My 2021 NBA Big Board Hi, I’m Matthew, and I’m going to be creating a lot of NBA content on this website. With the NBA draft being tomorrow, what better first piece of content to drop than my draft board? This board will feature my top 60 players including descriptions and projections for each player in the top 30. I should note that in general, I place a lot of value on three-point shooting, athleticism, size, and length in guards and wings. As for bigs, I most value rim protection, length, switchability, and shooting potential. I also want to point out that this isn't a mock draft. This is my draft board, meaning it's where I personally would draft each prospect, not where I think they're going to be drafted. With all of that out of the way, here's my full board for 2021.
1. Cade Cunningham:
Everyone is looking for a tall playmaker nowadays and Cade Cunningham fits that role like a glove. The 6’8 freshman flashed superstar potential in his single season at Oklahoma State, where he averaged a stat-line of 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. He also shot 40% from 3 on 5.7 attempts per game. That stat-line is incredibly impressive for a freshman, and it’s even more impressive when you consider that his playmaking was much better than his assist numbers indicate due to the poor shooting of his teammates. Cunningham possesses everything you look for in a franchise cornerstone and should be a terrific player at the next level.
2. Jalen Green: Jalen Green chose a different route than most prospects by deciding to play in the G-League for a season rather than playing a year of college. It’s hard to argue with that decision
after Green averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists for the G-League Ignite. Green is hands-down the best scoring prospect in this draft. Standing at 6’6, Green is a true 3-level scorer that can get to the rim and finish and also hit tough pull-up shots off the dribble. It would not shock me at all if Jalen Green averages 20+ points per game as a rookie. It also wouldn’t surprise me if Green leads the league in scoring in a few years. Green would be the #1 prospect in a lot of drafts, but Cade Cunningham is just that good of a prospect that I have Green as the clear-cut #2.
3. Evan Mobley: Evan Mobley is without a doubt the best big man prospect in this draft. He anchored one of the best defenses in the NCAA in his freshman season at USC. Averaging 2.9 blocks per game and boasting a 7’4 wingspan, he flashed a lot of potential as a rim protector. Additionally, Mobley looked
comfortable defending guards and wings on the perimeter, which bodes well for his NBA future. The defense is not all Mobley offers, however. He dominated the PAC-12 offensively averaging 16.4 points per game. He scored in a variety of ways, mainly as the roll man in the pick and roll, pick and pop mid ranges, and posting up on smaller defenders. The 19-year-old also showed some creation ability off the dribble. Additionally, Mobley showed some solid playmaking ability averaging 2.4 assists per game. The three-point shot isn’t there yet but there’s reason to believe he develops it due to his strong mid-range game. Even if he doesn’t develop it though, Mobley should be a great defensive anchor and very good offensive player in the NBA.
4. Jalen Suggs: Overshadowed a little bit by the top three prospects in the class, Suggs is a great prospect in his own right. The 6’4 point
guard averaged 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists as the floor general for the 31-1 Gonzaga Bulldogs. A skilled passer with great vision, it shows on the court that Suggs was a quarterback in high school. In addition to the playmaking, he’s also a good scorer that can get to the rim and finish very well. Suggs also plays great defense, which you don’t often see out of point guard prospects as talented as he is offensively. The one question mark with Suggs is his three-point shot. Shooting just under 34% from 3 on 3.7 attempts per game, Suggs needs to improve as a shooter if he wants to reach the star potential that he possesses. All in all, Suggs is a great all-around point guard prospect that should be highly successful in the league.
5. Scottie Barnes: Scottie Barnes is the latest product of the Florida State defensive wing factory. He has elite length as a 6’8 wing with guard skills and has a nearly 7’3 wingspan. Not unlike recent
Florida State prospects, Barnes used that length to terrorize opposing guards on the defensive side of the ball. What separates Barnes from past Florida State prospects is his elite playmaking for his size. As stated earlier with Cade Cunningham, everyone is looking for a tall playmaker and the 6’8 Barnes fits that archetype. Averaging 6.6 assists per 40 minutes is very unique for a guy that’s expected to play the 4 at the next level. There are valid concerns about Barnes’ ability to shoot and even his scoring in general. He shot just 27.5% from 3 and 62.1% from the line in his lone year of college ball. I don’t know if he ever becomes a league average shooter, but I’m not sure if that even matters. Barnes’ great playmaking for his position and his 1st team all defense upside make him a very intriguing prospect that’s worthy of a top 5 pick.
