Here is an updated 2020 NBA mock draft. Who are the best 2020 NBA Draft prospects?

One thing that needs to be mentioned before we get into the meat of this 2020 NBA mock draft is that the only thing certain about the draft is that, eventually, it is going to happen.

When will the 2020 NBA Draft happen? Right now it is scheduled for June 25th, but that seems likely to change at some point. We can’t hold the draft until we have a draft order, and we won’t have a draft order until the NBA season finishes. If you haven’t noticed, it seems pretty unlikely that the NBA will start again until at least May.

RELATED: 2020 NBA Mock Draft 1.0

There are also questions about the way the pre-draft process will play out. Prospects will not be flying around the country to participate in workouts. They will not be going from team-to-team to conduct interviews. It seems unlikely that there is going to be a combine in mid-May, if at all. There is a real feeling amongst NBA teams that they have scouted these prospects in person for the last time.

What does that mean for the players that have declared, or will declare in the coming days and weeks?

Preseason Top 25 | Coaching Carousel | Early Entry Tracker

Well, they won’t be able to convince teams that they were capable of doing things that they weren’t allowed to do within the confines of their college team. They won’t be able to spend eight weeks doing nothing but perfecting a three-point shot to look good at the combine or during workouts. They won’t be able to show out during the NCAA tournament and turn themselves into a first round pick.

This is all new and unprecedented.

So with that in mind, a couple programming notes:

First and foremost, I am not projecting which teams will be picking in specific slots. There are just far too many question marks about right now, particularly when you consider that the NBA changed the way their lottery works this season. So for now, this is just a ranking of who I believe are the best available players.

Secondly, I don’t know that I’m actually an expert on anything, but I’m certainly not an expert on European hoops. So for now, this is less a 2020 NBA Mock Draft and more a power ranking of the best prospects in the NCAA with LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton sprinkled in. I’m sure Deni Avdija is awesome. Until he plays in the EYBL, I won’t have any feel for what he can do beyond watching the same YouTube videos you watch.

Hey, at least I’m being honest about it.

So without further ado, here is the NBC Sports 2020 NBA Mock Draft.

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2020 NBA MOCK DRAFT

1. ANTHONY EDWARDS, Georgia, SG

Details: 18 years old, 6-foot-4, 225 lbs
Key Stats: 19.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 40% FG, 29% 3PT

Edwards is the best scorer in this 2020 NBA Mock Draft. At 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan and explosive athleticism, he’s proven himself to be a dangerous three-level bucket-getter that can get hot and do things like score 33 points in a half. Ask Michigan State. He also has the physical profile of a guard that can defend two or three different positions in the NBA. It’s all there.

But Edwards is still learning how to play and how to be consistent. Far too often he settled for deep, contested threes. They looked great when he hit a couple in a row, but he shot 29 percent from three as a freshman. That speaks for itself, although part of that inefficiency absolutely stems from the load he was asked to carry. Edwards was not getting too many easy looks created for him.

There are also too many stretches where he looks disengaged in the game, whether it’s due to his lack of focus on the defensive end of his passivity offensively. He’s developed a reputation dating all the way back to his high school days for being a guy that starts slow and puts up huge second half numbers in a losing effort.

2. LAMELO BALL, Australia

Details: 18 years old, 6-foot-7, 180 lbs
Key Stats: 17 ppg, 7 apg, 7.5 rpg

I know what you’re going to think when you hear LaMelo Ball’s name. The reaction is going to be you thinking back to the little 5-foot-11 kid with braces and a blonde mohawk launching shots from halfcourt and cherry-picking against overmatched competition to try and get to 100 points in a game. You’re going to immediately think of all the things you hated about Lavar Ball, and I get it.

But Melo grew up. He’s not just the baby brother anymore. He’s now a 6-foot-7 lead guard that has all of the tools that would lead you to believe that he can be a star feature guard in the NBA. He’s a terrific passer that can make every read you want a point guard to make out of ball-screens with either hand, and he has the size to see those passes over the defense. His feel for the game and basketball IQ are elite. He’s been an inconsistent and inefficient shooter throughout his career, but he’s always been a good free throw shooter and while he certainly needs to tweak his mechanics, some of those low percentages can be explained away by the degree of difficulty of the shots he is taking.

Which leads me to what may be the most important point here: Not only is Melo one of the youngest players in this draft, he is also a late-bloomer. He’s still growing into his frame, and while I doubt he’s ever be on par with someone like Russell Westbrook, he’s definitely going to get stronger and more athletic as he matures physically and gets into an NBA strength training program. When that happens, it should help his explosiveness and ability to handle physicality. There are risks here, but I don’t think it’s crazy to say he has the highest ceiling of anyone in this draft class.

The bigger issue is the off-the-court stuff. He has a reputation, fairly or unfairly, of being a lazy defender with a lacking work ethic. Teams picking at the top of the draft will have to do their due diligence. He may have a high ceiling, but there’s also some bust potential at play. If it all works out, he could end up being the second-coming of Luka Doncic.

RELATED: 2020 NBA Mock Draft 1.0

3. JAMES WISEMAN, Memphis

Details: 19 years old, 7-foot-1, 240 pounds
Key Stats: 19.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 3.0 bpg

Wiseman has all the physical tools that you want out of a five in the modern NBA. He’s 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-6 wingspan, an exceptional athlete that can really get up and down the floor and finish above the rim. He has all the tools to be a rim protector that can guard in ball-screens and switch on the perimeter if needed. He’s not Dirk Nowitzki but he’s not Clint Capela, either — he’s shown some flashes of being capable on the perimeter.

The red flags with Wiseman are two-fold. For starters, his competitiveness has been questioned throughout his career. He hasn’t always controlled games the way someone his size should be able to. He isn’t as tough or as physical as some would like, and he seems to have a habit of trying to prove that he can play away from the basket instead of overpowering anyone that gets between him and the rim. None of these concerns were helped by his decision to quit on his Memphis team in December, halfway through a suspension for break (admittedly silly) NCAA rules.

My gut feeling on Wiseman is that if he decided he wanted to be, say, the next Myles Turner, he could end up one of the eight-to-ten best centers in the NBA. If he decides that he wants to be the next Giannis, I don’t think it will go as well.

4. OBI TOPPIN, Dayton

Details: 22 years old, 6-foot-9, 220 lbs
Key Stats: 20.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.2 bpg, 1.0 bpg, 63% FG, 39% 3PT

Toppin is one of three guys in this draft that, if I were an NBA GM, I would want to definitively be higher than the field on, and the reason for that is two-fold: On the one hand, Toppin is one of just a handful of players in this 2020 NBA Mock Draft that I believe can make a significant impact in the NBA as a rookie, and given that the top of this draft class is made up of players that are going to be drafted on their potential without having the upside of being a franchise-changing talent, I think there is value in drafting a guy with a rock-solid floor.

The reason that Toppin’s floor is so high is because of how well he fits as a role player at the next level. Anthony Grant’s offense at Dayton was as close to a modern NBA scheme as you are going to find in the college game, and the reason he is able to play that way has everything to do with Toppin’s skill set. At 6-foot-9, he’s an explosive leaper that is versatile offensively — he can hit a three, he can score off the bounce, he has a pretty good feel for the game, he’s a capable and willing passer. He also has the size and physical tools where it is conceivable that he can play the four or the five in small-ball lineups, although he’ll need some development here; he has high hips and a slender waist which casts some doubt on how well he’ll be able to put on weight and how well he can sit in a stance and guard on the perimeter. And while there is some value in being capable of guarding fours or fives, there are some valid questions about whether or not he’ll be above average guarding either.

