NBA Draft 2020: Big Board 4.0

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Memphis Tigers center James Wiseman plays defense during practice at the Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019.W 26062 /

6. James Wiseman, big, Memphis

I’ve come around on James Wiseman. He shouldn’t be the first pick, and frankly, he probably shouldn’t be a top-three pick. But at the end of the day, talent trumps all in the draft, and Wiseman has natural talent unlike anyone else on the board. Even amid the changing landscape of NBA basketball in 2020, there’s a viable future in which Wiseman outclasses everyone from this draft.

A 7-footer with a 7-foot-6 wingspan, broad shoulders, and impressive mobility, Wiseman should round into a great rim protector. Put him in a favorable situation with star-level creators, such as Golden State, and he can focus on the skills that he needs to focus on. Among those, of course, is defensive awareness.

On offense, Wiseman has shown signs of a jumper in the past. The next step is stretching that jumper behind the NBA 3-point line and making consistent. From there, he needs to improve as a passer out of the post, and avoid tunnel vision. Joel Embiid syndrome, you could say. He’s definitely flawed, but Wiseman is too intriguing a physical specimen to cast outside the top 10.