6. Moses Moody:
Moses Moody is a 6’6 wing that has the potential to do all the things you want a modern NBA wing to do. He shot the three ball well for a freshman at 35.8% on 5.1 attempts per game. Moody got to the line often, shooting 5.8 free throw attempts per game and making 81.2% of them. Moody also possesses elite length having a 7’1 wingspan. Moody used all those skills to average 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists as the best player on a very good Arkansas team. Reading all those things, you may question why many people have Moody outside of their top 10. Most of those people cite his subpar athleticism as the reason why he’s not a top 10 lock. I understand the concern as there’s no question Moody lacks the athleticism you normally see in this range of the draft. However, there are guys in the league that have become phenomenal players without being freak athletes. A guy that comes to mind is Devin Booker. Booker was knocked for his athleticism coming out of Kentucky but became a star in the league despite that due to his elite skill.
To be clear, I’m not saying Moses Moody is going to become Devin Booker. What I am saying is a player as skilled as Moody has upside and deserves to be taken this high in the draft.
7. Jonathan Kuminga: Kuminga went the same route as Jalen Green and played for the G-League Ignite in the 2020-2021 season. He had a much tougher time, however, averaging 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists but shot just 24.6% from deep, 62.5% from the line, and had effective field goal and true shooting percentages of 43 and 49.7 respectively. If you aren’t aware, those percentages are not good at all. Despite that, there’s many things to like about Kuminga. The main positive for Kuminga is his frame. He stands at 6’8, weighs 210 lbs., and has a 7’0 wingspan. He’s a very good athlete and his ball handling is also very advanced for a player his size and age. Speaking of age, did I mention he’s not even 19 years old? He’s a long way away from being a
productive NBA player, but Kuminga’s tools make him a raw, high-upside guy that has the most star potential of anybody left on this list.
8. Jalen Johnson Jalen Johnson is a very athletic 6’9 forward out of Duke with a 7’0 wingspan that averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in his lone season of college. Johnson shot 44.4% from 3 on just 1.4 attempts per game and shot 63.2% from the free throw line. The low attempts and free throw percentage indicate that he’s not a good three-point shooter, despite the high percentage. Though having played only 13 games at Duke due to an injury and then an opt out, it’s hard to say how much any of those stats tell you. Complicating things even more is the fact that Johnson only played 21.4 minutes per game. It’s both impressive that he was able to produce that much in 21 minutes and concerning that he didn’t play more.
Getting back to the skills he showed in college, Johnson is a very skilled ball handler and playmaker for his size. He sees things that a lot of guys his size don’t see and he’s able to make tough passes. Johnson is also a very versatile defender. He averaged 2.2 steals and 2.3 blocks per 40 minutes, and it’s very noticeable when you watch him that he has good instincts as a rim protector as well as as an on-ball defender. Overall, Jalen Johnson has all the potential in the world, but has clear question marks in his shooting and intangibles.
9. Josh Giddey: Josh Giddey is an 18-year-old 6’8 point guard from the Adelaide 36ers of the NBL. He averaged 10.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in the 2021 season. Giddey is a very gifted playmaker; undoubtedly top three in this class. He’s a true point guard that’s able to hit the open guy, finish at the rim, and will be comfortable running the pick and roll. That alone will keep Giddey in the league for a long time and give him a safe floor.
For him to become more than a backup point guard though, Giddey needs to improve his jump shot. Giddey shot 29.3% on 3.5 three-point attempts per game and shot 69.1% from the free throw line. He’s going to need to hit pull-up threes at a respectable rate to prevent defenders from hindering his playmaking ability by going under screens every time in the pick and roll. It’s unlikely Giddey ever becomes a 20 point per game scorer, but his playmaking ability at 6’8, combined with his size making him a passable defender cements him firmly in the top ten for me.
10. Franz Wagner: Franz Wagner is a 6’9 do-it-all wing from Michigan. He averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3 assists in his sophomore season at Michigan. Wagner projects to be a jack of all trades but a master of none. He was an elite defender in the college game, but I don’t believe he’s quick or strong enough to be an elite defender in the NBA. Still, he projects to be a solid pro defender.
Wagner is also solid at both playmaking and rebounding for his position. He was an average shooter at the college level shooting 31.1% as a freshman on 4.9 attempts per game and 34.3% as a sophomore on 3.6 attempts per game. He needs to develop in this area to be a high-end role player, and I expect him to because his shot form looks good, and his free throw percentage was 83.5% at Michigan. A lot of people have thrown out the Nicolas Batum comparison for Wagner, and I think it’s an accurate one. Because of his athletic limitations, Wagner’s ceiling is relatively low for the lottery. However, there’s every reason to believe he becomes a good role player in the league for a long time, so I think he’s worth picking at 10.