I do think that will come with time spent in the right NBA strength and conditioning program, and the fact that he’s a late-bloomer that was just 6-foot-2 as a high school junior is relevant here as well.

I broke down why Toppin is such a good fit for Dayton’s offense last month, and all of that applies to why he’ll be such a good fit at the next level as well:

5. ONYEKA OKONGWU, USC

Details: 19 years old, 6-foot-9, 245 lbs
Key Stats: 16.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.7 bpg, 1.2 spg, 72% FT

For me, the intrigue with Okongwu is pretty simple. He is a 6-foot-9 five that is an explosive athlete with an already-sturdy frame. He produced at the college level, both as a scorer, a rebounder and a rim protector, and has shown some pretty solid post moves for a 19-year old. He can defend the rim. He’s athletic enough that being a switchable five seems like his floor. He has a soft touch around the basket, and while he’s shooting just 15-for-35 on jumpers this season, according to Synergy, he’s 9-for-19 on jumpers inside 17 feet and shooting 72 percent from the free throw line on 143 free throws.

Worst-case scenario, Okongwu turns into an off-the-bench big that provides energy, rebounding and defense. If the jumper — and, especially, the passing — comes along, he can be much more than that.

6. ISAAC OKORO, Auburn

Details: 19 years old, 6-foot-6, 225 lbs
Key Stats: 12.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.0 apg, 29% 3PT

Okoro is another guy that I would want to be higher than consensus on, because I think he has a chance to be a really good starter on an NBA team for the next 12 years. I’m not sure there is anything more valuable in the modern NBA than a wing that is a multi-positional defender, that can guard in space and that is capable of creating against a close out or in isolation, but I am sure that there is no one in this 2020 NBA Mock Draft that better fits that role than Okoro.

I don’t think it’s crazy to say that Okoro was the best perimeter defender in college basketball this season. He can guard up, he can guard down, he can move his feet, he’s already built like a pro, he’s shown the ability to block shots as a help-side defender. It’s what he hangs his hat on. But he’s also proven to be particularly adept off the dribble, where he’s a nightmare to stop once he gets a step. He can finish above the rim, but perhaps his most underrated skill is his ability to read defenses and pass the ball. He definitely is a capable and willing playmaker.

The one question mark is the shooting, but in conversations I’ve had with people that know Isaac, both at the collegiate and high school levels, the consensus is that he’s a worker. He’ll put in the hours that he needs to in order to make himself a threat from three.

Here’s a breakdown from January:

7. TYRESE HALIBURTON, Iowa State

Details: 20 years old, 6-foot-5, 175 lbs
Key Stats: 15.2 ppg, 6.5 apg, 5.9 rpg, 41.9% 3PT

Haliburton’s numbers jump off the page. At 6-foot-5, he’s a lead guard with terrific vision that can throw every pass a point guard is going to be asked to make. He’s an excellent three-point shooter that has positional size and has shown himself to be, at the very least, adequate as an on- and off-ball defender. He was the best player on the floor for Team USA at the U-19 World Championships over the summer. All of that adds up.

If there is a concern with Haliburton, it’s his physical tools. He’s not an explosive athlete and, at 175 pounds, there are valid concerns about how well he is going to handle the rigors of getting to the rim in the NBA. He also has a slow, funky release on his jumper — think Shawn Marion. Will he be able to get that shot off at the next level?

I’m high on Haliburton because, after seeing the way that elite passers like Luka Doncic, Ja Morant and Trae Young have thrived early in their NBA career, I’m willing to take the risk on a 6-foot-5 point guard that can make those passes in a year where the opportunity of rolling the dice at the top is relatively low.

8. COLE ANTHONY, North Carolina

Details: 19 years old, 6-foot-3, 190 lbs
Key Stats: 18.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.0 apg, 35% 3PT

I’m torn on Cole as a prospect. On the one hand, I love everything about the way he is wired. He’s tough, confident and competitive, the ultimate alpha. He’s a worker that will put in the hours in the gym. Given the way he grew up, he’s not going to be intimidated by anything. In an era where draft prospects are quitting their teams, what they call “shutting it down”, midseason once they’ve earned a spot near the top of the lottery, Cole fought back from a knee injury that required surgery to get back on the court and fight with his team despite the fact that they really don’t have much left to play for during the season.

I respect that. If I’m an NBA GM, I want players wired that way.

The problem with Cole is the way that he plays. He’s tough and athletic, but given his average height and length, he’s more or less going to have to guard point guards at the next level. I’m not sure he’s quite good enough to be the guy in the NBA that he has been throughout his career. He plays like Russell Westbrook, a hyper-kinetic athlete that is a streaky, sometimes inefficient shooter with a limited passing range that has a habit of dribbling the air out of the ball and shooting his team out of games on off nights. He’ll be 20 years old by the time he’s drafted. How much more room is there for him to change?

What I will say is this: Anthony did become a better passer later in the season, as he gained more confidence in his teammates and after he went through a stretch where he was shooting the Tar Heels out of games. That’s a good sign, but I still have my doubts.

NBA DRAFT PROSPECT PROFILES

9. TYRESE MAXEY, Kentucky

Details: 19 years old, 6-foot-3, 198 pounds
Key Stats: 14.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, 29% 3PT

Taking a risk on Maxey this high in the 2020 NBA Mock Draft means betting on the fact that his 29 percent three-point shooting as a freshman has more to do with adjusting to the college level than it does his actual shooting ability. Coming through high school, Maxey had the reputation for being a big-time scorer because of his ability to make deep jumpers off the bounce and because of the way that he can finish around the rim with a variety of floaters and layups.

And while he would show flashes of being the dominant scorer Kentucky needed him to be, the Wildcats late-season surge was a direct result of Immanuel Quickley’s improvement, not Maxey finding consistency. We spent the entire season saying “just wait until Maxey finds his stroke” and he never really did. He needs to be able to make that shot because the rest of his game is somewhat limited. He’s not a natural creator, he’s wired to score more than anything else, and he certainly isn’t an elite athlete by NBA combo-guard standards, although he is a pretty good on-ball defender. He’s also a worker, and by all accounts a great kid and competitor. I think there’s a real chance his ceiling is as a second-unit scorer, but if it all comes together I can see him putting together a career on par with Lou Williams.

10. SADDIQ BEY, Villanova

Details: 20 years old, 6-foot-8, 216 lbs
Key Stats: 16.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.4 apg, 45% 3PT
Full Scouting Report

Saddiq Bey is the third guy that I would want to be higher than anyone on, because I think that he has a chance to be one of the best players to come out of this 2020 NBA Mock Draft. Bey is something of a late-bloomer. He’s was a 6-foot-1 guard when he was a sophomore, and according to the Villanova coaching staff, he has actually grown an inch or two since he arrived on campus. He’s listed at 6-foot-8 and may be closer to 6-foot-9 by the time it’s all said and done.

Bey’s shooting ability speaks for itself. He hit 45 percent of his threes while shooting more than five per game, and he finished in the 98th percentile nationally in spot-up shooting, according to Synergy. He has shown some playmaking ability, and while he’s not much of an off-the-dribble shooter at this point in his development, he is capable of playing as the handler in ball-screen actions. Most importantly, as we have seen with the wings that have come out of the Villanova program of late, they just know how to play. You won’t see the floor there if you don’t, and given the fact that Bey was asked to be the do-it-all point guard on his high school team, he has experience being more than just a scorer.

