense and turns his jumper into a useful NBA skill.

Much like the 76ers with Ben Simmons now, Dallas will soon be on the prowl for a smaller guard with size and defensive upside to defend point guards and space the floor for the Mavericks’ jumbo playmaker, Luka Doncic.

Stewart appears to lack the offensive upside right now NBA teams need out of their big men, but could be a good third big who plays with tremendous energy and has the lateral mobility and awareness to defend pick-and-rolls at the NBA level.

Give Dejounte Murray, Derrick White and Lonnie Walker as many wings as possible and figure out your big man rotation later. San Antonio will know much more about their priorities in 2020 after they see how Walker and Jakob Poeltl play this year.