2020 NBA Draft: 3 prospects who could fall to the New Orleans Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans 2020 NBA Draft: James Wiseman

James Wiseman

James Wiseman is one of the most polarizing prospects of the last few years.

At the beginning of this season, he was rated by most as the top college basketball player in the nation. But things didn’t go as planned in Memphis, he got into some trouble and only ended up playing three games in the NCAA.

Mock drafts have him going anywhere from #2 to the Warriors all the way out of the top-ten and there is really no consensus about what he will be in the NBA.

He went from #1 or #2 on most big boards to not even being the top big man. Onyeka Okongwu has rocketed up the boards lately and most of the other players in the top-ten are wings or point guards.

If you look at the teams choosing ahead of the Pelicans, there aren’t many who are in the market for a center. Even if Wiseman is the second big man taken, he might still be available when the Pelicans pick at 13.

Wiseman is a perfect fit along Zion Williamson, as he is athletic and can block shots and run the floor. He’s not going to create much space, but the Pelicans would mostly just need him to catch lobs and block shots.

If Wiseman could eventually turn into a seven-foot Bam Adebayo, then the Pelicans will have struck gold.

The question is whether they actually have a chance to get him. Wiseman is one of those guys who has all of the tools of a modern big, but his lack of experience and tape may cause teams to go for guys with a more certain future.

Wiseman will probably end up going in the top-ten, but he is one of those guys who could inexplicably fall, especially if the Warriors trade their pick.

The New Orleans Pelicans would be ecstatic if Wiseman somehow fell to the 13th pick and they could nab their center of the future.