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2020 NBA Mock Draft: Warriors, Trail Blazers, Spurs benefit from slow start

By Austin Carroll

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - NOVEMBER 30: LaMelo Ball of the Hawks and RJ Hampton of the Breakers during the round 9 NBL match between the New Zealand Breakers and the Illawarra Hawks at Spark Arena on November 30, 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - NOVEMBER 30: LaMelo Ball of the Hawks and RJ Hampton of the Breakers during the round 9 NBL match between the New Zealand Breakers and the Illawarra Hawks at Spark Arena on November 30, 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images) /
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2020 NBA Mock Draft, Portland Trail Blazers
2020 NBA Mock Draft – Obi Toppin (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

10. Obi Toppin, F/C, Dayton

Portland Trail Blazers (10-16)

Truth be told, it’s going to be difficult to correctly determine the needs of the Portland Trail Blazers until we see how the trade deadline shakes out. It’s even more difficult finding the right fit for this team in a draft that is oversaturated with talented guards and not many quality forwards or centers. Fortunately, one unexpected prospect is emerging into the lottery conversation after making huge improvements on his game.

In his sophomore season at Dayton, he’s averaged 21.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game en route to a strong 7-1 start — their only blemish coming in a close loss to a top ranked Kansas squad. The 6-foot-9 forward only attempted 21 shots from beyond the arc in 33 games as a rookie, but has since reworked that part of his game and improved his mark to 24 attempts in just 8 games this season. The good news? He’s hitting his 3-pointers at a rate of 41.7 percent. Keep in mind, his improved shooting is just the icing on the cake, as Toppin is a high-flying lob threat that can steal the show with his highlight reel athleticism.

Even though he’ll be 22-years-old by the time he plays his first game in the NBA, his experience should actually benefit a Trail Blazers team looking to compete immediately. If Portland believes Nassir Little can be a mainstay on this roster for years to come, the one glaring hole on the roster lies at power forward. Investing in a player at the four whose skill set complements the star guards seems like the correct route to go.

Toppin still has to prove his early performance isn’t just an anomaly, so many might be hesitant to project the big man this early. As you may recall, the Trail Blazers have previously been rewarded by selecting unproven players from mid-major schools in the lottery (Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, anyone?). There’s a solid chance history may repeat itself this offseason if they put their eggs in Toppin’s basket.