Rivals Rankings Week: Updated Rivals150 for class of 2020

RANKINGS: 2019 Rivals150 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2019 Team Rankings

RELATED: Class of 2020 updated Rivals150 | Video highlights of Rivals150 Top 10

The 2020 class is a bit of a reprieve from a rather down 2019 class thanks to the star-studded crop of junior prospects atop of the Rivals150. Jalen Green, thanks to his tremendous summer on the adidas circuit and winning the MVP of the FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup, remains in the pole position. Nipping at his heels is Evan Mobley, a long and versatile frontcourt prospect, and arguably the top scorer in America, Anthony Edwards. Scottie Barnes, quite possibly most versatile player regardless of classification, and RJ Hampton, an uberly-talented jumbo lead guard, round out the top-five.

The class as a whole should be known for its talent at the scoring guard position and its diversity on the wings. Jalen Johnson, Cade Cunningham, Greg Brown, BJ Boston and Ziaire Williams bring something different to the frontcourt while Jaden Springer, Kyree Walker, BJ Boston and Josh Christopher have never had issues putting the ball through the basket.

Of the biggest five-star risers, Walker Kessler made a nine-spot jump and into the top-10 thanks to his abilities in the frontcourt. Williams made a 16-spot jump and is a top-15 prospect due to his versatility as a defender and ballhandler. Addison Patterson made his initial appearance within the Rivals150 as he enrolled at Bella Vista Prep as the Canadian will immediately be given a five-star rating.

The biggest leaps can be found with Gonzaga-bound guard Dominick Harris, who jumped from 94 to 47th overall. Anthony Leal, a productive guard out of Indiana, took a 42-spot jump and is now safely within the top-100. Chuck Harris wasn’t too far behind as the versatile lead guard made a 36-spot leap and, just like Leal, is now a sturdy four-star prospect. Dain Dainja, a tough but skilled interior force, made a 32-spot jump.

Expanding the rankings by 25 spots and now at a full 150, the top newcomers include Patterson thanks to his time now in the United States, to go along with Jayden Stone (50), Terren Frank (73), Demarr Langford (86), PJ Hall (90), Nebraska-bound Donovan Williams (92), Ebe Dowuona (95), and Darius Maddox (100).

Just three prospects found in the top third of the Rivals150 have decided to end their recruitments as Kyree Walker (Arizona State), Day’Ron Sharpe (UNC), and Harris have all decided to come off the board. Three others in the Rivals150, Dwon Odom (Xavier), Naseem Khaalid (Florida State), and Williams, have done just the same as the class is relatively untouched when it comes to college commitments.

The Rivals team discusses what stood out to them in this release of the Rivals150.

Bossi: What to do with the top three of Jalen Green, Evan Mobley and Anthony Edwards is easy for me to choose as the most difficult discussion in this update to 2020. Green established himself early on and is a freakish athlete and gifted offensive player who makes things look so easy that sometimes I feel like people don't realize the high degree of difficulty and skill doing what he does requires. Mobley is what the future of basketball is about with big men and could be a top NBA pick some day while Edwards is a scoring machine that backs down. I don't think you could go wrong with them in any order but I do like the order we have them in.

Evans: How do we properly rank the top-five prospects in the 2020 class. While the class of 2019 is ehh, the 2020 class is chock full of talent up and down the rankings and that is only reflected further by Green, Mobley, Edwards, Scottie Barnes and RJ Hampton. In any given year, each of these talented prospects could receive the top billing in the rankings. There is still another two years to go before the 2020 class is put to bed but the storyline to watch in the coming months will be how the top-five settles and if anyone else can jump into it.

McDonald: I loved Jaden Springer this summer. He's one of those prospects where you know what you are getting every time out. He's going to compete his tail off and produce. The one area I worry about with him is his shot. For him to take the next level as a player, he needs to become a better shooter. He could be right up there with the guards at the top of the class with a consistent jump shot.

Bossi: I'm going to go with Isaiah Todd. Can't take away that he's about 6-foot-10 or so, moves fluidly and has the ability to play inside and out. As he matures physically and finds the right balance between jump shooting and playing around the rim, he could easily make his way back to THE top 10. 2020 is a tough class and the best players are producing, so the one way to make everybody take notice is do big numbers each and every time you hit the floor.

Evans: Crazy to say it because he is the fourth ranked player in his class, but the transcendent abilities that Barnes boasts, his alpha-dog demeanor, continued growth spurt and progressions that he has made within recent months makes his spot in the updated Rivals150 worrisome. Barnes has to get his jumper a bit better but even that, his lone deficiency, has improved. He is an elite passer, an elite defender, and an alpha personality on the floor. Green, Mobley and Edwards are just so talented, but so is Barnes. There is going to be continued reconfiguring to the 2020 rankings in the months ahead and my fear of having Barnes a bit too low might be no more if he forces our hand with another year or two of development.

McDonald: In our discussions, I've made it no secret who I would like to see No. 1 overall. Edwards should be the top player in the class. He's the best player in the class right now and he's the most likely to someday be an NBA All-Star. In the past year, he's become a much better and more consistent shooter, a better overall athlete, and he's a really good decision-maker with the ball as a lead guard.

Bossi: The steps that Williams took between April and the end of July were gigantic. In April I saw a really intriguing wing prospect with size, skill and all around game but he wasn't overly physical and seemed a bit unsure of himself. Through May and June he got a little bit better in those areas and in July he was a total monster. The confidence he showed at the end of the summer was huge and I really felt he earned his way to elite status.

Evans: Marjon Beauchamp has all of the tools to be special. The Pacific Northwest region has become known for tossing out five-star after five-star, only to see the respective prospect out-perform their initial ranking. Jaden McDaniels took the summer of 2018 by storm and next year, it could easily be Beauchamp. However, before he does, he has to become a more consistent producer and also garner the appropriate strength that would allow for him to produce regardless of who he might be facing. The thing about Beauchamp is, because of his size and raw talent, five months from now, he could be too low.

McDonald: I probably wouldn't have gone as high with Jalen Johnson if it were completely up to me. Maybe I just caught him at the wrong times, but he didn't strike me as a top 10 prospect in my viewings this summer. I worry that he's trying so hard to be a point guard/primary ball handler instead of a forward that can handle the ball and make some plays that it's taking away from how good he can potentially be. He's been a hard one for me to figure out.

Bossi: I'll go ahead and roll the dice on Memphis. Why not? It has already gotten No. 1 Jalen Green and No. 5 R.J. Hampton on campus for official visits and it seems to be a pretty clear favorite for Green. I don't think Hampton will decide early, but if they could get Green to pull the trigger on an early commitment, it could give them a tremendous head start in 2020.

Evans: Could USC really do it again? It sure is in the right spot for a lot of the top prospects in the 2020 class. Holding four Rivals150 commitments in the 2019 class and currently sitting with the top ranked unit nationally, that same sentiment could be said a year from now with the 2020 class. Mobley is expected to join his brother and father, who is an USC assistant. Green is a west coast target that the Trojans remain high on, as is Josh Christopher, Williams, Jonny Juzang, Dalen Terry and Jaylen Clark. The latter three play for the Compton Magic travel team, which Mobley is a part of. USC is going to finish with a nationally relevant class; it is more of a question of just how good of a class it might be.

McDonald: I could see this being another really good class for Bryce Drew and Vanderbilt. The Commodores have done as good of a job as anybody with five-star big man Walker Kessler early on and have him coming in for an official visit soon. They also have Keon Johnson not too far from campus and are in a good spot there too. Landing two of the top 30 prospects in the country would be a great start to the 2020 class for Vanderbilt.