Potential Steals of the 2020 NBA Draft

The NBA draft is always an exciting time of the year. A whole NBA franchise can be altered from one singular draft. Teams are looking for prospects who can help elevate them to new heights. The draft is always filled with top name prospects who have generated hype from all over the world. Prospects such as Lamelo Ball, Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman highlight the 2020 NBA draft class. These players are the faces of the draft and look to be the best players to come out of this draft, but that’s not always the case.

With every draft, there are draft steals. There are also players who haven’t generated the same hype or attention coming out of the draft. There are many great players selected outside the lottery that go on to become great NBA players.

In this article, we will be discussing players from the 2020 draft class who have potential to become draft steals. We will be discussing players who are projected to be taken outside of the lottery. These players are very talented and have potential to be great NBA players. They just haven’t gotten the hype or attention that the top prospects have gotten. When their careers are all said and done, these players can be looked back on as the biggest draft steals of their class.

Desmond Bane, SG, TCU

The first prospect to talk about is Desmond Bane, a senior guard out of TCU. His shooting is what stands out most. Many believe he is one of the best shooters in the draft. Bane shot 44% from 3 on 6.5 attempts per game. He shot 44% on 4 attempts per game in his college career. He is a very consistent shooter and his shooting ability should easily translate to the NBA. His jumpshot looks unorthodox and he needs to tweak his shooting form, but he uses the right mechanics in his shot. Desmond also excels at playing off the ball. He’s a slippery off-ball player who is great at coming off screens. He’s great at reading defenses and knows how to get open off the ball.

Desmond isn’t just an off-ball player. He is also great at shooting off the dribble. This past season, Bane scored 1.068 points per possession when shooting off the dribble. He ranked in the 92nd percentile of off the dribble shooting. Desmond is a great shooter but he also has an efficient floater. His floater is efficient and a dangerous weapon, but he takes a low amount of floaters. If he can attempt more floaters and attack the basket more, it can become a real dangerous weapon and make it even harder for defenders to stop him.

Now that we’ve discussed Desmond Bane’s scoring ability, let’s move on to his play on the defensive side of the ball. He is a high I.Q defender who is always in the right spots. Bane is also a great team defender. He excels with help defense, rotations and playing in the passing lanes. He averaged 1.5 steals per game last season, and looks to adjust nicely on defense at the NBA level. Desmond is also strong and has a good frame which benefits him defensively.

Desmond projects to be a good defender, however he has limitations on the defensive end. He has a short wingspan and has a rare negative wingspan. He also lacks footspeed which can hinder him from guarding quicker players. Regardless of these weaknesses, he still brings great effort on the defensive end and can be a valuable defender.

One underrated part of Desmond’s game is his playmaking. He’s a better passer then some of the top point guards in the draft. He averaged 3.9 assists per game last season and shown flashes of being a potential secondary ball-handler in the NBA. As a playmaker, Desmond excels best in the pick and roll. He is a great passer in the pick and roll and a very efficient passer as the pick and roll ball-handler. On the playmaking end, Bane needs to work on his handle. He has a decent handle but it might not transfer to the NBA level. He needs to use his body more to create space from his defender. If he can do this, then it will help him create his own shot at the NBA level.

Other than his floater, Desmond needs to work on his finishing. He struggles with finishing through contact. This can mostly be due to his short wingspan, which limits his finishing potential. He also isn’t an explosive athlete which can hurt him when attacking the basket.

Overall, Desmond is one of the most underrated prospects in the draft. He projects to be a great shooter at the NBA level who puts great effort on the defensive end, and has potential as a secondary ball handler. He needs to work on his finishing, and his defense might be limited by his physical tools. Desmond is a very skilled player who can step in right away as a key rotational player. Bane also has potential to be a starter in the NBA.

Comparisons: Malcolm Brogdon and Eric Gordon

Projected Selection: Late First Rounder- Early Second Rounder

Grant Riller, PG, Charleston

Our next prospect who we think will be a draft steal is Grant Riller. He’s one of the most NBA ready players in the draft. What stands out most about Grant is his scoring ability. He is one of the best scorers in the draft, and averaged 22 points per game last season. His finishing ability is the area of scoring that stands out most. Riller is one of the best finishers in the draft. He has a great finishing touch and uses his body well to finish at the rim. Grant is also very adaptable. He can adjust his finishing in mid-air and adapt to defenders when finishing at the rim. Grant is also great at splitting defenses.