But the thing that has really stood out about Bey since he arrived on the Main Line is his ability to defend. He’s the best defender in the program, and while Villanova has not always been known for how they guard, they were the second-best defensive team in the Big East behind Seton Hall, who was a top-eight defense nationally. They’ve put him on lightening quick point guards like Devon Dotson and Kamar Baldwin, and Villanova’s tendency to switch means that Bey has spent plenty of time guarding bigs as well.

So what we have here is a multi-positional defender that shoots the cover off the ball and can be a playmaker off the bounce. I think he’s just as good of a prospect as Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo, Eric Paschall and Josh Hart, and all four of those guys have turned into players that will last in the NBA for a while. Bey is next in line.

11. R.J. HAMPTON, Australia

Details: 19 years old, 6-foot-5, 188 lbs
Key Stats: 9.5 ppg, 2.5 apg, 1.3 spg, 31.7% 3PT

Hampton is a kid that has quite a bit of potential, but he’ll need time to develop at the next level. He’s a 6-foot-5 guard that can play on or off the ball, but needs to continue to develop his ball-handling and his perimeter jumper to be able to do either at the NBA level. He has the length, quickness and athleticism to be able to defend either backcourt spot in time, but he is something of a late-bloomer that needs to put on some weight and strength. He’ll try defensively, too, but he needs to be coached up. Again, that will come with time.

The biggest concern I have with Hampton — who played this past season in Australia — is that I’m not sure if he has an elite skill yet.

12. DEVIN VASSELL, Florida State

Details: 19 years old, 6-foot-6, 180 lbs
Key Stats: 12.7 ppg, 1.4 spg, 1.0 bpg, 42% 3PT

Vassell was one of the breakout stars of the ACC, leading a good Florida State team in scoring and doubles as their best three-point shooter. He’s got the size and the length to be a good defender at the NBA level, and he’s proven to be a playmaker on that end of the floor — he averaged 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks. Playing for Leonard Hamilton, you can be sure he got plenty of reps switching defensively and guarding bigger and smaller players. He’s not much of a playmaker on the offensive end, and at 180 pounds, he definitely needs to add some weight to his frame. But he’s precisely what you look for as a 3-and-D wing. In a 2020 NBA Mock Draft where it’s hard to find sure things, Vassell, on paper, seems to be as close to a known quantity as you are going to get in this range.

13. PRECIOUS ACHIUWA, Memphis

Details: 20 years old, 6-foot-9, 225 lbs
Key Stats: 15.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 1.1 spg, 33% 3PT

The biggest question mark for me when it comes to Achiuwa is whether or not he is going embrace what he actually is. For my money, he’s something of a poor man’s Bam Adebayo, a big man that can be used at the four and, ideally, as a small-ball five. He plays hard, he has a 7-foot-2 wingspan and he’s proven himself as a rebounder. He also has some perimeter skill, and he did make some threes this season. There’s a market for that in the NBA, and it’s a role Achiuwa should be able to thrive in.

But is that what he wants to be? Or does he think that he’s a three? The potential is there for Achiuwa to be effective as a face-up forward against bigger, slower centers. I’m not sure the same can be said for him as a three. Remember, Achiuwa will turn 21 years old before he plays in his first NBA game. He was a freshman this season and he is just two months younger than Kaleb Wesson, who was a junior. If Achiuwa embraces who he is, he has a long and profitable basketball career in front of him.

14. NICO MANNION, Arizona

Details: 19 years old, 6-foot-3, 190 lbs
Key Stats: 14.0 ppg, 5.3 apg, 33% 3PT

I’m not sure whether or not Mannion will actually get drafted this high, but I’m willing to rank him this high because of what his floor is in a draft where there are a number of prospects that could end up being total busts. To me, Mannion has the same kind of prospect profile as the likes of Jalen Brunson, or Fred VanVleet, or T.J. McConnell, or Ryan Arcidiacono. He’s a guy that, at worst, will spend a decade playing in the NBA as a backup point guard because of his basketball IQ, his ability to makes shots and the fact that he can operate in a pick-and-roll.

My concern with drafting him this high is that he doesn’t really have an NBA skill. He’s a good athlete but not a great athlete, and that isn’t helped by the fact that his wingspan is reportedly 6-foot-2.5. He’s not great at beating defenders off the dribble in the halfcourt, which is a problem for an NBA point guard. He’s a good shooter but he’s not a great shooter. He’s a high-level passer but he’s not Trae Young or Luka Doncic. He tries defensively but he just doesn’t have the physical tools to be a lockdown defender. I’m just not sure what he does that truly sets him apart, and the fact that he was the leader of an Arizona team that kept losing games they shouldn’t lose is concerning.

15. AARON NESMITH, Vanderbilt

Details: 20 years old, 6-foot-6, 213 lbs
Key Stats: 23 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 52.2% 3PT, 8.2 3PAs

Again, this one is pretty simple for me. Nesmith is a 6-foot-6 wing with a 6-foot-10 wingspan that was shooting a ridiculous 52.2% from three while taking more than eight threes per game before suffering a foot injury that ended his season. He’s not the most explosive athlete, but he was one of the most improved players in the country before he got hurt. I’m willing to take a bet on a guard with those measureables when he’s a hard enough worker to go from 33.7 percent shooting as a freshman to this. That’s the kind of leap that Buddy Hield made heading into his senior season. Nesmith is just a sophomore.

That said, Hield won at a significantly higher clip than Nesmith did, and Hield did it against Big 12 competition. Nesmith’s season was cut short before he really got into the teeth of SEC play. But I’d be willing to roll the dice on his shooting carrying him to a role in the league.

16. ISAIAH STEWART, Washington

Details: 18 years old, 6-foot-9, 250 lbs
Key Stats: 17.0 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.1 bpg, 77% FT

What you see is what you get with Stewart. He’s a tireless rebounder that, at 250 pounds of solid muscle, is ready to compete in the paint against NBA bigs right now. He’s a good post scorer that has shown some glimpses of being able to make threes — the Washington staff will tell you he’s lights out in practice. That’s the good. The bad is that he is an undersized center at 6-foot-9 that doesn’t have the length or explosiveness to be able to protect the rim at the NBA level, and while he’ll put in the effort to guard on the perimeter, he has never really shown that ability. Playing in that Washington zone hasn’t helped quell those concerns, either. He’s tough, he has a motor, he’s really good at the things that he does well, but if he’s not going to protect the rim or guard on the perimeter, where does he fit in the modern NBA?

I also think Stewart is the kind of guy that will be hurt by the fact that there won’t be any workouts. He’s an impressive interview that could show off his shooting and, at least in theory, prove what he can do defensively.

17. PATRICK WILLIAMS, Florida State

Details: 18 years old, 6-foot-8, 225 lbs
Key Stats: 9.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 32% 3PT

The numbers look fairly pedestrian, admittedly, but putting them in context is important: Williams was coming off the bench for a Florida State team that goes 11 deep and gives everyone pretty equal minutes. No one ever puts up huge numbers in a Leonard Hamilton program. What they do is incubate players that project as role guys in the league. At 6-foot-8, Williams is a terrific athlete and a burgeoning defender and that can protect the rim and guard out on the perimeter when needed. And while the shooting stroke was somewhat inconsistent this past season, the potential is there — he did shoot 84 percent from three this year.

18. JADEN MCDANIELS, Washington

Details: 19 years old, 6-foot-10, 200 lbs
Key Stats: 13.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.4 bpg, 34% 3PT

On the one hand, it is very easy to see why McDaniels is such a tantalizing prospect. Players with his size and his length aren’t supposed to be able to do the things that he does on the perimeter. He has impressive handle, he can knock down tough perimeter jumpers and every once in a while he will do something during a game that will make it to the House of Highlights page. His ‘wow’ moments pop.

