Picture of an NBA Basketball taken on January 19th, 2015. (Photo/Pixabay User tookapic)
The 2020 NBA Draft started on November 18th at 7:30 p.m. The main stars of the Daft were LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, and Deni Avdija. Before the draft, they were projected to go in the top but no one really knew who would really go number one. Most people thought the one who would be going number one were either LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards. LaMelo is the youngest brother out of Lonzo and LiAngelo Ball and also son of LaVar Ball. He (LaMelo) played in Australia because he wasn’t eligible to play in college basketball. He played well in Australia, great shooting and great passing when was Rookie of the Year in the Australian League. Ever since then, a lot of people were starting to project him going top 3 in the draft.
Anthony Edwards went to the University of Georgia and played 32 games, averaged 19.1 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, and 2.8 assists per game. James Wiseman, a center and considered as the best big man in the draft standing at 7’1” tall, he was projected to go second overall before the Draft started. He played at the University of Memphis and averaged 19.7 points per game, 10.7 rebounds per game, and 0.3 assists per game. Deni Avdija, a small forward from Israel, is a good shooter and good at passing and was projected to be a top 5 pick. The following Q and A is from an interview with Deni’s trainer Eftim Bogoev on what Deni Avdija’s training was like as well as getting ready for the Draft:
VF: When did you meet Deni Avdija?
Bogoev: “Three months ago, I talked with his agent”
VF: What day do you and Deni train?
Bogoev: “Two times a day it is skills training and shooting at night”
VF: What pick do you think Deni will Go?
Bogoev: “Top five pick or top 7 pick”
VF: Do you know how many teams have talked to Deni?
Bogoev: “10 to 12 teams”
VF: How long has Deni Avdija been in the U.S.A.?
Bogoev: “Three months, just left a week ago, but comes back after he gets drafted”
VF: What are Deni Avdija plans for Draft day?
Bogoev: “Be at home with his Mom, Dad”
VF: What are Deni goals?
Bogoev: “One of the best in Europe, to be a superstar, and to be a big-time player”
VF: What is Deni Avdija diet like?
Bogoev: “He had his own nutritionist”
Other big names like Patrick Williams, Isaac Okoro, Killian Hays, Onyeka Okongwu, and Obi Toppin were featured in this year’s draft.
The top picks started off with Anthony Edwards, who is now a Minnesota Timberwolf after being selected with the number one pick. Then James Wiseman went to the Golden State Warriors, and LaMelo Ball at number 3 to the Charlotte Hornets. The 4th player drafted was Patrick Williams taken by Chicago Bulls; the first shocker of the night by many fans as he was projected to go later in the first round.The 5th player taken was Isaac Okoro to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks took Onyeka Okongwo with the 6th pick. The 7th player was Killian Hayes to the Detroit Pistons, Obi Toppin to the New York Knicks with the 8th pick, Deni Avdija to the Washington Wizards with the 9th pick, and 10th overall was Jalen Smith to the Phoenix Suns.
A lot of the new players seemed poised to shine. The NBA did a great job with this year’s draft when you consider they had a very similar formula to what the NFL did with their draft earlier this year in April. Every rookie was at home with their families as well as there was no stopping everyone being able to hear their name be announced by the commissioner Adam Silver. The draft overall was great and it will be interesting and exciting to see how these players that were drafted perform in the NBA.
Editor’s Note: The photographs you see above are all under use by license CC BY 2.0.
