:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67447714/1151648934.jpg.0.jpg)
Last week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that the NBA had officially reset the 2020 NBA Draft to November 18th from October 16th.
ESPN Sources: NBA has locked in November 18th for the 2020 Draft. Date had been tentative.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 16, 2020
That’s just under eight weeks from today, which ends up being plenty of time to consider every possible pick under the sun for the Dallas Mavericks at 18th and 31st over all.
But what about everything else? Normally there’s the much-hyped combine where the world gets official measurements and testing results for all but the most hyped of prospects.
Things are still fluid at the moment, but there are plans coming together with the NBA at the helm and distributing information per Shams Charania of the Athletic.
NBA will run predraft process and distribute to teams. League interviews consist of 10 questions; teams assigned 20 players for 30 min. each. Prospects travel by car to nearest team market for medical/strength/agility testing, 8 on-court shooting drills. No team personnel allowed https://t.co/v0pWj6e6H6
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 17, 2020
The lack of team personnel makes sense but is a fascinating component; in this day and age of data and quality video on all but the most obscure draft eligible players, teams still put a great deal of value on getting to see a prospect in person, not to mention getting to meet and talk with players pre-draft.
Prior to COVID-19, this draft’s top prospects evoked heated opinions from across the basketball world. Adding this additional level of uncertainty to the mix could result in a truly unpredictable draft night.
Luckily for Dallas Mavericks fans, Donnie Nelson is a seasoned veteran, selecting players from the time before quality video and readily available data sets. In a unique situation for the modern basketball age, Nelson’s gut could play an outsized role in the Dallas decision making process. And that’s worked out well for Dallas in years past.