On the other hand, McDaniels is 200 pounds soaking wet with slender shoulders and skinny legs. He hasn’t handled contact all that well this season, and he is not all that explosive of an athlete. And during Pac-12 play, all of the red flags came to the forefront. Emotional outbursts led to far too many technical fouls. He led the Pac-12 in fouls and turnovers. He averaged just 11 points during conference play. He was benched for the last ten games, and Washington wasn’t definitively better with him on the floor.

He’s a lottery ticket in this 2020 NBA mock draft.

19. JALEN SMITH, Maryland

Details: 20 years old, 6-foot-10, 225 lbs
Key Stats: 15.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.4 bpg, 37 3PT%

Stix Smith was one of the best players in college basketball over the course of the last month. He’s a pogo-stick athletically that stsrted to make threes on a consistent basis. I’m worried about his frame — he checks in at 225 pounds, but looks like he’s closer to 200 pounds — and I’m not sure how much of a weapon he is offensively beyond being a spot-up shooter. Defensively, he can protect the rim, but will that translate to the NBA, where every five he goes up against will have 20 pounds on him? And while he is a terrific athlete, he plays stiff and upright. I’m not sure how well he will use that athleticism without a runway for takeoff.

All that said, over the course of the last eight weeks of the season, Smith’s potential turned into production. It was the biggest reason Maryland looked like one of the best teams in the country down the stretch. I’m willing to bet on him at the back end of the first round.

20. TRE JONES, Duke

Details: 20 years old, 6-foot-3, 185 lbs
Key Stats: 16.2 ppg, 6.4 apg, 1.8 spg, 36.1% 3PT

Jones is a really good passer, a terrific defender and the kind of point guard that checks all the cliche boxes about being a winner, a leader and a facilitator. He was the ACC Player of the Year and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. His box score numbers were impressive, and his impact on basketball games goes well beyond the box score.

But more importantly, his jump shot showed real, tangible improvement. Jones made 36 percent of his threes and shot four of them per night. In catch-and-shoot situations, he made 40 percent of his jumpers and hit them at a 1.18 points-per-possession clip (or a 59% eFG, which was in the 82nd percentile nationally). His pull-up game isn’t there yet, but if he went from being a guy that teams flat-out did not guard beyond 12 feet as a freshman to a 36 percent shooter as a sophomore, whose to say his pull-up game won’t be next?

If Jones never gets any better, if this is who he is for the rest of his basketball career, he’s a backup point guard in the league until he doesn’t want to play anymore. If he continues to develop his shot, however, he could end up being a starting point guard. I find it hard to believe this kid isn’t going to keep getting better. In a draft like this, that’s great value this late.

21. JAHMI’US RAMSEY, Texas Tech

Details: 18 years old, 6-foot-4, 195 lbs
Key Stats: 15.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 43% 3PT

I’ve gone through stages with Ramsey. I loved him in high school. I was frustrated by him early on in his college career, as Texas Tech worked through figuring out what the best way to use him is. What they’ve settled on is as a scorer and an elite shot-maker. The big red flag for me is that I expected Ramsey to play the Jarrett Culver-Keenan Evans role for Texas Tech, but he’s not that guy because he is not on their level at creating out of ball-screens or as a passer. Since he is only 6-foot-4, that’s something to monitor in the longterm.

But he’s a bouncy athlete that can play in transition, shoots the cover off of the ball and should be able to attack closeouts. The two major question marks are on the defensive end of the floor and shooting off of the dribble, but those are things that can be improved with time. He’s not the player that I thought he would be, but he’s still good enough that using a top 25 pick on him makes sense.

22. KIRA LEWIS Jr., Alabama

Details: 18 years old, 6-foot-3, 165 lbs
Key Stats: 18.5 ppg, 5.2 apg, 4.8 rpg, 1.7 spg, 37% 3PT

Lewis checks a lot of boxes. He’s young for a sophomore — he enrolled at Alabama as a 17-year old and won’t turn 19 until April — and he put up huge numbers for an Alabama team that is built to run, run, run and shoot nothing but threes and layups. He also shot 37 percent from three for the second consecutive season. He’s slender, he’s turnover prone and part of the reason he produced as much as he did this season was because of the pace that Alabama played at. He’s worth a first round pick, especially considering his age.

23. CASSIUS WINSTON, Michigan State

Details: 22 years old, 6-foot-1, 185 lbs
Key Stats: 18.6 ppg, 5.9 apg, 43% 3PT

Winston did not have the season many of us expected him to have as a senior — understandably, given the death of his brother in November — but he still put up All-American numbers for a team that won a share of the Big Ten regular season title. He was playing his best basketball down the stretch, and he still have the highest basketball IQ of anyone in this 2020 NBA mock draft. He’s an elite passer and shooter that thrives in ball-screens. Yes, the defense and athleticism are concerns, but we said the same thing about numerous point guards that have made careers out of being backup point guards. Winston is the next in that pipeline.

24. JOSH GREEN, Arizona

Details: 19 years old, 6-foot-6, 210 lbs
Key Stats: 12.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 36% 3PT

Green is a consistent jumper away from being a guy that can stick in the league as a role player for a decade. He’s really athletic, he’s terrific in transition and he’s a willing defender that gives effort. He can be coached up on that end. But he was limited as a scorer in the half court — 1.19 PPP in transition vs. 0.825 in the half court — and part of that is due to the fact that he shot just 33.3 percent on jumpers in half court offense.

25. VERNON CAREY, Duke

Details: 18 years old, 6-foot-10, 250 lbs
Key Stats: 17.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 38% 3PT

Carey has proven himself as a terrific low-post scorer and has actually shown off a nice touch from the perimeter. He is left-hand dominant, but that’s something that can be worked on. To be frank, I’m not really all that concerned about the offensive side of the ball with Carey. The biggest issue for Carey is that he is not all that explosive and he is not all that quick, even with the weight he shed during the offseason. He’s struggled in ball-screen coverages and he does not profile as a rim protector at the NBA level. If you can’t guard the rim and you can’t guard ball-screens, where do you fit defensively in the NBA?

26. XAVIER TILLMAN, Michigan State

Details: 21 years old, 6-foot-8, 245 lbs
Key Stats: 13.7 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.1 bpg, 1.2 spg

I may be out on a limb here, but I truly believe that Tillman is worth a first round pick, especially in this year’s draft class. There’s really two reasons for this: For starters, he is a terrific passer. No one in college basketball is better than making the right play in a 4-on-3 scenario when the defense traps a pick-and-roll ball-handler than Tillman. But he is also an excellent defender that can really read the game. Talk to people around the Michigan State program and they’ll tell you he ran everything defensively. It was his voice that teammates heard. Now, the major question mark is his size. At just 6-foot-8, can he defend fives? Is he quick enough to play the four? If we knew for a fact that the answer to both of those questions would be ‘yes, and he can do it very well,’ I would have him slotted as a top 20 pick.

