Washington Wizards 2020 NBA Draft: 5 Potential Second-Round Steals
By Jamal Bedell
No. 2 – Jordan Nwora, F Louisville
Shooters shoot. And Jordan Nwora from Louisville is not afraid to let it fly. In one of my previous articles, I mentioned how the Wizards should target Aaron Nesmith out of Vanderbilt with their first-round pick.
Nesmith is arguably the best shooter in the entire draft class, but Nwora isn’t that far behind. He shoots the ball at a very high clip as well. He attempted 6.1 threes per game in his Junior season and cashed in on 40 percent of them. He made the third-most threes in the ACC with a total of 76.
Nwora improved every single year during his three seasons at Louisville. He averaged 18.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 1.3 APG last year for the Cardinals. That’s a 12 point increase from his Freshman year when he only averaged 5.7 PPG. Every year he added different elements to his game to prove he’s not a one-trick pony.
Although shooting is Nwora’s strong suit, the Nigerian-American is a tremendous athlete as well. During his time in college, he threw down more than a few highlight dunks. When opponents closed out too fast to contest his shot, he would fly past them to the rim.
In the half-court, Nwora doesn’t just spot up from behind the three-point line either. He’s skillful at finding the open area on the court and cutting at the right time. Teammates often found him for lobs because he would slip backdoor at the perfect time when the defense fell asleep. His ballhandling is not as limited as many people think, either.
Even though it may not show up on the stat sheet, Nwora brings it on the defensive end. He plays the passing lanes with great anticipation and comes up with a lot of sneaky steals. He only averaged 0.7 SPG last year, but that was tied for second-best on the team.
Whether it be off a rebound or steal, Nwora loves getting out in transition because he gets a chance to show off his athleticism. With so many intangibles, his value in the second round is just too good to pass up. Plus, you can never have enough ‘3 & D’ players on your roster. Right?