Well, finally, after a very long and slightly disjointed summer of NBA basketball, we have reached a spot that we should have gotten to in late June: NBA Draft Day!

We’re talking about it here on Anonymous Eagle because Markus Howard, the #1 scorer in Marquette history has a chance of hearing his name called. If Howard is selected by an NBA team tonight, he will become the first NBA draft pick for MU since Henry Ellenson was selected #18 overall by the Detroit Pistons back in 2016.

It is pretty much a guarantee that Howard will not be selected higher in the draft than Ellenson was four years ago. In fact, there’s a chance that he won’t hear his name called at all. I did a scouring of the internet for the most up to date mock drafts that I could find, and Howard isn’t listed in most of them. Now, the fact of the matter there is Howard isn’t listed because those mock drafts stop at the end of the first round. Gary Parrish at CBS Sports has projected all 60 picks in the draft, and he has Howard going #48 overall to the Golden State Warriors. In fact, Parrish goes deep enough on his work that he marks Howard as the #51 prospect in the draft and the 14th best point guard prospect. NBADraft.net is the only other mock draft with all 60 picks that I can find with Howard in it, and they have him going #44 overall to the Chicago Bulls. Sam Vecenie over at The Athletic ($) goes out to 60 picks, and he does not have Howard in there.

Between two picks in the 40s and Parrish noting that Howard is one of the top 60 prospects, and yes, even with Vecenie throwing some cold water around, I feel comfortable predicting that Howard will be drafted. In fact, over 75% of voters in this Twitter Poll I posted a few hours earlier agree with that idea.

The thing about the second round of the draft, though, is that it can turn into a total crapshoot. The good news is that teams are willing to take flyers on guys because there is no contract commitment to second round picks. The bad news is that second round picks very quickly turn into trade fodder as Draft Night goes on. If you’re going to be a second round pick, you need 1) a team that wants to draft you, 2) a team that wants to draft you to have a second round pick, and 3) a team that wants to draft you that has a second round pick and doesn’t find more value in trading that pick for either an established player or future considerations. It can be a mess, and that’s what leads to a certain amount of doubt as to whether Howard will actually be selected.

The biggest thing that Howard has working for him is that he has four years of collegiate experience behind him. He is exactly what he is as a basketball player, so there’s very little doubt and question about what he can be and/or will be in the NBA. If a undersized point guard that can create his own shot and bury every single three that he’s ever left open for is something that you value, then that’s worth spending a pick on tonight.

2020 NBA Draft

Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Time: 7pm Central
Television: ESPN
Streaming: WatchESPN.com