Grant is also very effective on the perimeter. With his dribbling abilities, he can create his own shot and can transfer as a good shot creator at the NBA level. He can drill tough shots, especially in clutch situations. Grant was forced to take a lot of bad shots in his senior year of college. This was mostly because he was by far the best offensive player on the team. He can be more efficient when he has less pressure on the offensive end.

He didn’t shoot amazingly from 3 in college. Grant shot 36% on 4 attempts per game last season. However, his shooting can transfer over to the NBA. He has the right shooting technique which will help him be a decent shooter in the NBA. Riller also has great confidence which should transfer to the NBA level.

Grant was an efficient catch and shoot player last season, but had a low volume of attempts. If he’s used more off-ball, it can make him even more of an offensive threat.

Riller also has great dribbling and playmaking abilities. He’s a very creative ball-handler who has lots of moves in his arsenal. He has a very effective spin move which he utilizes a lot when attacking the basket. Grant also has great crossovers and hesitations he uses in isolations to beat his defender. He has the ability to break down his defender, thanks to his great dribbling abilities. Riller also has a great step back jumper in his arsenal. He is also a deadly pick and roll threat. He scored 1.1 points per possession in the pick and roll last season. This ranks him in the 97th percentile.

Playmaking wise, Grant still has a lot of room for improvement. He averaged 3.9 assists per game, but he also averaged 3.1 turnovers per game. Grant doesn’t have the best pass accuracy, which can lead to lots of turnovers. He needs to work on his decision making, especially when being double teamed. He has shown flashes of making great decisions and good NBA level reads, he just needs more consistency.

Defensively, Grant has the tools to be a decent defender. He has good lateral quickness, and a good mix of size and strength which can help him defend guards. When Riller is locked in on defense, he can clamp his defender. The issue is Grant puts a low amount of effort on the defensive end. He is not a good off-ball defender and can be found falling asleep on off-ball defense. He can be decent on the defensive end, but there’s a high chance his defense gets exposed in the NBA.

Overall, Grant Riller is a flashy player who is a huge threat on offense. He is an amazing dribbler, finisher, and can score from all 3 levels. His playmaking and facilitating needs work, as well as his effort on the defensive end. Grant is being slept on in the draft mostly due to his age. He’s 23 years old, and typically older players are selected later in the draft. When drafted, Grant can immediately step in and be an effective rotational player and spark plug off the bench. If he continues to improve he has the potential to become an NBA starter.

Comparisons: Damian Lillard and Fred VanVleet

Projected Selection: Late First Rounder- Mid Second Rounder

Jordan Nwora, SF, Louisville

Next up is Jordan Nwora, my favorite player in the draft. I had the opportunity to see Jordan play live and he really impressed me. I watched him lead Team Nigeria to defeat Team Canada during August of 2019. He led his team in scoring, hit some big shots in the clutch, which included a dagger from him late in the 4th quarter. Ever since then, I became a fan, and I think he can make a great impact in the NBA.

Nwora’s biggest strength is undoubtedly his shooting ability. He is a great shooter, and in college he proved he can shoot from NBA range. Jordan shot 40% from 3 last season with 6 attempts per game. He also excels as an off-ball player. He’s great off the ball and knows how to get open. Jordan was elite in the catch and shoot, and shot 45% on catch and shoot 3’s. Jordan also has some moves in his arsenal that he uses off the catch. He utilizes a step back jumper off the catch which he has found to be very efficient. Jordan also uses lots of pump fakes, specifically from the wings and corners. This can help get him an open look, and he uses pump fakes consistently on the perimeter.

Nwora has shown flashes of being a capable shot creator, but he has been inconsistent. He’s smooth off the dribble, but only shot 31% from off the dribble last season. He’s a decent shot creator, but he has a below average handle. This makes it more difficult for Jordan to create separation. He needs to keep working as a shot creator and improve his ability to create space.

Jordan also can have questionable shot selection at times. There have been games where he forces up lots of bad shots, but there have also been games where he disappears completely on offence. He needs to be more consistent on his shot selection moving forward.

Jordan Nwora does have his troubles with finishing at the basket. He doesn’t score efficiently when driving and isn’t explosive enough to get consistent open looks at the basket. However, he still has some promise with his finishing. He has a nice floater game, but he doesn’t go the floater as much as he should. He shot 46% on floaters last season, and it proved to be an effective tool for Jordan.

Nwora is also great in transition. He knows when to leak out and runs hard on the fast break. He also has shown flashes of taking the ball coast to coast and scoring. Jordan shot 55% from the field in transition and looks to be a very valuable player to a team who wants to play fast paced. He also has shown potential as a sneaky pick and roll threat as the roll man. He was very efficient on slips in the pick and roll. Jordan shot 66% from the field while slipping off the pick and roll.

