Killian Hayes Entering 2020 NBA Draft
French point guard Killian Hayes has officially made the decision to declare for the 2020 NBA draft, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
“I am officially declaring for the NBA draft,” Hayes wrote in an email to ESPN. “I have sent in paperwork to the league office and I’m very excited.”
Hayes, who had been playing in Germany this season before the coronavirus situation caused a stoppage, was averaging 12.0 PPG and 5.6 APG for Ratiopharm Ulm. He projects as a potential lottery pick in this year’s draft, currently ranking 10th overall on ESPN’s big board.
As ESPN’s Mike Schmitz notes in his scouting report, Hayes isn’t the most athletic player in this year’s draft pool and needs to get more comfortable with his right hand, but he’s an effective pick-and-roll player with a strong 6’5″ frame and could have an instant impact in the NBA, given his professional experience.
Las Vegas A Candidate To Host NBA Games?
As the NBA considers its options for how and when to resume the 2019/20 season, multiple team executives tell Jabari Young of CNBC that they favor the idea of playing games in Las Vegas.
In a perfect world, each club would be able to host games at its own home arena with fans in attendance. However, playing games at a neutral site – and behind closed doors – may end up being a more realistic solution for containment and health reasons as the NBA navigates the coronavirus pandemic.
As Young explains, Vegas makes sense as a neutral site because the NBA has an existing relationship with the city, which hosts Summer League games at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion each July.
Sources tell Young that the NBA has previously “floated the idea” of using Las Vegas as the location for an in-season tournament, which is something commissioner Adam Silver hopes to add to the league’s annual schedule in the coming years. Young points out that a resumed 2019/20 season may be an ideal time to test out that sort of event at a neutral site — the NBA could use a play-in tournament to fill the lower postseason seeds rather than playing out the remainder of its regular season.
The NBA remains in the early stages of the planning process and will, of course, have to adjust and react based on how the coronavirus situation evolves across North America. However, as we’ve heard before, the league is considering a wide range of experimental ideas as it looks to salvage the 2020 postseason.
According to Young, one concept the league has discussed is playing best-of-five first round series followed by a one-and-done tournament which would determine the two teams that square off in the NBA Finals. The Finals would then be a best-of-five series as well, Young notes.
NBA Reducing Salaries For League’s Top Executives
The NBA is temporarily implementing a 20% base salary reduction for approximately 100 of its highest-earning executives around the world, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The move may sound similar to one the Sixers considered earlier this week before they reversed course when met with a PR backlash. However, the key difference here is that the NBA’s cutbacks will only impact top league executives and senior leaders, as Wojnarowski explains. Support and administrative staffers will not see their salaries reduced.
Commissioner Adam Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum are among those affected by the measures, which are expected to continue for as long as the coronavirus crisis lasts, sources tell ESPN. Most of the execs who will have their salaries reduced work in the league’s New York office, Woj adds.
NBA spokesperson Mike Bass didn’t explicitly confirm ESPN’s report, but offered the following statement:
“These are unprecedented times and, like other companies across all industries, we need to take short-term steps to deal with the harsh economic impact on our business and organization.”
Christian Wood Reportedly “Fully Recovered” From Coronavirus
MARCH 26: Wood has been cleared, having registered negative test results on Wednesday evening, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
MARCH 25: Christian Wood, who was the only Pistons player known to have contracted the coronavirus, has “fully recovered,” according to his agent, as our own Dana Gauruder writes for The Detroit Free Press.
Wood is one of at least 10 NBA players known to have test positive for COVID-19. Gauruder hears from a source that Wood still has to pass a few medical tests and is expected to be cleared by Thursday.
The Pistons played the Jazz on March 7, just days before the news of Rudy Gobert‘s diagnosis and the NBA’s suspension of the season. Detroit, like other squads in the league, was asked to self-isolate. That period of isolation ended today.
Gauruder adds that 17 members of the Pistons were tested for the virus, including five players.
According to the World Health Organization, the median recovery time for mild cases of coronavirus is about two weeks. For critical or severe cases, it’s about three-to-six weeks.
FSU’s Patrick Williams Declares For 2020 Draft
Florida State freshman forward Patrick Williams is entering his name in the 2020 NBA draft pool, he confirms to Evan Daniels of 247Sports.
Williams put up modest numbers in his first – and possibly only – college season, averaging 9.2 PPG and 4.0 RPG with a .459/.320/.838 shooting line in 29 games (22.5 MPG). However, he has impressed NBA scouts and appears likely to become a first-round pick if he remains in the draft.
Williams currently ranks 20th overall on ESPN’s big board and comes in at No. 25 on 247Sports’ list. One scout tells Daniels that the freshman’s long-term three-and-D potential is intriguing.
Two Florida State underclassmen have now declared for the 2020 draft, as Williams joins teammate Devin Vassell, another probable first-round pick. Our running list of early entrants can be found right here.
Aaron Nesmith Enters 2020 NBA Draft
Vanderbilt guard Aaron Nesmith, a potential lottery pick, tells Evan Daniels of 247Sports that he is entering the 2020 NBA draft and intends to go pro.
“I’ve decided to go through the process and intend to hire an agent,” Nesmith said. “I’m just getting ready for the next steps and just learn even more at the highest level because it’s always been a dream to play in the NBA so it’s going to be fun to go out there and go through it.”
After playing a part-time role as a freshman, Nesmith was in the midst of a breakout sophomore year in 2019/20 before a stress fracture in his right foot brought his season to an early end in January. In 14 games (35.7 MPG), he averaged 23.0 PPG and 4.9 RPG with an impressive .512/.522/.825 shooting line.
