Which Teams Should Pick Nico Mannion in the 2020 NBA Draft?

The 2019-20 NBA season appears to be in doubt, but eventually, we’ll get a glimpse at the future of the league via the 2020 NBA Draft.

To get the blood flowing, check out Michael Wynn’s most recent 2020 NBA mock draft and continue your research with this breakdown of Nico Mannion landing spots.

The Arizona Wildcats star point guard was a sensation in high school due to his ability to push the pace and effortlessly break defenses down. That didn’t stop in college, where Mannion looked like one of the best pure point guards in the nation with 14 points, 5.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.

Mannion wasn’t without his flaws, of course. Every Nico Mannion scouting report touches on his lack of efficiency as a scorer, as well as the fact that he may need a little time to iron out the wrinkles for the next level.

Still, he’s a stud point guard prospect who has the size, handles, vision, playmaking, and scoring ability of a star. Several teams badly need that type of potential, but with Mannion looking less and less likely to stick inside the top part of the lottery, it’s fair to wonder what team will draft him.

If you plan on betting on who drafts him, consider these 4 NBA teams that should draft Nico Mannion in 2020.

Nico Mannion’s first chance at getting drafted may come well inside the lottery. New York actually has a bunch of points guards on their roster, but none of them are necessarily of the franchise variety.

The Knicks botch a lot of things and will hope to land a bigger name, but Mannion would give them a balanced and dynamic lead guard. They certainly could use one.

The next team that could draft Nico Mannion is Washington. John Wall is no longer the future of this franchise, and if the Wizards are able to, they should blow their roster up.

They can start over at the point with Mannion, who can learn the ropes behind Wall initially and take over once his fat contract is shipped out of town.

DC needs something to be excited about looking to the future. Their current team won’t be competing for anything, so hitting the reset button and landing a marquee point guard makes sense.

Ricky Rubio turned out to be a brilliant free agency pickup by the Suns, but he’ll be 30 in October, and he’s only under contract for two more years.

Phoenix needs to think about the future, so bringing in a quality prospect that can boost their bench and eventually be their franchise point guard could be a good move.

The Suns aren’t exactly knocking the door down to contend right now, either. Trading away Rubio for more assets is still on the table, which would make landing Mannion an even bigger coup.

One other team that could draft Nico Mannion is OKC. The Thunder are tied to the aging Chris Paul’s huge contract, but they still have a future to concern themselves with.

Trading CP3 and that ghastly deal has to be on their mind, but even if they don’t, bringing in the future to learn behind one of the best point guards ever has to be a thought.

Mannion is not a finished product, so sliding a bit in the draft is possible, and someone that doesn’t need him right now but likes him for down the road could be perfect.

Figuring out Nico Mannion’s draft range is difficult, as a lot of scouts and draft experts appear to be torn on what his value is. His efficiency at Arizona wasn’t amazing, and he could be a bit of a project, so that could scare some teams high in the lottery away.

That very well may lead to a mild draft day slide for Mannion. When coming to a Nico Mannion prediction, my assumption is he does slide a bit, and it wouldn’t be all that shocking if that fall took him to the bottom of the lottery or even out of it.

Ultimately, though, the Suns just make too much sense for him.

Rubio isn’t their long-term answer at the point, and the team really doesn’t have another glaring need. Mannion helps their bench right away and could be their franchise point guard down the road.