Charlotte Hornets: 10 must-watch 2020 NBA Draft prospects to focus on
No. 8 – Nico Mannion (Freshman, Arizona)
One of the better freshman guards that will be playing college basketball this season is Nico Mannion. He’s a smart and steady lead guard that will suit up for Arizona during the 2019-20 season. He can score from all three levels and does a good job setting up his teammates for scoring opportunities.
Charlotte lost their franchise point guard in Kemba Walker over the summer, but gained a new starter in Terry Rozier. He’s unproven, but they clearly believe in him, considering they gave him a $58 million contract. Drafting another point guard would be interesting, but we’re far away from the draft, so it’s not worth worrying about.
Must Read. 3 goals for Terry Rozier in 2019-20. light
Offensively, Mannion is really well-rounded. He can hit the three-point shot, he has a floater and he can get to the basket with his quickness. I do have concerns about his defensive ability up until this point, so that will be an area of his game that I will watch closely when he is in college.
Mannion has his strengths, but he does have concerns in his game as well. Right now, I would expect him to go somewhere towards the end of the lottery, but a strong freshman season could change things, for better or worse.