The first clip here shows how effective he can be as the fulcrum of an offense. The second? Men his size aren’t supposed to be able to avoid a charge like that. pic.twitter.com/5EUGu4EUql

— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) January 4, 2020

27. DANIEL OTURU, Minnesota

Details: 20 years old, 6-foot-10, 240 lbs
Key Stats: 20.1 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.5 bpg, 37% 3PT

In a league where seemingly every team had a dominant interior player, Daniel Oturu has been arguably the best two-way center in the Big Ten. The numbers that he put up speak for themselves. He was one of the most improved players in the country. He doesn’t have the greatest feel for the game, and he’s something of a blackhole when he does get the ball in his hands, but he has shown off a bit of three-point range and is actually able to put the ball on the floor and make things happen off the bounce. I think his fit as a five in the NBA is better than some of the bigs slotted in front of him.

28. ZEKE NNAJI, Arizona

Details: 19 years old, 6-foot-11, 240 lbs
Key Stats: 16.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 0.9 bpg

Nnaji is the most explosive big in this 2020 NBA mock draft class. He’s really, really athletic, and his second jump is something to behold. His production speaks for itself, even if some of it has to due with Arizona’s pace and the play of Nico Mannion. That said, I’m down on Nnaji compared to the rest of the field because I think that he’s somewhat limited defensively. He has a tendency for getting lost guarding ball-screens and he is not a very good rim protector. Can those things be coached up enough to make him worth being picked over the likes of Daniel Oturu, Isaiah Stewart or Jalen Smith?

29. DEVON DOTSON, Kansas

Details: 20 years old, 6-foot-1, 185 lbs
Key Stats: 18.1 ppg, 4.0 apg, 4.1 rpg, 2.3 spg, 31% 3PT

At some point it just becomes impossible to ignore the production. Dotson averaged 18-4-4 for the best team in college basketball, showcasing the ability to get to the rim almost at will while playing tough, aggressive on-ball defense for the best defensive team in the sport. There are some concerns — he’s very right hand-dominant, he shot 31 percent from three, he’s not physically imposing — but he’s worth a flier in this draft class.

30. UDOKA AZUBUIKE, Kansas

Details: 20 years old, 7-foot, 250 lbs
Key Stats:13.7 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.6 bpg, 75% FG, 44% FT

I don’t think that it’s crazy to say that Doke helped his professional outlook more than any player in college basketball this season. He was the most dominant defensive force in the sport. His ability to control the paint was unmatched, but he shed enough weight and improved his footspeed enough that he was able to shutdown pick-and-roll actions playing drop coverage, something we are seeing more of in the NBA.

The big question is if he is quick enough to be able to do that at the professional level as well, because he is never going to be a threat to do anything offensively more than four feet away from the rim and he’ll always be a Hack-a-Doke risk given his free throw shooting.

But a year ago, I would have said there was no chance that Azubuike could play in the NBA. None. And now I think that he’ll be an effective piece for a team that is creative in the way they use him in certain matchups.

31. CASSIUS STANLEY, Duke

Details: 20 years old, 6-foot-6, 193 lbs
Key Stats: 12.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 36% 3PT

Stanley is one of the most explosive athletes in this draft class. He’s a guy that projects as a plus-defender as a result. If you assume that his 36 percent three-point shooting is for real, he’s a solid 3-and-D wing prospect that could find a way onto a roster. His shooting mechanics are a little funky, and he was flat-out bad shooting off the dribble, but he was in the 87th percentile nationally on all jump shots at 1.099 PPP and the 93rd percentile nationally on catch-and-shoot jumpers at 1.312 PPP, according to Synergy.

32. YVES PONS, Tennessee

Details: 21 years old, 6-foot-6, 215 lbs
Key Stats: 10.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.4 bpg, 35% 3PT

Pons is the best athlete and the best defender in this entire 2020 NBA mock draft class. You often hear things like “he can guard all five positions” which tends to be an exaggeration. Not for Pons. He can, quite literally, guard any point guard, any center and anyone in between. He can play the four, and at times even the five, in small-ball lineups in the NBA to great effect. What makes him even more intriguing is that he shot 42 percent on unguarded catch-and-shoot threes. I think this is the most important number when it comes to his three-point shooting, because these are the face-up, step-in threes that he’ll be shooting at the next level.

The thing about Pons is that he played the three as a sophomore. As a junior, he was Tennessee’s four, which meant that instead of coming off of screens to get a shot, he was stepping into them as a trailing big or catching and shooting as a floor-spacer. This is the role he would play in the league.

Put it all together, and I’ll buy on a player that has an elite NBA skill with the potential to fill out his game to be effective in a role.

33. PAUL REED, DePaul

Details: 20 years old, 6-foot-9, 220 lbs
Key Stats: 15.1 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 2.6 bpg, 1.9 spg

Here’s what you need to know about Paul Reed right now: Since Shane Battier left school in 2001, there have been two high-major players that have averaged at least 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals in the same season: Matisse Thybulle and Nerlens Noel. Noel is the only other high-major player to average 1.9 steals and 2,5 blocks. While Reed is shooting just 16-for-52 from three this season, he shot 40.5 percent from beyond the arc as a sophomore and has been a 75 percent free throw shooter the last two years. Size, length, athleticism, defensive playmaking, defensive versatility and a shot at being a shooter, too? I’m in, even with DePaul’s late-season swoon.

34. AYO DOSUNMU, Illinois

Details: 20 years old, 6-foot-5, 185 lbs
Key Stats: 16.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 30% 3PT

Dosunmu is a tough player to project. On the one hand, he has all the physical tools to be a capable combo-guard in the NBA, and he proved himself as a slasher and clutch-shot maker as a sophomore. On the other hand, in a year where he was trying to prove to NBA scouts that he can be a consistent three-point shooter, his numbers dipped from 35 percent to under 30 percent. He has a reputation for being a worker and a good locker room guy, and given his ability to defend both backcourt positions, I certainly think it’s reasonable to bet on him getting better as a shooter in the second round.

35. MALACHI FLYNN, San Diego State

Details: 21 years old, 6-foot-1, 185 lbs
Key Stats: 17.6 ppg, 5.1 apg, 4.5 rpg, 37% 3PT

Flynn is in a tough spot. On the one hand, he just finished his fourth season in college by having an All-American campaign while leading the Aztecs to a 30-2 record and the brink of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. He turns 22 in May. It makes sense for him to leave now, striking while the iron is hot.

But just how hot is that iron, so to speak? Flynn is a plus-shooter that shines in ball-screens and thrived in an offense that was built entirely around his ability to do those two things. But he’s 6-foot-1, somewhat limited physically and looking at being a preseason first-team All-American if he returns to school.

At this point, I think that he is what he is as a player — a career NBA backup with a chance to get a couple of contracts in the NBA doing just that.

36. JORDAN NWORA, Louisville

Details: 21 years old, 6-foot-7, 225 lbs
Key Stats: 18.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 40.2% 3PT

Nwora has the size, the length and the shooting ability to make it as a wing in the NBA. He’s a better leaper than he gets credit for because of his reputation for being a subpar athlete, but where that lacking athleticism is seen functionally is in his ability to defend. He’s not that quick laterally, and that’s a concern for a guy that will theoretically be twos and threes in the NBA.

37. GRANT RILLER, Charleston

Details: 23 years old, 6-foot-3, 190 lbs
Key Stats: 21.9 ppg, 3.9 apg, 36% 3PT

Riller is just a bucket-getter. He’s crafty off the bounce, he can finish around the basket and he is a capable three-point shooter. He also has positional size to play lead guard in the NBA. What’s the downside of drafting him in the second round and seeing what he develops into?

38. MAMADI DIAKITE, Virginia

Details: 23 years old, 6-foot-9, 224 lbs
Key Stats: 13.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 36.4% 3PT

Diakite is 23 years old, he’s not overly physical, he has never been a great rebounder and he’s a better rim protector in theory than in practice, so I get it. But also understand that he has been Virginia’s best three-point shooter this season, the guy that was used in actions that Tony Bennett ran for Kyle Guy last year, and he’s a 6-foot-9 switchable four. I’ll forever be on the Mamadi bandwagon.