While NBA teams will want more medical info on his injured foot, Nesmith tells Daniels that he expects to get out of his walking boot within the next couple weeks and be cleared for live action in May. The standout sophomore, who ranks ninth overall on 247Sports’ big board and 17th on ESPN’s top 100, projects to be one of the best outside shooters in this year’s draft class.
“I think I can help whatever team that wants me or takes me I can help them immediately and be an immediate impact on the floor just by helping to spread the floor for the play-makers and creators and help give them more space,” Nesmith said. “I think that’s an immediate threat I can impose to opposing teams.”
USC’s Onyeka Okongwu Declares For NBA Draft
USC freshman big man Onyeka Okongwu has declared for the 2020 NBA draft and intends to forgo his remaining three years of college eligibility, he tells Evan Daniels of 247Sports.
A 6’9″ forward/center, Okongwu averaged 16.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and an impressive 2.7 BPG in 28 games (30.6 MPG) in his first and only season as a Trojan. He projects as a potential lottery pick, currently ranking sixth on ESPN’s big board, including second among centers, behind only James Wiseman.
“I honestly have a lot of confidence in myself and I think I established my name this freshman year and I’ve shown that I can play with anyone,” Okongwu said. “It gives me more confidence in this decision because I feel like I can develop my game on the next level and really be successful.”
According to ESPN’s Mike Schmitz, Okongwu is a strong offensive rebounder and a “versatile defender with outstanding shot-blocking instincts.” Schmitz also praised the big man’s mobility and footwork, though he cautioned that he’s somewhat undersized as a center and his offensive ceiling may be limited. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently referred to Okongwu as one of the best defensive prospects in the 2020 draft class.
Dayton’s Obi Toppin Enters 2020 NBA Draft
MARCH 25: Toppin has made it official, announcing in a Twitter video that he’s signing with an agent and forgoing his remaining college eligibility as he enters the 2020 draft.
MARCH 15: Dayton sophomore Obi Toppin plans to declare for the NBA draft, sources tell Adam Zagoria of Forbes Magazine.
Toppin averaged 20.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game this season while leading the Flyers to a 29-2 record and a third-place ranking in the final AP poll. He was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and is a finalist for both the Naismith and Wooden awards.
With the NCAA tournament canceled, players are free to make decisions about their future earlier than normal.
“He will turn pro,” a source told Zagoria. “I know many NBA scouts are high on him.”
Toppin is projected as the ninth pick in the latest mock draft compiled by Jonathan Givony for ESPN. However, one league executive who spoke with Zagoria expects him to be taken in the top five.
“A lot of times you see guys who are really dominant and they kind of lose their spirit to compete and play,” said George Washington coach Jamion Christian. “He has this superstar spirit that’s genuine that I think people are going to really love as they get to know him more. I think the best ones always have that, they have something that’s a little bit different that’s not about themselves. I don’t know if it’s like an inner arrogance, but he’s got that.”
KBL Cancels Season, CBA Delays Resumption
The Korean Basketball League, which has been suspended since February 29 as a result of the coronavirus crisis, has decided to cancel the rest of its 2019/20 season, writes Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
As Givony details, the KBL had initially hoped to resume play on March 29, but there are still safety concerns related to COVID-19, despite South Korea’s relative success in containing the virus.
Elsewhere in Asia, the Chinese Basketball Association – which had been aiming to resume play on April 15 – has pushed back its projected start date to May, having failed to secure government approval, says ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Failed restarts in Japan and South Korea played a role in the CBA’s decision, as did the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, sources tell Windhorst.
It’s a discouraging development for the league, which initially shut down in late January. However, the CBA is still encouraging foreign players to return to China as soon as possible so they can do a 14-day self-quarantine before the season restarts, per Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Marcus Georges-Hunt is among the latest American players to report back to China, Carchia notes (via Twitter).
Several American players are angry and frustrated by the idea of having to remain in China until July or August to finish the CBA season and not being paid for their extra time, sources tell ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
The cancellations and postponements for Asian leagues aren’t exactly promising signs for the NBA, which hopes to resume its 2019/20 season in the spring or early summer. It’s not clear whether that will be possible, with the league prioritizing the safety of its players, coaches, and the rest of its members.
John Wall Expected To Remain Sidelined If Season Resumes
Wizards point guard John Wall, who continues to recover from an Achilles tear suffered in 2019, had been ruled out for the 2019/20 season prior to the NBA’s postponement.
Now that there’s a possibility of the NBA resuming its season as late as June or July, Wall will have extra time to get game-ready, but we still shouldn’t expect to see him back on the court before 2020/21, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. As Buckner explains, the original timeline that the Wizards and Wall had set remains unchanged.
“We’ve said all along that we can’t wait until John plays next season, and I think that will still be our attitude and our stance,” Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard recently said, per Buckner. “We’re very anxious to see John Wall in uniform next year. I don’t think any of this changes that.”
While the Wizards still expect Wall to be ready to go for the ’20/21 season, whenever it begins, the league’s coronavirus-related layoff may actually hinder his rehab process rather than help it. As Buckner points out, with all NBA training facilities closed, Wall no longer has the opportunity to participate in more intense workouts with teammates, Wizards staffers, and Capital City Go-Go players.
According to Buckner, Wall does have a basketball court and gym at his house, so he’ll be able to stay active during the hiatus, but he won’t be able to recreate the “day-to-day routine” he had with the Wizards. The disruption to that routine will contribute to keeping him on the sidelines this summer if and when the season resumes.