11. Jaden Springer Jaden Springer is an 18-year-old athletic 6’4 combo guard out of Tennessee. He averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 25.9 minutes per game in his single season of college.
The biggest strength that Springer possesses is his defense. He has great strength and a solid wingspan at 6’8. He’s very good at staying in front of his man and getting stops. Springer also brings a few things to the table on offense. He got to the rim effectively at Tennessee, finished pretty well, and drew fouls often. Springer shot four free throw attempts per game on just 9.1 shots per game. Because of those things, he projects to be a solid slasher and finisher at the next level. The 18-year-old flashed playmaking ability though it’s not where you want it to be for a primary ball handler. He is a little better than the stats would indicate though as Tennessee was a woeful shooting team in 2021, but Springer’s vision is not elite, and he has legitimate issues at times finding the open guy. Lastly, there’s the three-point shooting, which is the most important swing skill for Springer’s NBA success. He shot 43.5% from downtown on just 1.8 attempts per game and shot 81% from the foul line. He had a lot of success as a
shooter on a limited sample size, but he didn’t shoot many as his release is slow and he didn’t appear confident in his shot. He projects to be a solid shooter when left open, but I don’t know if he’ll ever be a consistent pull-up threat from deep. Regardless, there’s a lot to like about Springer, and he’s definitely worth a pick in the late lottery.
12. JT Thor One of the lower ranked players of the one-and-dones as a recruit, JT Thor exceeded expectations in his freshman season at Auburn. Thor averaged 9.4 points, 5 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks in 23 minutes per game. Those numbers don’t jump off the screen but what does is his length and athleticism. Thor stands at 6’9 with an elite 7’3 wingspan. He can also jump out of the gym and is one of the fastest players in the draft. He pairs his incredible physical tools with solid ball handling for his size and a nice-looking shot even if it’s not consistent yet (29.7% on 2.7 attempts per game). Thor is also able to
get to the line at a good rate, averaging 3.1 free throw attempts on 7.1 shots per game. Thor’s defensive potential is tantalizing as a 4 that should eventually guard 2-5. His rim protection is good enough that he will be able to play some center if he puts on some weight. He does have a couple of weaknesses defensively, one being that though he’s fast, he’s not quick laterally. The other weakness is that he doesn’t quite know how to consistently use his tools yet. He has the potential to be great on the defensive end, but he needs some time to develop before he can reach that potential. This is also true on the offensive end. Thor flashes creation ability but isn’t consistent enough yet to rely on as an NBA creator. His shooting percentages also lead you to believe that he may just be a mediocre shooter even though his shot looks good (29.7% from 3 and 74.1% from the line). JT Thor has very high upside on both ends but will need some time to develop. Where he lands is critical and will decide whether or not he can meet his sky-high potential.
13. Trey Murphy Trey Murphy is the first pure 3 and D prospect to appear on this list. He’s not going to be a guy you ask to go create a shot for you at the end of a game, but he will be a great shooter that has high defensive potential. Murphy is 6’9 with a 7’0 wingspan and moves well laterally even though he’s not a freak athlete. Those tools make him a nice defensive prospect in addition to the great shooting. Speaking of the shooting, Murphy shot 40.1% from three on 5.5 attempts per game in his 3 years of college basketball. He paired that with a free throw percentage of 81.9. Murphy’s transition to the league should be very smooth, since his NBA role projects to be very similar to what his role was in college. Though he doesn’t have all-star upside, I have a hard time believing Trey Murphy doesn’t stick in the league as a highend role player for a long time. That makes him worthy of a pick at the end of the lottery.
14. Jared Butler Most people have Jared Butler’s college teammate Davion Mitchell as the best Baylor prospect, but I disagree. Butler is a 6’3 point guard that played three seasons of college ball and got better each year. He averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 2 steals, shooting a scorching 41.6% from deep on 6.2 attempts per game in his junior year. Butler does everything that you want a non-star point guard to do for your team. He’s been a great shooter for three consecutive years, backed up by a good free throw percentage all three years. He defends at a high level, though he may only guard one position at the next level due to his 6’4 wingspan. Butler also has solid playmaking ability and will be able to run the pick and roll well, making him a very complete player. The one weakness Butler has is he’s likely not going to be a great finisher and isn’t going to be able to easily beat his
man off the dribble. Still, he has great role player skills and should stick in the league for a long time.