39. KALEB WESSON, Ohio State

Details: 20 years old, 6-foot-9, 250 lbs
Key Stats: 14.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.9 apg, 42.5% 3PT

Wesson is the guy that was helped the most by testing the waters of the NBA draft last year. He shed some weight, he’s gotten much better as a defender in ball-screen actions and he’s still a bully on the block that can really pass and knockdown threes. He’s got a shot to stick.

40. MYLES POWELL, Seton Hall

Details: 22 years old, 6-foot-1, 195 lbs
Key Stats: 21.0 ppg, 2.9 apg, 30.6% 3PT

Powell’s efficiency numbers were way down this year, but he has dealt with some injuries. I’m mostly buying on him the way I bought on Carsen Edwards — whose efficiency suffered before exploding in the NCAA tournament — last season. He’s tough as nails, he can shoot off the dribble or off the catch, and he’ll put in the effort defensively.

A Mid-Michigan College coach faces two assault charges after one of his players told police he tried to kiss her twice in the same evening.

Robert Allen Robinson, 43, of St. Louis, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of assault and battery Feb. 18. Assault and battery carries a 93-day jail sentence and/or a fine of $500. His trial is scheduled for May 12.

Robinson was suspended by MMC after officers with the Mt. Pleasant Police Department opened an investigation into just what happened on Jan. 29.

That night, Robinson texted one of his players and told her that he’d hit a deer on his way home and told her that if she helped him out she could harvest some of the venison.

He picked her up from her apartment on the southern end of Mt. Pleasant, but they were unsuccessful in finding the deer’s carcass.

When he drove her home, the woman said he tried to kiss her two or three times. Eventually, to get away, she told police she hit him in the chest.

He told police that he hugged her, but at first denied kissing her, according to the police report. Later, he told police he’d kissed her on the cheek.

Robinson is represented by Jeffrey Lynch of Mt. Pleasant. He is currently out of jail on personal recognizance.

READ MORE:

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The Albuquerque Police Department’s records staff initially told the Journal they could not find the report when it was requested last week, but an APD spokesman released it Monday.

Both Bragg’s name as the suspect and the victim’s name are mostly – although not entirely – redacted throughout the report. However, enough of the details of the allegation can be read to understand that on Nov. 5, a 20-year-old woman reported that after an evening of drinking and partying on Aug. 10, 2019, Bragg allegedly held her down on a bed, kept kissing her and tried to unbutton her pants multiple times throughout the night.

According to the report, the woman told investigators she “was in fear that Carlton was going to rape her.”

Bragg, when interviewed by police on Dec. 5, said the woman came on to him that night because “he was a tall basketball player” and that it was “not the first time,” according to the report.

As part of the investigation, police took into evidence several videos the woman recorded on her phone on the night in question – video that police reviewed and handed over to the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office.

Bragg has not been charged with a crime and UNM on Friday said that after a review of the case, it feels confident in reinstating him.

A second Lobo basketball player – J.J. Caldwell – remains suspended after an allegation of violence with an ex-girlfriend at Lobo Village on Dec. 14. Caldwell has not been charged with a crime, either.

UNM will not comment on why it decided to reinstate Bragg. It has said it was not made aware of the incident until Dec. 19 when it was told of the allegations against both Caldwell and Bragg.

……………………………………………………….

The police report indicates witnesses in the Bragg case, including at least one athlete from another UNM Lobo team, were interviewed by police in late November and early December. The case was investigated by the Albuquerque Police Department sex crimes unit before being forwarded to the DA’s Office for possible prosecution for attempted criminal sexual penetration.

On Friday, the 2nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office sent the review of both cases out of its office in Albuquerque to the 12th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Alamogordo. Bernalillo County District Attorney Raúl Torrez’s wife, Nasha Torrez, is the Dean of Students at UNM and handles all student discipline matters. Last week, she was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by Caldwell against UNM, claiming the school violated his right to due process.

According to the incident report on Bragg released Monday, the woman visited the Family Advocacy Center on Nov. 5, 2019, to report an attempted rape.

She said that almost three months earlier – on Aug. 10 – she had gone to the Salt Yard bar with her friend, her friend’s boyfriend (Bragg) and another friend. She said she doesn’t usually drink, but that night she had two shots of tequila before they went out.

After the Salt Yard closed, the group went to an after party and continued to drink. At some point, they decided the woman would sleep at Bragg’s girlfriend’s apartment and Bragg’s girlfriend would sleep at another apartment in the same complex.

The woman said she was lying on her friend’s bed, looking at her phone, when (name redacted) arrived at the apartment and let himself in. She said (redacted) placed all of his weight on her back and “reached around to the front of her pants trying to get to her button. He began kissing her neck and playing with her hair.”

She said she told him to stop, and that she was seeing one of his Lobo basketball teammates, and he was dating her friend.

She said that he stopped and he told her that it would not happen again.

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But later on, she said he returned to the apartment, “pushed her on the bed and tried to take off her pants six times throughout the night. He wouldn’t allow her to get up off the bed and held her down with his body weight.”

The reports describes audio and video taken by the woman. In the video, Bragg appears to be trying to kiss the woman more than once and she is heard telling him to stop.

At one point, Bragg appears to be standing over the woman and telling her he is not really in a relationship when a knock can be heard on the door and a female asks: “Are you good? What’s going on in there?” The woman responds: “Nothing. Are you good? We will talk in the morning.”

The report also indicates that after initially talking with police on the phone, Bragg asked to meet with an officer in person, but then did not show up for the in-person interview.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – New details reveal why Lobo basketball player Carlton Bragg was suspended from the team last month.

According to a police report, Bragg is accused of attempted rape.

According to that report, a woman says in August after a night of drinking, Bragg held her down, kissed her and kept trying to unbutton her pants.

She says she kept saying no and told him she was his girlfriend’s best friend. She told police she was afraid she was going to be raped and recorded the alleged incident on her cellphone.

Bragg has not been charged with a crime and the District Attorney in Alamogordo is investigating because the wife of Bernalillo County DA Raul Torrez is the University of New Mexico’s Dean of Students.

Bragg served a three-game suspension from the Lobos, but has since been cleared to play and is expected to play Tuesday when the Lobos take on Fresno State.

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Draylon Deshune Johnson, a 2018 football standout for the Aztecs, pleaded not guilty on Monday in Victorville.

VICTORVILLE — An 18-year-old man arrested at Barstow High School last week has been charged by prosecutors with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit a crime.

Draylon Deshune Johnson, a former standout football player, appeared via video before San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Susan Slater in a Victorville courtroom Monday afternoon and pleaded not guilty to the charges, court records show.

Slater set bail at $1 million for Johnson, who had a public defender appointed to his case.

Barstow police Captain Andy Espinoza Jr. said Johnson and two teenagers were arrested in connection to a shooting in Barstow in the early morning hours of Jan. 4. The teenagers are 15 and 17 year old.

Espinoza said an officer took a report from the victim around 2:45 p.m. on Jan. 4, and learned that the victim heard several gunshots and a vehicle “speed from the 200 block of East Main Street.”

“The victim stated that his vehicle was struck by several bullets and provided Officer (Ruben) Escalante with several bullet casings that were collected from the area of the shooting,” Espinoza said in a statement.

