Edwards is top pick in subdued virtual NBA draft

NEW YORK • The Minnesota Timberwolves started a National Basketball Association (NBA) draft unlike any other on Wednesday by selecting Georgia guard Anthony Edwards as the first overall pick.

Centre James Wiseman went second to the Golden State Warriors, while guard LaMelo Ball was taken third by the Charlotte Hornets.

In a draft that was staged virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, with prospects watching from home and team executives making their selections from their practice facilities, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced the picks from an ESPN television studio in Bristol, Connecticut.

Unlike in previous drafts, there was no clear favourite for No. 1. Ultimately, eight months after the Timberwolves last played a game and about five months after the draft was originally scheduled, Minnesota went with Edwards, a 1.96m shooting guard.

He was the South-eastern Conference's freshman of the year after averaging 19.1 points and 5.2 rebounds a game. He was not the best perimeter shooter, shooting just 29.4 per cent from the college three-point line, but he operated with NBA-level athleticism.

"It's an indescribable feeling," the 19-year-old said.

The Timberwolves already have two young stars who they plan to build around. Karl-Anthony Towns, 25, and D'Angelo Russell, 24, have both been All-Stars, and Edwards could fit nicely in the backcourt alongside the latter.

As part of their comprehensive draft research, Minnesota's front office conducted more than 1,000 interviews in recent months. They also compiled player assessments in nearly 50 categories, including players' psychological make-up.

"We've had to guard against information overload because that is a real thing," Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders said.

The draft was overshadowed in part by an injury Warriors guard Klay Thompson suffered to his right leg in a workout. The severity of his injury was unknown but he missed all of last season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in the 2019 NBA Finals.

While that news was still circulating, the Warriors selected Wiseman. Regarded as the top big man in the draft, the 2.16m Wiseman played in just three games as a freshman at the University of Memphis before he ran into eligibility problems with the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He was dominant in those games, averaging 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and three blocks while shooting 76.9 per cent from the field.

Ball's path to the NBA was unconventional. Like his 23-year-old brother Lonzo, who plays for the New Orleans Pelicans, LaMelo has been scrutinised from a young age.

His advanced skills (he once scored 92 points in a game as a high school sophomore) are part of the reason, but it is also because of the promotional work done on his behalf by his father, LaVar.

Ball left high school early to play in Lithuania, then spent last season with the Illawarra Hawks in Australia's National Basketball League. There, he revealed his potential, averaging 17 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 12 games.

The NBA draft typically revels in glamour and Silver said he felt bad for the players the event had to be held virtually. "It's a big disappointment," he said. "We owe them a big party."

NYTIMES, REUTERS