Detroit Pistons: 2020 first round NBA mock draft 2.0
125. . PF . Atlanta Hawks. Obi Toppin . 5. player
The Atlanta Hawks need to get Trae Young some more help. Although they did do a solid job of acquiring talent at the trade deadline a few months ago, it’s not going to be enough. Hitting a home run with this pick is of the upmost importance.
Obi Toppin could be that home run. They could very well decide to draft a point guard to back up Young, but getting him help that he can play alongside has to be the first priority.
Toppin’s explosiveness at the basket is occasionally reminiscent of Zion Williamson‘s at Duke a year ago. His high flying slams were regularly all over social media, and Toppin was for the most part considered to be the best player in America.
Related Story. 2020 NBA Draft profile: Obi Toppin. light
He has a nice IQ on the floor. He knows how to use his body well and uses his strengths to his advantage, most notably in the post.
The biggest concern with Toppin is that for how good he can be offensively, he’s just as bad defensively. There’s plenty of reason for teams to be skeptical when potentially drafting him, because he’s got so much to work on.
His footwork is poor, his quickness isn’t the same on defense as it is on offense, his stances usually allow him to get beat off the dribble by his opponent, is close outs are late, the list goes on.
Despite all of this, the Hawks would most likely jump at the chance to draft him.