Arizona Basketball: Nico Mannion and Josh Green possible future NBA lottery picks

Arizona Basketball has had many NBA lottery picks over recent memory and they have another two in Nico Mannion and Josh Green.

19. That is the number of former Arizona Basketball players that have been NBA Lottery picks since the lottery system began in 1985. For those that that don’t, a lottery pick is one that gets selected within the first 14 spots of the NBA Draft. These spots are usually reserved for the best of the best, the one and done ers, future NBA All-Star players. Nico Mannion and Josh Green are two that fit this criteria and are likely to be a lottery pick after this season.

According to many NBA mock drafts, Mannion has a very good chance to be a lottery pick and Green has an outside change. There are some mock drafts though where both have a solid chance. According to FanSided College, Nico Mannion is at No.7 and Josh Green is at No.13. We at Zona Zealots of course like that!

More from Wildcats Basketball

• Arizona Basketball likely to schedule Florida Atlantic for 2023
• Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s FIBA World Cup performance is reminiscent of Kobe Bryant’s
• Rawle Alkins a star in the Drew League this summer
• Arizona Basketball to play in ‘Battle 4 Atlantis’ in 2024
• Reflections on the Pac-12, the Arizona Wildcats, and other memories

Both are more then likely one and done, but that doesn’t come as a surprise. They have the skillset to compete at the next level. There are things they will need to focus on and improve upon to guarantee their chances of being a high pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

For Mannion, he will need to continue to work on his strength and conditioning. At 6 foot 3 and 180 pounds, he will have no problem competing against other top point guards in college, but in the NBA he will need to muscle up in order to handle  the contact. As far the other assets to his game, everything else is solid. By the time his college career is over, Mannion will be more then ready for the NBA

Green has a lot of NBA upside similar to Mannion. He plays an attacking style of basketball combined with the ability to shoot from all range and dish the ball to his teammates with ease. Listed at 6 foot 6 and 190 pounds, he too will need to work on the strength and conditioning aspect. He can though play the two and three, which adds more value to his stock in the NBA.

The addition of associate head coach Jack Murphy couldn’t have come at a better time for these two. Known for developing previous Wildcats who have gone on to have remarkable NBA careers, Mannion and Green will be in position to take full advantage.

At Zona Zealots, we are excited about the future possibilities for this freshman duo. Arizona Basketball has had some of the greats play inside McKale Center. These two will look to add their names to the list. Bear Down, Arizona!