On the defensive end, Nwora has some intriguing potential. He’s a smart team defender with a solid frame. He doesn’t do well on quick and shifty guards, because he doesn’t have the footspeed to keep up with them. Jordan also doesn’t have the strength or length to be able to guard bigs. Jordan also struggles to guard taller players, due to his poor shot blocking ability. He works best at defending players who are similar to his size. He did show promise as an on-ball defender last season as opponents shot 36% when being guarded by Nwora. Jordan needs to work on his footspeed if he wants to increase his ability to switch onto guards. This would also help his defensive versatility.

Another promising part of his game is his rebounding. Jordan almost averaged 8 rebounds per game last season for Louisville. He’s a great rebounder for his size, and has shown the ability to rebound in traffic. Jordan has also shown he can excel at rebounding on the offensive end too. He almost averaged 2 offensive rebounds per game last season.

One major flaw in his game has been his playmaking. He is simply not a good passer or decision maker. In his college career, he has gotten a total of 95 assists and has a total of 168 turnovers. He has a terrible assist to turnover ratio and is a liability in the playmaking department. Even though his role isn’t playmaking, his passing and decision making is still concerning.

Overall, Jordan Nwora is a valuable shooter who lots of teams may target in the second round. He has great defensive potential and has shown promise in the fast break. He desperately needs to improve his playmaking, shot creation ability, and finishing if he wants to take the next jump. Jordan would be best utilized as a 3 and D player to come off the bench. The question is if Jordan would be willing to accept that role. He will most likely want to become more of a shot creator and a go to offensive option on his team. However, if Jordan wants the best chance for a long and successful NBA career, he will need to adapt into an effective 3 and D player at the NBA level.

Comparisons: Omri Casspi and Cameron Johnson

Projected Selection: Mid Second Rounder

Udoka Azubuike, C, Kansas

The next prospect on this list is the senior big man from Kansas. Udoka is a menacing brute force that can intimidate his opponents. He is listed at 7″0, weighs 275 pounds, and has a 7″7 wingspan. Udoka was also one of the most efficient players in college basketball last season. He shot 75% from the field and shot 85% on non-post up shots. This led the whole NCAA in field goal percentage of non-post up shots. Udoka is a traditional back to the basket big who is very good at getting positioning in the post. He’s great at sealing off his defender and can score almost immediately after a post entry pass. Udoka has also shown that he has a decent post game. He has a variety of post moves that he uses. His favorite move is the post hook which he uses very effectively.

Udoka isn’t just a back to the basket big, he is also great as a roll man. Last season, he shot 82% from the field as the roll man in the pick and roll. This ranked 2nd among all college basketball players. He has also shown to be a great lob threat. Udoka has a 7″7 wingspan and great leaping ability. If you need an easy two points, just throw it up for Azubuike.

One of the most glaring flaws Udoka has is his range. He excels at dunking, put backs, and shots in the post but he can’t score from more than 10 feet away from the basket. He has absolutely no ability to space the floor, which can be problematic in the NBA. Udoka also might be the worst free throw shooter I have ever seen. He’s an abysmal free throw shooter who only shot 44% from the line last season. He attempted almost 5 free throw attempts per game and is a liability at the line. He doesn’t need to expand his range to 3 point range if he wants a successful NBA career, but he absolutely needs to improve his free throw shooting.

Rebounding is one of Udoka’s biggest strengths. His motor heavily improved this season. He went from averaging less than 7 rebounds per game to now averaging 10.5 rebounds per game. Udoka took a big step in the rebounding department, especially on the offensive glass. He averaged almost 4 offensive rebounds per game and is great at snagging boards on the offensive end.

On the defensive end Udoka has shown some great promise. He is a very intimidating rim protector who has shown his ability to make opponents change the way they play. Similar to Rudy Gobert’s defensive impact, just not at nearly the same level of gravity. This season he improved at contesting shots and improved at staying out of foul trouble. He averaged 2.6 blocks per game in the most recent college season and has great potential as a rim protector. This is due to his length and defensive I.Q. Udoka has also shown he can be a great one on one post defender. He’s a great defender when being posted up and can neutralize post scoring centers.

Udoka may be a very good post defender, but he is terrible on the perimeter. He struggles defending in space and has very poor footspeed. He sometimes appears as if he has bricks on his feet. Udoka will get exposed a lot on the perimeter in the NBA. He will get into trouble if he is switched onto a smaller player and Udoka will most likely struggle in the pick and roll. Udoka’s rim protection abilities may lose value when matching up against stretch bigs. If you put Udoka on the perimeter against an excellent shooting team, he will get exposed and played off the court.

