These players with Washington ties could be selected in the 2020 NBA Draft

Following a lengthy wait, the 2020 NBA Draft — which will now be held virtually — is set to begin Wednesday.

Players who have waited since early June, when the annual event was shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic, may finally hear their names called beginning at 4 p.m. on ESPN.

That includes five players with Washington ties — three former high school standouts, and two more that played for Division I programs in the state.

Here is a breakdown of each:

MALACHI FLYNN

San Diego State, Washington State, Bellarmine Prep

Guard, 6-foot-1, 185 pounds

At SDSU: Per NCAA rules, Flynn redshirted for a season after transferring from WSU, but returned last fall and quickly emerged as one of the nation’s top point guards as a junior. In his one season with the Aztecs, the 22-year-old averaged 17.6 points, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game and had SDSU — which was 30-2 following its conference tournament and opened the season 26-0 with Flynn as its starting point guard and leading scorer — poised for a deep postseason run in March before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down college hoops. Flynn was a consensus All-American, named the unanimous Mountain West Player of the Year and a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award. He declared for the draft in April.

At WSU: Flynn made a quick impact for the Cougars, starting all 31 games his freshman season and averaging 9.7 points, 2.9 assists and 2.9 rebounds, and built on those numbers his second season. He led the Cougars in assists (4.3 per game) and steals (1.6) as a sophomore. His 15.8 points per game ranked second and his 3.4 rebounds per game third. Flynn announced his decision to transfer following his sophomore season, and had interest from programs like Gonzaga, Nevada, Texas A&M and Creighton before landing with the Aztecs.

At Bellarmine Prep: Though he wasn’t heavily recruited, Flynn was a prolific high school player in the South Sound, collecting 1,625 career points in three seasons and ranking second in school history behind Abdul Gaddy. Flynn’s 743 points as a senior in 2016 also set the school’s single-season mark, topping the record set by current NBA player Avery Bradley (722 in 2008). Flynn averaged 29.7 points per game that season, shooting 48% from the floor and 88% from the free throw line. He was the 4A Narrows League MVP, TNT’s All-Area player of the year, the state player of the year for all classifications by the Associated Press and the 4A player of the year by the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association. He committed to WSU following his senior season.

Projection: Most mock drafts have Flynn as a mid-first-round pick (between No. 20-30). ESPN has him projected as high as No. 22.

JADEN MCDANIELS

Washington, Federal Way High School

Forward, 6-foot-10, 200 pounds

At UW: McDaniels’ long recruiting journey ended nearly four months after his final high school game when he announced on social media he would stay home and play for the Huskies, turning down offers from some of the top programs in the country, including Kentucky, San Diego State, Texas and UCLA, which he had included among his top five choices the year before. Given his size, range and shooting ability, it seemed inevitable McDaniels would stay only one season at whichever school he picked. Though his only season with the Huskies was at times underwhelming — he averaged 13 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 blocks per game — his upside still makes him a likely first-round pick. He declared for the draft in April.

At Federal Way: McDaniels’ four-year career with the Eagles is perhaps one of the most impressive in state history. Federal Way won a trophy at the 4A state tournament each of his four seasons, as well as four 4A NPSL titles and two 4A West Central/Southwest bidistrict titles. He was a two-time all-state pick by TNT and the Associated Press, a two-time TNT All-Area pick — and the player of the year his senior season in 2019 — and a two-time 4A NPSL Olympic MVP. He also became the 14th boys basketball player in state history to be selected to the annual McDonald’s All-American Game in 2019 and was the Washington Gatorade Player of the Year. He averaged 23.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game as a senior. By the time he wrapped up his high school career, McDaniels was considered the consensus No. 5 player in the nation in the 2019 class.

Projection: Most mock drafts have McDaniels as a mid-first-round pick (between No. 20-30), though some have him off the board earlier.

CJ ELLEBY

Washington State, Cleveland High School

Guard, 6-foot-6, 200 pounds

At WSU: Elleby wrapped up his two college seasons by pacing WSU to its first Pac-12 tournament win since 2009 in March. In the final game before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the tournament, Elleby unleashed a 30-point performance, hitting six 3-pointers, and added 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals as the Cougars upset Colorado. It was a fitting finish for the 20-year-old, who led WSU in points per game (18.4), rebounds (7.8), steals (1.8) and blocks (0.8) as sophomore. He also led WSU in assists and steals as a freshman, and trailed only fourth-year senior Robert Franks in points and rebounds. Elleby was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team and initially declared for the 2019 NBA Draft, but later decided to return to WSU for his sophomore season, started all 32 games, finished fourth in the conference in scoring and was a first-team All-Pac-12 pick. He averaged 16.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals in his two seasons with the Cougars.

At Cleveland: Prior to WSU, Elleby starred for Cleveland in Seattle’s Class 3A Metro League and led the Eagles to a sixth-place finish in the state tournament in 2016. He averaged 23.5 points per game his senior season and was an all-state pick by TNT and the Associated Press.

Projection: Most mock drafts project Elleby as a late second-round pick or undrafted.

ISAIAH STEWART

Washington

Forward, 6-foot-9, 250 pounds

At UW: A New York native, Stewart was a consensus five-star recruit, and considered a top-three recruit nationally, in the 2019 class, and chose the Huskies over offers from 40 other Division I schools — including powerhouse programs like Duke, Kentucky and Michigan State. He was the 2019 Naismith High School National Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American playing his senior season for Indiana’s La Lumiere. Stewart didn’t slow down when he reached Seattle, leading the Huskies in points (17 per game), rebounds (8.8) and blocks (2.1). He reached double figures scoring in all but two of the 32 games he played and had 14 double-doubles while shooting 57% from the floor. Stewart was named to the All-Pac-12 first team and the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team.

Projection: Most mock drafts have Flynn as a mid-first-round pick (between No. 20-30). ESPN has him projected as high as No. 17.

KILLIAN TILLIE

Gonzaga

Forward, 6-foot-10, 220 pounds

At Gonzaga: Tillie’s injury history, which caused him to miss 38 games in his college career, may have impacted his draft stock, but when he was on the floor his four seasons at Gonzaga, he impressed. He capped his career with by starting 24 games for the Bulldogs this season, averaging 13.6 points, 5 rebounds and 1.9 assists, and shooting 53.5% from the field and 40% from 3-point range. He finished third in scoring behind Filip Petrusev (17.5 points per game) and Edmonds native Corey Kispert (13.9), and helped pace Gonzaga to yet another WCC title in March before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the college basketball season down. Tillie was a first-team WCC pick as a senior.

Projection: Most mock drafts project Tillie as a late second-round pick or undrafted.

Lauren Smith

The News Tribune

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Lauren Smith is a sports reporter at The News Tribune. She has covered high school sports for TNT and The Olympian, as well as the Seattle Mariners and Washington Huskies. She is a graduate of UW and Emerald Ridge High School.