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

By Brendon Kleen

MIDDLE VILLAGE, NEW YORK - APRIL 05: Cole Anthony #3 of Oak Hill Academy handles the ball on offense against La Lumiere in the semifinal of the GEICO High School National Tournament at Christ the King High School on April 05, 2019 in Middle Village, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
MIDDLE VILLAGE, NEW YORK - APRIL 05: Cole Anthony #3 of Oak Hill Academy handles the ball on offense against La Lumiere in the semifinal of the GEICO High School National Tournament at Christ the King High School on April 05, 2019 in Middle Village, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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MARIETTA, GA – MARCH 25: Anthony Edwards reacts during the 2019 Powerade Jam Fest on March 25, 2019 in Marietta, Georgia. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images for Powerade)
MARIETTA, GA – MARCH 25: Anthony Edwards reacts during the 2019 Powerade Jam Fest on March 25, 2019 in Marietta, Georgia. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images for Powerade) /

Anthony Edwards. 1. player. 211. . G. Georgia

As the Grizzlies continue to build out their roster and try to claw their way back to the glory days of Grit n’ Grind, they will need to start thinking about scoring. It’s nearly impossible to put a lid on the possibilities for Jaren Jackson Jr., particularly now that he can swing dance with a pass-first point guard like Ja Morant for the next half-decade at least. But if Jackson becomes more of a pure floor-spacer and secondary playmaker rather than a creator (think Al Horford without the passing), then Memphis is looking at offensive struggles once again, a possibility Grizzlies fans won’t want to imagine again.

This Grizzlies roster is by no means a finished product, and while they will be fun in 2019-20, they will be bad. Jackson is returning from injury. Morant as a rookie defender will be a one of those traffic sticks that is attached to the ground and gets smacked into the ground by the slightest thrust of contact and swings right back up. The 23rd pick last week, Brandon Clarke, is already thought of as an offensive project, though his finishing around the rim should translate right away.

Enter Edwards. Should Memphis soar into the top three again (more likely with Marc Gasol and Mike Conley gone), Edwards will be there waiting, the best bet as a wing scorer of anyone in this class as things appear right now. Despite being younger than most of his draft classmates, Edwards has one of the most NBA-ready bodies of any 2020 prospect. He is an explosive leaper off one foot in traffic and has a quick first step off the dribble.

With the built-in insulation of a frontcourt headlined by Jackson and Clarke, Memphis can afford to play Morant with another offense-first guard. Anyone with Edwards’ physical advantages has a solid floor on defense as well, so long as Georgia coach Tom Crean can instill that sense of fight in him. A year out, this is our favorite pairing in the draft.

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