[Sport] What you need to know for the NBA draft

[King_of_lion]

The NBA draft is tonight
Like other leagues', it's taking place virtually this year, starting at 8 p.m. ET. Here are some things you should know about it, including the Canadian connections:

The Minnesota Timberwolves have the No. 1 pick.

They had the third-worst record last season but won the draft lottery back in August. The No. 2 spot belongs to an unusually strong team: the Golden State Warriors, whose 2019-20 season was ruined by injuries to stars Klay Thompson and Steph Curry but are back to being a title contender now that they're healthy. Charlotte has the third choice.

It's not the best year to have a high pick, though, because...

There's no slam-dunk top prospect.

Unlike last year, when everyone knew that generational talent Zion Williamson would go No. 1 and Ja Morant was a pretty easy call at No. 2, the risk of taking a bust at the top of the draft is high.

The flashiest option is point guard LaMelo Ball. Like his brother Lonzo, who plays for New Orleans, LaMelo has the size and ball-handling skills to become an NBA star. Unfortunately, he also shares a couple of negatives with his brother: he can't shoot and some teams would rather not deal with his dad, LaVar Ball, who became a minor celebrity a few years ago by appearing on basically every sports talk show known to man and trying to launch his own shoe brand. Some people are also turned off by the fact that LaMelo opted to play pro ball in lower-level overseas leagues rather than go to a top U.S. college.

If Minnesota sees too many red flags in Ball, it could go with one of the other consensus top-three prospects. Those are versatile 7-foot-1 centre James Wiseman from the University of Memphis and super-athletic wing Anthony Edwards from the University of Georgia. It seems like the T-wolves are leaning toward Edwards because he's become the betting favourite.

It's not a good year for Canadians.

Last year, a record six were taken in the two-round draft. That included RJ Barrett going third overall to the Knicks and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (now with New Orleans), Brandon Clarke (Memphis) and Mfiondu Kabengele (L.A. Clippers) also getting picked in the first round.

This year, it's highly unlikely a Canadian gets taken in the first round and quite possible that none are drafted at all. The country's most highly regarded prospect is Karim Mané, a 6-foot-6 guard who seems to have the physical tools to make it in the NBA but hasn't really played anyone. Despite being recruited by several top U.S. schools, Mané chose to stay at Montreal's Vanier College, where he spent the last three seasons.

If none of the Canadians who declared for the draft get picked, they can take inspiration from Montreal's Lu Dort. He went undrafted last year but signed with Oklahoma City and quickly became a fan favourite with his high-energy play. Dort scored a career-high 30 points in Game 7 of OKC's playoff series vs. Houston.

The Raptors actually have a first-round pick.

It's their first since 2017, but it's not a great one: 29th overall. President Masai Ujiri and his staff have a history of finding diamonds in the rough, though. They grabbed OG Anunoby with the 23rd pick in '17, and Pascal Siakam with the 27th a year earlier. Toronto also has the No. 59 selection this year, which is the second-last in the draft.