15. Kai Jones Kai Jones is a 6’11 big man out of Texas with a 7’2 wingspan. He averaged 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 22.8 minutes per game in his sophomore year of college. Those numbers wouldn’t be that impressive for a freshman and are mediocre for a sophomore. So why is Kai Jones ranked in the top 15? Well first off, Kai didn’t start playing basketball until he was 15, making his lack of college production justifiable. He also played with two other NBA big man prospects at Texas, further limiting his production. Kai is also just an extremely unique prospect both athletically and in how skilled he is. Jones is very fast and unbelievably quick for his size, and he flashed potential as a defender on the perimeter. He has the potential to become a rare truly switchable big that will be able to hold his own against guards and wings.
Kai isn’t a great rim protector yet, but he showed some promise in that area and should get better as he gains more experience playing the game. Jones needs to get stronger to be able to defend centers in the post and prevent him from getting bullied. On offense, Jones flashed great ball handling ability for his size and utilized his speed and elite leaping ability to be one of the Big 12’s best lob threats. Kai showed the ability to knock down mid-range jumpers off the dribble, showing off his potential as a shooter. It should be said that he’s not there yet as a 3-point shooter and may never get there. Jones shot 34.5% from downtown on just 1.1 attempts per game in his two years at Texas. He also only shot 67.7% from the line in college. Overall, Kai Jones is an intriguing raw prospect that has a ton of talent. He's a risky pick since he's just not an NBA level player at this point. Jones is like JT Thor in that his landing spot will be critical. Jones is a high ceiling but low floor prospect that’s worth the risk in the early-mid teens.
16. Ayo Dosunmu Ayo Dosunmu is a 6’5 point guard out of Illinois. He spent three years in college culminating in a junior season in which he averaged 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. Dosunmu was an elite college player that scored in a multitude of ways, hit open shooters, and defended well at times. Ayo is able to beat his man off the dribble, get to the rim, and make the right play. He’s a good not great athlete, so his ceiling as a finisher is somewhat capped, but Dosunmu was a very effective shot creator in college and should be a solid creator in the league. He’s not a great three-point shooter but was very good in the mid-range and shot a respectable 75% from the line for his college career. This combined with him shooting 39% from deep on limited volume as a junior points to Ayo likely becoming a roughly league average shooter. I believe Dosunmu has some potential on the defensive end as well. He carried such a large offensive load at Illinois
that he wasn’t able to exert much energy on defense. He won’t have to exert nearly as much energy in the NBA. Ayo possesses impressive length with his 6’10 wingspan. That should allow him to guard 1-3, making him a very versatile defender for a point guard. He has good speed, quickness, and solid strength for a guard, which should combine to make him a good defender in the league. Despite being relatively old and not being an elite shooter, Ayo Dosunmu has a lot of things going for him that should help him become a valuable 5th starter or 3rd guard on a good team.
17. James Bouknight James Bouknight is a 6’5 combo guard with a 6’8 wingspan out of UConn. Bouknight averaged 18.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in his breakout sophomore year. He’s a very good athlete with great ball handling abilities that got him to the rim with ease in college. He’s got a very smooth game that’s fun to watch when he’s on.
I have a few problems with Bouknight as a prospect, however. My concern with Bouk is his lack of production other than scoring. Bouknight was a below average defender in college, and I don’t see him being significantly better in the NBA. He didn’t appear to give a ton of effort on defense in college. Some of that can be explained by how much he had to carry UConn’s offense, but he has significant work to do to become a solid NBA defender. He was also a poor playmaker finishing his sophomore season with a 1.8/2.8 assist to turnover ratio. Finally, Bouknight’s inconsistencies as a shooter are alarming. Bouk shot just 29.3% from three on 5 attempts per game as a sophomore, though he did shoot 80.2% from the free throw line over his two seasons at UConn. The free throw percentages give me hope, but Bouknight is not there as a shooter and desperately needs to become a good one, because he offers very little other than scoring.
James Bouknight is one of the most talented scorers in the draft, but he needs to develop other skills in order to be worth picking before 17.
18. Ziaire Williams Ziaire Williams had a rocky single season as a Stanford Cardinal. Since he was a highly touted recruit, Williams had high expectations for his freshman season. He didn’t meet those lofty expectations as he finished the year averaging 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. His efficiency was also poor as his effective field goal percentage was only 43.1% and his true shooting percentage was only 47.3%. Given those efficiency stats, it shouldn’t come as a shock to say that Williams struggled mightily to score at the rim in college. Having said all that, there’s a lot of things to like about Ziaire Williams. And to be fair, Stanford didn’t play home games until late in the season due to COVID, which may have contributed to Williams’ struggles.
