NBA Draft: LaMelo Ball goes first in 2020 NBA Redraft

This is where our 2020 redraft starts to veer off course from the actual draft in a major way. Jaden McDaniels was one of the nation’s top prospects coming out of high school, but a poor freshman season at Washington dropped him down the draft board. The Minnesota Timberwolves took him with their third first-round pick at 28.

McDaniels was not a slam dunk rookie Messiah coming in and dominating. He averaged just 6.8 points per game and shot just 44.7 percent from the field. Yet this high in the draft teams need to shoot for upside, and McDaniels provides the best combination of floor and upside still available.

Where McDaniels especially impressed was on defense, where his 6’9″ frame gave McDaniels the size to cover the perimeter and interior for a Minnesota team without many plus defenders. The Timberwolves have a trio of special offensive players, none of which play defense.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are similar, and McDaniels could slot at the 4 alongside either Jarrett Allen or Kevin Love and hold his own on defense. Offensively he is a work in progress, but he still has the upside to become a plus on that end as well. He shot a reasonable 36.4 percent from deep.

The player who was a top-5 prospect in high school is worth a lottery pick, and his positional value (combo forward) and defensive ability make him worth a show at 5. The Cleveland Cavaliers would benefit significantly from having a player like him on their roster, a player with the floor of Larry Nance Jr. (currently the Cavaliers’ starting 4) and a much higher ceiling.