Another flaw in his game is his playmaking and decision making. He is a terrible passer and poor decision maker. Udoka also tends to get impatient with the ball which leads to many carless turnovers. At Kansas, he was one of the focal points of the offence and got doubled a lot. When he got doubled, he struggled. He averaged 0.5 assists and 2.5 turnovers per game last season. He also receives lots of 3 second violations and travelling calls, which leads to more careless turnovers.

Overall, Udoka has lots of strengths but lots of flaws. He’s a great roll man and lob threat who can score in the post, but he is also a terrible shooter, a liability on the perimeter, and with decision making. If Udoka played in the 90’s era, he would have more hype around him and be a more effective player. The reality is it’s hard for players with Udoka’s skillset to succeed in today’s NBA. I believe he can still be a great backup center who can play 10-15 minutes per night, but might not ever become more than that. He’s a very raw player who will take lots of time to develop. If Udoka is drafted in the right system, gets the proper conditioning, and stays out of injury trouble, then he can become a potential draft steal.

Comparisons: Mitchell Robinson and Boban Marjanovic

Projected Selection: Second Rounder

Tyrese Maxey, PG/SG, Kentucky

During the 2020 NBA playoffs, we seen former Kentucky players show how valuable they are in the NBA. Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, and Jamal Murray are all former Kentucky players who broke out and gained massive attention during the playoffs. They’ve also produced some great guards from recent history, such as De’Aaron Fox, Devin Booker, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Kentucky is great at producing NBA talent. There is a very high chance that the next draft steal to come out of Kentucky is Tyrese Maxey.

An underrated part of Maxey’s game is his shooting ability. He shown in college and high school that he can shoot from deep. The kid has range, but he had a low shooting percentage in his lone college season. He only shot 29% from 3 last season, but I believe he’s a better shooter than the numbers show. He has the confidence and range to be at least a decent shooter in the NBA.

A major reason as to why his 3 point percentage was so low was because of his role. In high school he had the ball in his hands the majority of the time. In Kentucky he had to adjust to playing off the ball. He struggled shooting off the catch and playing off-ball during his first season. Despite this, I think he can improve as an off-ball shooter with more time. Tyrese is a streaky shooter, but when he’s on fire he’s hard to stop.

One of the most enticing parts of Maxey’s game is his finishing ability. He’s a great finisher who absorbs contact from centers. He has great balance and body control when finishing at the rim. Tyrese is a crafty finisher who can change directions mid-air and make acrobatic layups. The best tool Tyrese has is his floater game. He had an elite floater in high school and it’s a very useful tool he can utilize in the NBA. He had an elite floater in high school and he goes to it very often. Tyrese is a very quick and shifty player which helps him with his finishing. He’s fast in transition, but needs to improve on utilizing his speed in the half-court offence. Tyrese also needs to be more aggressive and draw more fouls, as he’s a great free throw shooter who shot 83% from the line.

In his lone college season, Tyrese showed that he’s a very good defender for his position. A big part of defense is effort based, and Tyrese puts lots of effort on the defensive end. He’s a tenacious on-ball defender who can frustrate his opponent. He is also just as tenacious off-ball as he is on-ball. Tyrese has great communication on the defensive end and has shown to excel with switches and rotations. Tyrese has also shown to be a great shot blocker for his size. He is great at contesting shots and closing out his opponent. He has potential to be a great shot blocking guard in the NBA.

With so many great scoring guards in the NBA, it’s very valuable to have a good defender at the point guard position. Tyrese has the potential to be a good defender at the NBA level, if he improves his technique, especially his defensive stance.

Playmaking is a noticeable weak spot in Tyrese’s game. Tyrese is 6″3 and when you lack height, most of the time you need to make it up by being a great playmaker. He hasn’t shown that he can be a consistent facilitator in the offence. He lacks court vision and has many times where he misses open teammates. When attacking the basket, Tyrese can get tunnel vision and settle for a tough finish, rather than passing out to the open shooter. He can be utilized as a great drive and kick player, if he improves on his court vision.

Character and personality is very important when looking at an NBA prospect. You want a player who’s hard working, has great leadership abilities, and is a good locker room presence. Tyrese has shown that he has all these qualities. Off the court, he’s very unselfish and teammate oriented. Tyrese always goes out of his way to praise his teammates and give them credit for their work on the court. He also is always happy and smiling and brings off positive energy, which translates to the locker room. Team chemistry and locker room issues are very vital in determining a team’s success. Tyrese is showing that he will be a vital player to any NBA franchise’s locker room.