Williams stands at 6’10 and has guard skills. He’s a solid playmaker for his size and has some dribbling ability. Williams is a terrific athlete, which combined with his ball handling, gives him a very high ceiling if he can fix a couple of his deficiencies. Ziaire’s wingspan is only 6’10, which is short for his height, but still good when you consider he will likely play the 3 in the NBA. Williams was also a very good defender in college and projects to remain a good defender in the league due to his very good lateral quickness. Ziaire has a nicelooking shot, but it’s very important that he gets it to go in more consistently. He shot just 29.1% from downtown on 4 attempts per game, which simply must get better. He shot 79.6% from the line, which is a good sign, but if Ziaire wants to stick in the league, then his threes have to start going in. Ziaire Williams is a very unique prospect with significant flaws preventing him from being placed higher. He’s worth the gamble in the late teens.
19. Keon Johnson Keon Johnson was a teammate of fellow first round prospect Jaden Springer at Tennessee. Keon averaged 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 25.5 minutes per game in his freshman season. Johnson is a 6’5, raw, freaky athletic combo guard that can jump out of the gym and excels as a defender. He also has a respectable 6’7 wingspan. Johnson is good at utilizing his athleticism and handle to get to the rim and draw a foul or finish. He is also a decent secondary playmaker. Johnson isn’t going to make tight window passes consistently, but he’s going to hit the open guy most of the time. My biggest concern with Keon is his three-point shooting. Johnson shot just 27.1% from deep on 1.8 attempts per game. Not only that, but he also shot a mediocre 70.3% from the free throw line. It’s pretty simple for Johnson. If he develops a consistent three-point shot, he’s going to be a huge steal outside of the lottery.
Personally, I’m pessimistic about his ability to do that for a couple reasons. His shooting percentages being as bad as they were is a bad sign, as is his unwillingness to shoot from deep. Johnson also wasn’t a good mid-range shooter at Tennessee, which means we have no indicators that he will become a good shooter. Johnson is an interesting prospect that has a lot of things going for him. If he fixes his jump shot, he’s going to be a steal, but that’s not something I’m comfortable betting on until the 18 guys in front of him are gone.
20. Tre Mann Tre Mann is a 6’4 combo guard out of Florida. He averaged 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in his sophomore year. Mann is a very good shooter from deep. He finished his sophomore year shooting 40.2% from downtown on 4.7 attempts per game. He complemented that with a free throw percentage of 83.1%. Mann is a good athlete that can create separation for himself fairly well and create shots for himself
and sometimes others. Mann is a somewhat inconsistent secondary playmaker and definitely not someone you want to run the offense. There are a couple flaws in Mann as a prospect that push him down my board. The first one is his defense. It’s hard to see Mann being a decent defender in the NBA when his wingspan is only 6’4 and he wasn’t a very good defender in college. He struggled to keep guys in front of him, and that’s only going to get more difficult at the next level. The second, smaller flaw is that Mann was not a good player as a freshman. He’s certainly improved a lot since then, but it is a slight concern that he was as bad as he was just a season ago. Mann should find a role in the league as a bench scorer and shooter. Concerns about his defense and his lack of standout playmaking knock him down the board, but he should still be a good player in a very deep draft class.
21. Chris Duarte
Chris Duarte is a 24-year-old 6’6 wing from Oregon. He averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in his final season of college ball. Duarte shot 42.4% from deep on 5.5 attempts per game, showing that he should be able to contribute in the league right away as a floor spacer. His 80.3% free throw percentage adds credibility to that statement. Duarte isn’t just a shooter, however. He also earned a spot on the All-PAC-12 defensive team. He projects to be a good defender in the league, since he’s a good athlete that has a high defensive IQ. The Oregon wing only has a 6’7 wingspan, however, and isn’t remarkably quick or strong, which limits his upside on that end. Duarte’s offensive upside is also limited as he doesn’t project to be a shot creator at the next level. He doesn’t appear quick enough off the dribble to create separation against NBA athletes. Duarte has a low ceiling because of his age, but he should be a very solid player right away with a clearly defined role.
He’s one of the best 3 and D prospects in this class and will almost certainly outplay his draft position.