The vehicle was processed for evidence. Further investigation conducted by Det. Matthew Helms revealed that the shooting was allegedly over a stolen bicycle, according to Espinoza.

The victim said he reviewed video surveillance that showed the 15 year old stealing a customer’s bicycle. He then sent the teen a message on social media asking that the bike be returned.

“During the social media conversation, the 17 year old sent the victim a threatening message,” Espinoza said. “Shortly after, the shooting occurred…”

Authorities obtained the video of the alleged theft and were able to link the teens to the crime.

Espinoza said detectives located the 17 year old at a gym in Silver Lakes, where he was detained. He was arrested Jan. 7 at his home in Helendale on suspicion of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit a crime.

Espinoza said the bicycle, a gun, bullets, casings and “other items of evidence” were seized from the home.

“The firearm seized during the search warrant matched the caliber of the casings that were located at the shooting scene and appears to be the same firearm that was depicted in the threatening photograph and message sent through social media,” Espinoza said.

Further investigation revealed the teens planned to shoot and kill the victim, and that Johnson was with the teens at the time of the shooting, Espinoza said.

Johnson was located at the high school on Jan. 9 and arrested at approximately 10:39 a.m.

The 15 year old was arrested at approximately 12:05 p.m. that same day as he was walking in the 2000 block of Sequoia Drive.

Both teens were booked at High Desert Juvenile Detention and Assessment Center in Apple Valley.

Johnson, who is currently being held at High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto, is due back in court Thursday for a pre-preliminary hearing.

Johnson, according to MaxPreps.com rosters, previously played football at Barstow High and at Riverside Preparatory High School in Oro Grande.

In 2018, Johnson was listed on Barstow’s MaxPreps.com roster as 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, the same information listed on booking records. That season, Johnson was named to the Desert Sky League’s First Team as a defensive lineman.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Helms at 760-255-5132. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the WeTip hotline at 800-782-7436 or visit www.WeTip.com.

Jose Quintero may be reached at 760-951-6274 or JQuintero@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DP_JoseQ.

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>> FROM WXII 12 NEWS, THIS IS BREAKING NEWS. MARGARET: BREAKING NEWS ON THE WHITE HOUSE CAMPAIGN TRAIL. DEMOCRAT CORY BOOKER HAS DROPPED OUT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE. BOCA RELEASED A STATEMENT THAT HE WAS ENDING THE CAMPAIGN, WHOSE MESSAGE OF UNITY AND LOVE FAILED TO GAIN TRACTION IN A POLITICAL ERA MARKED BY CHAOS AND ANXIETY. THE U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW JERSEY HAD STRUGGLED IN POLLING AND FUNDRAISING SINCE LAUNCHING HIS BID LAST FEBRUARY. HE DIDN’T HIT THE REQUIRED 5% IN POLLING TO QUALIFY FOR TOMORROW’S PRIMARY DEBATE IN IOWA ALSO BREAKING RIGHT NOW AT NOON, WE HAVE LEARNED THAT CHARGES HAVE BEEN FILED AGAINST A PERSON WHO HIT A DEPUTY WITH THEIR CAR. THIS HAPPENED AT CHURCHLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AS STUDENTS ARRIVED FOR CLASS THIS MORNING. THAT’S ON HIGHWAY 150. WE’RE TOLD THE DEPUTY WAS DIRECTING TRAFFIC AT THE TIME. INVESTIGATORS HAVEN’T SAID HOW BADLY THAT DEPUTY WAS HURT IT IS ALSO NOT CLEAR IF THE DRIVER INVOLVED STOPPED AT THE SCENE. WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE DAVIDSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE FOR MORE INFORMATION. HAPPENING NOW, THREE ROWAN COUNTY TEACHERS ARE NOW ACCUSED OF SENDING SEXUALLY EXPLICIT PICTURES TO A STUDENT. DEPUTIES ARRESTED DONOVAN HERNANDEZ AND JUSTIN AVERY TODAY. ETHAN GROSE IS ALREADY IN CUSTODY. INVESTIGATORS SAY ALL 3 TAUGHT AT WEST ROWAN MIDDLE SCHOOL IN SALISBURY. THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT SAYS A STUDENT CAME FORWARD, AFTER RECEIVING AND SENDING INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA APPS FROM THE MEN. ALL 3 ARE CHARGED WITH INDECENT LIBERTIES WITH A MINOR LET’S TURN NOW TO YOUR WEATHER FORECAST. WE ARE LOOKING LIVE OVER GREENSBORO THIS AFTERNOON. METEOROLOGIST CARLA CASSIDY JOINS US. IT IS BEEN A RAINY MORNING ACROSS THE PIEDMONT TRIAD, CARLY. CARLY: SHOTS RIGHT, CLOUDY AND GLOOMY, DREARY, MAKES IT FEEL MORE LIKE A MONDAY. BEN IS ALL THE CLOUD COVER AND THE RATE, TEMPERATURE WISE, IT IS MILD AND UNSEASONABLY WARM. 69 IN WINSTON-SALEM, 55 IN MARTINSVILLE, 53 IN GALAX. ALL OF US ARE WELL ABOVE OR WE TYPICALLY ARE FOR OUR AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. GREENSBORO IS RARELY HAVE THE HEAVIER ACTIVITY. I HAVE THIS STOPPED THE MOTION SO YOU CAN SEE THE DIAGONAL LINE ACROSS THE AREA. BUT NOT ALL OF THIS IS FALLING TO THE GROUND, IT IS PICKING UP ON THE CLOUD COVER. ALL THE MOISTURE YOU SAW HANGING OVER IN THE AIR. THERE IT IS MAKING ITS WAY IT OFF TOWARDS THE NORTH OR EAST. IT WILL CONTINUE IN THAT TREND. THE HEAVIER RAINFALL LICKETY-SPLIT TO THE GROUND STAYS FURTHER OFF TO TFURTHER TO YOU ARE, YOU WILL NOT FIND QUITE AS MUCH OF THE RAIN FOR NOW. WE STILL KEEP THE RAIN CHANCE WITH US ACROSS THE STATE. WE STILL HAVE THIS STATIONARY FRONT DRAPED ACROSS THE AREA AND THAT IS WHAT KEEPS THE RAIN CHANCES WITH US TODAY, TOMORROW AND WEDNESDAY, THEN WE FINALLY GET A DRY DAY ON WEDNESDAY. WE WILL TIME THINGS OUT WAS MORE IN YOUR FORECAST COMING UP IN A FEW MINUTES. MARGARET: CARLY, THANK YOU. THE PIEDMONT TRIAD IS RECOVERING FROM SEVERE WEATHER OVER THE% WEEKEND. IN DAVIE COUNTY, A TREE FELL ON POWER LINES ON FARMINGTON ROAD NEAR HIGHWAY 801, CAUSING THIS FIRE. CREWS QUICKLY PUT OUT THE FLAMES. SEVERAL DOZEN PEOPLE IN DAVIE AND FORSYTH COUNTIES ARE STILL WITHOUT PPOWER THIS AFTERNOON. BEST HOUR THIS AFTERNOON — WITHOUT POWER THIS AFTERNOON. SOME ROUGH WEATHER IN RANDOLPH COUNTY. CHECK OUT THIS PICTURE SENT TO US FROM ASHEBORO. PEGGY TERHUNE SAYS GUSTY WINDS ON SATURDAY LIFTED HER PATIO CANOPY AND TOSSED IT ONTO THE ROOF OF HER HOME A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA, LEAVING A TRAIL OF DAMAGE. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAYS AN EF ZERO TORNADO HIT THE COMMUNITIES OF PELZER AND PIEDMONT. SEVERAL TREES WERE UPROOTED AND BROUGHT DOWN POWER LINES. ONE TREE CRASHED DOWN ONTO A WOMAN’S BALCONY AND HER POOL. PEOPLE CONTINUING TO CLEAN UP THE DAMAGE TODAY. PEOPLE CONTINUING TO CLEAN UP THE DAMAGE TODAY. MAJOR CLEANUP IS UNDERWAY TODAY ACROSS THE MIDDLE OF THE COUNTRY FROM A WILD STORM SYSTEM. 11 PEOPLE WERE KILLED, AS MULTIPLE TORNADOES SWEPT THROUGH , TEARING HOMES AND FAMILIES APART. SAM BROCK IS IN THE STORMS DOWN IN LOUISIANA. SANDRA THIS MORNING MILLIONS OF , AMERICANS ARE REELING FROM MOTHER NATURE’S WRATH. >> IT’S SOMETHING I NEVER WANT TO EXPERIENCE AGAIN. IT WAS SCARY. IT WAS REALLY SCARY. SAILFISH AFTER TORNADOES TORE THROUGH AT LEAST FOUR DIFFERENT SOUTHERN STATES. FLASH FLOODING FORCED RESCUES IN MISSISSIPPI AND CLAIMED A LIFE IN OKLAHOMA. CREWS HAVE BEEN WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO BRING BACK POWER TO THOUSANDS. THIS STORM IS PART OF A POWERFUL SYSTEM THAT RACED ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO FAR, 11 PEOPLE HAVE DIED, THREE EACH IN ALABAMA, TEXAS AND LOUISIANA, AND ONE IN BOTH OKLAHOMA AND IOWA. THAT INCLUDES JERRY AND MARY SUE FRANKS, A LOUISIANA COUPLE KILLED WHEN A TORNADO LIFTED UP THEIR MOBILE HOME AND TOSSED IT THE LENGTH OF TWO FOOTBALL FIELDS. IN OTHER CASES, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAFETY AND DANGER. RAZOR-THIN. >> I HAVE THANKED GOD SO MAN TIMES. I FEEL LIKE HE HAD HIS HANDS IN OUR HOMELAND OR PROP EDDIE AND OUR FAMILY. SAM: LAUREN GOLDEN AND HER HUSBAND INSISTED HER MOTHER COME OVER FROM NEXT DOOR. A TREE PUNCTURED HER MOTHER’S HOUSE, BUT THEIRS, JUST FEET AWAY, WAS UNTOUCHED. >> YOU COULD ACTUALLY FEEL THE WALLS OF THE HOUSE MOVING. SAM: WEATHER WHIPLASH, NOT JUST IN THE SOUTH. CHICAGO’S LAKESHORE UNDER WATER FROM STORM SURGE. IN OREGON, HIGH WAVES SWEPT A MAN AND HIS CHILDREN OUT TO SEA. HE SURVIVED, BUT HIS 7-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER DID NOT. HIS YOUNG SON IS STILL MISSING. BACK IN LOUISIANA, RESIDENTS PICKING UP AND PITCHING IN, READY TO GET BACK TO NORMAL. WE HAVE BEEN WATCHING AS NEIGHBORS AND STRANGERS ARE COMING TOGETHER TO TRY TO HELP EACH OTHER, CUTTING DOWN BRANCHES, BURNING DEBRIS, AND GETTING PREPARED FOR THE CHARGES CHALLENGES AHEAD, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE ABOUT 30,000 CUSTOMERS AT ONE POINT WHO LOST POWER. AND THE TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN DIPPING INTO THE THIRTIES THIS MORNING. IN LOUISIANA, SAM BROCK, NBC NEWS. MARGARET: NEW AT NOON, A GUILFORD COUNTY JUDGE HAS RESIGNED AMID A STATE MISCONDUCT INVESTIGATION. THE JUDICIAL STANDARDS COMMISSION SAYS MARK CUMMINGS STEPPED DOWN LAST MONTH AND AGREED TO NEVER RUN FOR A STATE JUDICIAL OFFICE AGAIN. CUMMINGS HAD BEEN UNDER INVESTIGATION SINCE SEPTEMBER 2018. HE WAS ACCUSED OF ALLOWING COURT DOCUMENTS TO BE FALSIFIED AND FORCING PROSECUTORS TO DISMISS CHARGES. CUMMINGS HAS DENIED ANY WRONGDOING ALSO NEED RIGHT NOW AT NOON, AN ALAMANCE COUNTY MAN ACCUSED OF STEALING ELECTRICITY. DEPTIES ARRESTED 36-YEAR-OLD LUKE CLARK AT A HOME ON THOMPSON MILL ROAD. THAT’S SOUTH OF GRAHAM. INVESTIGATORS SAY HE HAD AN ILLEGAL HOOKUP TO POWER LINES, AND STOLE OVER $2200 IN ELECTRICITY FROM DUKE ENERGY. CLARK IS CHARGED WITH FELONY LARCENY. LOOKING AHEAD, ANOTHER COUNTY IN THE PIEDMONT TRIAD WILL DISCUSS A RESOLUTION THAT IMPACTS GUN OWNERS. STOKES COUNTY WILL DEBATE SECOND AMENDMENT PROTECTIONS AT THE COUNTY COMISSIONERS MEETING. THAT’S TONIGHT AT 6:00. IF IT’S APPROVED, THE RESOLUTION WOULD LARGELY BE SYMBOLIC. WILKES AND SURRY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS HAVE PASSED SIMILAR MEAS