Overall, Tyrese Maxey is a score first guard who has shown off his range and finishing abilities. He also has high potential as a two-way combo guard in the NBA. He needs to work on his playmaking abilities if he wants to make a bigger impact at the next level. Maxey also needs to become a more consistent shooter and learn to play more off the ball. Tyrese wasn’t utilized correctly in Kentucky which will hurt his draft stock. He’s easily a top 10 player in this draft and has the potential to be the biggest steal of the draft.

Comparisons: George Hill, Collin Sexton, and Lou Williams

Projected Selection: Mid First Rounder- Late First Rounder

Aleksej Pokusevski, PF, Greece

Our last prospect is the rawest, but also the most intriguing player on this list. He’s seen by most to be the highest risk highest reward player in the draft.

The most intriguing part of his game is his playmaking. Aleksej is a great ball-handler for his size. He’s 7 feet tall and can handle the ball. A rare and valuable skill in the NBA today. He’s also a great passer for his size. He can playmake effectively from the high post, which resembles Nikola Jokic. Aleksej can also find open shooters and has incredible court vision. Even when he’s double teamed and under pressure, he still can find the open man and make great decisions. He can also quickly bail out of a shot and find an open man to get an easy assist.

We are starting to see a wave of elite playmaking from tall players. Aleksej can join this trend and can potentially fit in perfectly to the modern NBA. Playmaking abilities of his caliber are almost unheard of for his size. He has elite playmaking potential.

One significance weakness Aleksej has in the playmaking department is his habit of being too flashy at times. He has a tendency to try and make the flashy highlight reel pass, rather than the basic fundamental and more accurate pass. Once he matures more, this habit may slowly go away. With his unique skillset, he will have plenty of opportunities to make highlight reel plays without even trying.

He’s not just an effective decision maker in the half-court offence, he’s also an advanced decision maker in transition as well. He runs the floor well in transition which leads to lots of easy buckets. Aleksej has also shown the ability to go coast to coast and lead the fast break. He thrives in the open court and is lethal in transition.

One of the most important parts of Aleksej’s game is his shooting. He has high potential as a shooter and has shown flashes of being a good shooter at the next level. However, he still has lots of improving to do. He only shot 32% from 3 last season but he shot 78% from the free throw line. This is a very impressive free throw percentage for someone of his size. He also has a solid jumpshot form to work on as a base. Aleksej still needs to tweak his form a bit. He has the tendency of pushing the ball and kicking his legs out when shooting. If he adds more upper body strength it will help eliminate this habit.

A huge concern for Aleksej is on the defensive end. His role on defense moving forward is very questionable. As of right now, he’s very weak and frail. He’s 7 feet tall but only listed at 207 lbs. As of right now he is unable to guard 4’s and 5’s due to his lack of strength. He also struggles tremendously guarding the perimeter. Aleksej doesn’t have the foot speed to guard the perimeter. He does terrible in open space and gets exposed very easily when switched onto a guard. Aleksej also needs to work on his closeouts. His closeouts and contests are very lazy when guarding the perimeter. Aleksej also gambles too much on the defensive end. Most of the time he will try and get the block or force the turnover, rather than being disciplined and in the right position. Discipline will most likely come with more reps.

Although he is questionable on defense, Aleksej still has some defensive potential. He has very high shot blocking potential due to his length. Aleksej also has solid defensive I.Q and is good at getting help defense blocks.

Overall, Aleksej Pokusevski is one of the most unique and enticing player’s in the draft. He is a 7 footer who is perimeter oriented and has amazing playmaking abilities for his size. His number one priority should be getting stronger. As of right now he is simply too weak to play consistent NBA minutes. Once he adds muscle and gets stronger, it will benefit every aspect of his game. Aleksej isn’t a player you draft to make your team better immediately. He’s a project player who is going to need at least a couple of years to develop into a rotational NBA player. He’s only 18 years of age and is very inexperienced. Aleksej is going to need more reps and spend more time developing his game before he can make an NBA impact.

His ability to shoot and his strength are going to be factors that may make or break his NBA career. Aleksej can easily turn into a bust, but he can also easily become a special player in the NBA. We will see on draft night which team is willing to take the risk.

Comparisons: Nikola Jokic and Bol Bol

Projected Selection: Mid First Rounder- Second Rounder