22. Sharife Cooper The best playmaker in this draft is Sharife Cooper, a 6’1 one-and-done point guard out of Auburn. Cooper averaged 20.2 points, 8.1 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game in his lone season of college. Those stats look great at first glance, but his effective field goal percentage was just 42.7, which is well below average. Cooper is elite at drawing contact and getting to the foul line, which helps him a lot as a scorer, but he’s currently not efficient from anywhere on the court except the free throw line. Granted, his ability to draw fouls at an insane rate makes him a dangerous slasher, even though his shooting percentage at the rim wasn’t great. And if Cooper becomes a better finisher and/or shooter then look out, because he is a great ball handler and uses that and his quickness to get wherever he wants on the court.
As stated earlier, Cooper is the best playmaker in this draft. His court vision is elite, and he is able to make incredibly difficult passes. It’s scary to think that his playmaking could become even better than we’ve seen if he’s able to threaten defenses with his jump shot. Sharife shot 22.8% from three on 4.8 attempts per game at Auburn. If defenses have to respect his jumper, the rest of his game could take a leap and Sharife could become a truly special offensive player. Cooper shot 82.5% from the line, which is very good and shows that the shooting potential is there. He currently has a long way to go though, and it’s tough to project Cooper becoming even an average shooter in the NBA. Cooper’s defense is the other thing aside from his jump shot that holds him back as a prospect. He’s just 6’1 with a short wingspan and got picked on often in college on the defensive end. He has good quickness but is undersized and doesn’t have the defensive IQ necessary to make himself even a mediocre defender. For those reasons, I would be
shocked if Cooper isn’t a liability on the defensive end in the NBA. Sharife Cooper is an outstanding playmaker and good slasher with a ton of potential. His shooting concerns and lack of defense make him a high-risk high-reward pick. Like a few other guys in this range, if his shooting hits, he will greatly outperform this ranking. I’m personally not a believer in his shot, so I wouldn’t take him in the top 20.
23. Davion Mitchell Davion Mitchell is the other guard prospect out of Baylor. The 22-year-old stands at 6’1 with a 6’4 wingspan. Mitchell averaged 14 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in his final season of college. Davion’s college nickname was “Off Night” due to his ability to cause opposing guards to have an off night when he guarded them. Mitchell, no doubt has the quickness and strength to defend point guards at a high level in the NBA. I don’t think he will be big enough to guard bigger
guards or wings at the next level, however, somewhat limiting that strength. Mitchell was good at getting to the rim in college and finished well. He was able to beat his man off the dribble and make the right play, whether it be kicking it out to a shooter, or finishing at the rim. There are concerns about his ability to finish at the next level, because of his small stature and because he’s a below the rim finisher. The most important thing for Mitchell’s NBA success is his three-point shot from his final college season translating to the league. Mitchell shot 44.7% from deep on 4.7 attempts per game as a redshirt junior. That alone looks very promising if you ignore some of the red flags. Mitchell shot just 31.2% from 3 before last season and shot 65.7% from the free throw line in his time at Baylor. While Mitchell obviously improved his shooting, those stats point to Mitchell having a fluky year from deep. If that’s the case, then it’s hard to justify taking Mitchell before the 20s in such a deep draft class.
Again, like a lot of guys in this area of the board, if the shooting hits, Mitchell will be a good role player for a long time. I just don’t want to bet on a small, older guard with shooting concerns until the high-level prospects are gone.
24. Corey Kispert Corey Kispert is a 22-year-old 6’7 wing with a 6’7 wingspan out of Gonzaga. Kispert averaged 18.6 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in his senior season at Gonzaga. He’s probably the best shooter in the first round of this draft class, although I think Trey Murphy is closer than most think. Kispert shot 40.8% from deep in his 4 college seasons on 4.8 attempts per game. In his senior season Kispert shot a scorching 44% from downtown on 6.5 attempts per game. He paired that with a career free throw percentage of 82.4%. Kispert is going to be a very good shooter in the NBA, because of his great form and ability to create good looks for himself by moving off the ball. He’s also going to be able to
take it to the rim and finish if defenders are too aggressive on close-outs. Kispert’s defense is the big concern for me. He has good strength for a wing, but he has short arms for his height, and he’s not a very good athlete. His quickness isn’t NBA caliber, and it caused him to get exposed at times when defending athletic guards. That’s going to be a huge problem in the NBA that really prevents him from becoming a high-end role player in my opinion. Corey Kispert has one of the highest floors in this draft, because he’s almost guaranteed to be a very good shooter and solid all-around offensive role player. The reason he’s ranked down here at 24 is his lack of upside as a shot creator and his poor projection defensively.