Two charged with attempted first-degree murder after man shot in the head at apartment complex

Updated: 3:52 PM EST Jan 13, 2020

Two people are charged with attempted first-degree murder after a man was shot in the head and is being treated for life-threatening injuries, according to the Graham Police Department.Officers responded to The Pines Apartments in the 700 block of Ivey Road in reference to a shooting on Jan. 6 at 9:39 p.m.Click the video player above for headlines from WXII 12 News.When they arrived, they found James Blackwell, 19, had been shot in the head. He was transported to a local trauma center by helicopter and is being treated for life-threatening injuries.Abdur-Rahman Waheed, 21, of Greensboro, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. He was arrested at his home without incident and is being held at the Guilford County Jail on $350,000 bail.Police gave Waheed additional charges on Monday, including attempted first-degree murder and discharging a weapon into occupied property.Alliyah Jenee Crouse, 20, of Graham, was identified as an involved party by police and was charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and discharging a weapon into occupied property. She was arrested at a home without incident and is currently being held in the Alamance County Jail without bond.

GRAHAM, N.C. —

Two people are charged with attempted first-degree murder after a man was shot in the head and is being treated for life-threatening injuries, according to the Graham Police Department.

Officers responded to The Pines Apartments in the 700 block of Ivey Road in reference to a shooting on Jan. 6 at 9:39 p.m.

Click the video player above for headlines from WXII 12 News.

When they arrived, they found James Blackwell, 19, had been shot in the head. He was transported to a local trauma center by helicopter and is being treated for life-threatening injuries.

Abdur-Rahman Waheed, 21, of Greensboro, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. He was arrested at his home without incident and is being held at the Guilford County Jail on $350,000 bail.

Police gave Waheed additional charges on Monday, including attempted first-degree murder and discharging a weapon into occupied property.

Alliyah Jenee Crouse, 20, of Graham, was identified as an involved party by police and was charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and discharging a weapon into occupied property.

She was arrested at a home without incident and is currently being held in the Alamance County Jail without bond.