Looking at No. 1 pick odds in 2020 NBA Draft post-lottery

The 2020 NBA Draft Lottery took place last Thursday night and the Minnesota Timberwolves were rewarded with the No. 1 overall pick. Minnesota had another disappointing season, but there is plenty of reason for optimism. The T-Wolves have one of the youngest and most promising 1-2 punches in the League with D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns moving forward. They have plenty of areas to address with this pick and could go in a number of directions. Let’s take a look at the updated odds for No. 1 pick on DraftKings Sportsbook.

So at the top is the consensus favorite Anthony Edwards, the talented shooting guard out of Georgia. Edwards (-134) has all the makings of becoming an All-Star 2-guard in the NBA. He can pretty much score from anywhere on the court. He can get to the lane and past defenders, he can pull up with the mid-range game, launch a deep 3-pointer with NBA range.

There’s not much flaw in his game and he’s got the perfect frame for a SG at 6’5” and around 225 lbs. Edwards could form a James Harden-Russell Westbrook type of backcourt in Minnesota with D’Lo. The T-Wolves could also run a lot of 3-guard sets featuring Malik Beasley at PG, Russell at SG and Edwards at SF. He’d be a bit undersized but has the bulk to hang with some NBA small forwards.

The sleeper at No. 1 to me is Obi Toppin (+3000), who I think will end up being the best player in the class. He’s the perfect NBA small forward. He played mostly the 4 and 5 in college with Dayton and feasted, averaging 20 points and 7 rebounds per game. I think if we had the NCAA Tournament in March, a lot of scouts would be oozing about Toppin’s athleticism and ability to stretch the floor. He’s just extremely versatile and the fact you can play him pretty much anywhere in the front court opens up a ton on offense. Toppin comps well to guys like Aaron Gordon and John Collins — ESPN has a great breakdown of his highlights.

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