25. Isaiah Jackson Isaiah Jackson is a 19-year-old 6’10 big man with a 7’3 wingspan out of Kentucky. Jackson averaged 8.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.6 blocks in 20.8
minutes per game as a freshman. Jackson is a great athlete that is both very quick and has great leaping ability. Jackson projects to be a good defender in the pick and roll, and also should eventually be able guard some wings on switches. Jackson has sky-high potential as a rim protector. Averaging 5 blocks per 40 minutes is absurd, and his length and athleticism make it likely that the rim protection translates. As intriguing as his defensive skill set is, Jackson has a couple major problems as a prospect. The first one is his ridiculously high foul rate. Jackson averaged 3 fouls per game, which is why he only played 20.8 minutes per game. If he doesn’t clean up the fouling, he’s not going to be able to stay on the court and his effectiveness as a rim protector is going to be limited. The other issue with Jackson as a prospect is his limited offensive skillset. Jackson projects to just be a solid roll man in the pick and roll with not much else going for him. He’ll be able to use his athleticism to get by guys and catch lobs, but I don’t see much more of a role for Jackson offensively. Jackson
did shoot 70% from the free throw line, which means he could eventually develop a jump shot, but it’s not something he’s close to having right now. The last flaw with Jackson is his weight and strength. Weighing just 206 lbs., it’s imperative that Jackson adds a significant amount of strength to avoid getting bullied. Isaiah Jackson is a very interesting defensive prospect that needs time to develop. He has many flaws and a low ceiling offensively, making him a risky pick. It’s a risk worth taking late in the first, however, for his physical tools and defensive instincts.
26. Alperen Sengun Alperen Sengun is a 6’10 center from the Turkish Super League. The 19-year-old averaged 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists last season. Sengun is a very skilled big man in the post and has good playmaking ability for a big. He should be a very good roll man in the pick and roll at the next level as he has good hands and is a very good finisher at the
rim. He’s also very good at drawing fouls, which should add to his effectiveness on offense. There’s also untapped shooting potential for Sengun as he shot 81.2% from the free throw line. Since Sengun shot 67.9% from two, it’s very possible that he didn’t shoot threes, because he was so dominant inside that it didn’t make sense for him to. There’s also a chance, though, that he isn’t a shooter and might not become one, which would limit his effectiveness on offense. Sengun’s biggest issues show up on the defensive end. He’s only 6’10, which wouldn’t be a huge issue if he had good length and quickness, but Sengun has neither. Sengun is going to struggle guarding pick and rolls and doesn’t project to be a rim protector. Because of that, Sengun is likely going to be a liability defensively. That is very difficult to overcome as a center, and as skilled as he is offensively, the defense makes me wary of spending anything more than a late first on Sengun.
27. Miles McBride Miles McBride is a 6’2 point guard with a 6’9 wingspan that played two years at West Virginia. McBride averaged 15.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in his sophomore season. He’s an overall good scorer that had some efficiency issues from two-point range, shooting just 44.2% over his two years of college. McBride made up for that by shooting a great 41.4% from deep on 3.8 attempts per game as a sophomore. He also shot 81.3% from the line, showing that his shooting appears to be legit. McBride only shot 30.4% from three as a freshman, which is a little bit of a red flag, but he was still a solid free throw shooter in his freshman season. Additionally, his shot looks good, so I’m not overly worried about it translating to at least league average. McBride does however, struggle to get to the rim, which limits his upside as a scorer and playmaker. Speaking of his playmaking, it’s good not great. McBride isn’t a guy you want to be the primary playmaker, but I also wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a weakness.
McBride excels as a defender. He uses his length, strength, and quickness to lock down his man and force turnovers. This is where McBride can make his mark in the league. He has the ability to guard some two guards because of his strength and long wingspan. That versatility is nice and gives him something that most point guard prospects in this draft don’t have. Miles McBride is a solid all-around point guard that should be a nice backup for some team at the end of the first round.
28. Kessler Edwards Kessler Edwards is a 6’8 wing with a 6’11 wingspan out of Pepperdine. Edwards averaged 17.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1 steal, and 1.2 blocks in his junior season. Edwards projects to be a solid 3 and D wing at the next level. He may not be elite at either of those skills but he’s good enough at both to have a place in the league. Edwards shot 39.5% from downtown over his three college seasons. The 21-year-old improved at the free throw line
every season, finishing with a career percentage of 78.9. Some people question Edwards’ shot because it looks awkward, but the college sample size is large enough that I’m not worried about it going in. Edwards was a high level and versatile defender in college. He has ideal size and good length that allows him to play either forward position. Edwards doesn’t project to be a lockdown defender as he’s not abnormally quick or strong, but he’s also not slow, and his IQ and length should be enough to make him a plus defender in the NBA. Kessler Edwards is a safe late first round pick that should be a quality rotation wing in the league. He’s not going to create his own shot or create shots for others, but Edwards can be a solid 3 and D role player off the bench for a good team.
29. Cameron Thomas Cameron Thomas is a 19-year-old 6’4 shooting guard out of LSU. Thomas averaged 23 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4
assists in his lone season of college basketball. The 19-yearold is a natural bucket getter. His efficiency wasn’t great, since he took a lot of bad shots, but there’s no doubt that Thomas is a very talented scorer. He can get to the rim and is elite at drawing fouls once he gets there, finishing the year shooting a whopping 7.6 free throw attempts per game. Thomas also converted at an elite level once he got to the line shooting an outstanding 88.2% from the line. Thomas has a nice jumper that should go in more consistently at the next level as his shots will be much easier. Still, his 32.5% three-point percentage on 7.2 attempts per game is at least a little concerning. The major flaws with Thomas are his shot selection, defense, and playmaking. Thomas’ shot selection, as stated earlier, is poor. There were a lot of times at LSU where he opted for a contested shot rather than passing to a teammate with an easier look. That’s a good transition to his lack of playmaking. Thomas gets too locked in on scoring the ball and doesn’t get his teammates involved enough. That will
have to change as he won’t stick in an NBA rotation if he doesn’t move the ball. Lastly, Thomas was a downright bad defender. I’m sure his offensive workload contributed to it, but Thomas’ effort on defense didn’t appear to be high, and he got beat off the dribble often. The bad defense and playmaking combo is very concerning for Thomas’ NBA future, and he’ll have to get better at those facets of the game to stick in the league. Cam Thomas is an incredibly talented scorer that needs to improve in other areas to outplay his draft position. The scoring talent alone, however, is enough to make him worthy of a first-round pick.
30. Usman Garuba Usman Garuba is a 6’8 big man with a 7’2 wingspan from Real Madrid. He averaged 4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 16.5 minutes per game in his most recent Euro League season. Garuba has great quickness and strength for his size, making him an extremely versatile
defender that should be able to switch onto wings and guards effectively in the NBA. Garuba is also a solid rim protector, solidifying his all-around great defense. Garuba’s issues come on the offensive end. As stated above, he averaged just 4 points in 16.5 minutes per game. Garuba currently doesn’t have any shot creation ability. He scores off offensive rebounds, as a roll man, and in transition. He projects to be used mostly as a roll man on offense in the NBA, which he’s not bad at but nothing to write home about. Garuba shot 27.5% from three on 1.1 attempts per game in his most recent Euro League season. He paired that with a free throw percentage of 59.5%. Those percentages mean that he’s unlikely to be a decent shooter in the NBA, which further limits Garuba’s potential. Garuba is also a little bit of a tweener, being 6’8 but having the skill-set of a center. Overall, Usman Garuba is a great defensive prospect that has a lot of issues on offense. Those offensive flaws are enough to knock him down to the end of the first round for me.
31. Nah'Shon Hyland G VCU 32. Josh Christopher G Arizona State 33. Day'Ron Sharpe C UNC 34. Joshua Primo G Alabama 35. Joe Wieskamp G/F Iowa 36. Isaiah Livers F Michigan 37. Greg Brown F Texas 38. Isaiah Todd F G-League Ignite 39. Brandon Boston Jr. G Kentucky 40. Joel Ayayi G Gonzaga 41. Neemias Queta C Utah State 42. Charles Bassey C Western Kentucky 43. Jason Preston G Ohio 44. Quentin Grimes G Houston 45. Sam Hauser F Virginia 46. David Johnson G Lousiville 47. Herbert Jones F Alabama 48. Aaron Henry G/F Michigan State 49. EJ Onu C Shawnee State
50. Raiquan Gray F Florida State 51. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl F/C Villanova 52. Rokas Jokubaitis G Zalgiris 53. Derrick Alston G/F Boise State 54. Jericho Sims C Texas 55. Filip Petrusev C/F Serbia 56. David Duke G Providence 57. Aaron Wiggins G/F Maryland 58. Trendon Watford F LSU 59. Scottie Lewis G Florida 60. Daishen Nix G G-League Ignite