The NBA Draft is July 29, with the Draft Lottery set to be held on June 22. The Draft Combine will take place June 21-27. Welcome to our first 2021 NBA mock draft, team needs have not been taken into account at this time.
Some player descriptions have been filled out, but the others will be completed at a later date.
Far as we know, we’re the only mom and pop shop, small business site that does a mock draft for all four major sports. Here’s the links to the latest mocks for the NFL, MLB and NHL.
1. Detroit, Cade Cunningham, PG, Oklahoma State
This is a draft in which we have a consensus #1 overall pick, and it’s definitely this guy.
2. Houston, Jalen Green, SG, G-League
3. Cleveland, Evan Mobley, C, USC
4. Toronto, Jalen Suggs, PG/SG, Gonzaga
He isn’t the highest upside prospect of all time, but he’s also the safest bet possible. His on court energy and overall ambition ensures he’ll be a huge contributor in the league for a long time.
For more, go here.
5. Orlando, Scottie Barnes, PF, Florida State
He’s a 6-9 point forward/wing that draws Magic Johnson and Draymond Green comps due to his versatility.
For more go here
6. Oklahoma City, James Bouknight, SG, UConn
7. Golden State, Jonathan Kuminga, SF, G-League
8. Orlando, Franz Wagner, F, Michigan
He’s a silky smooth forward who can space out the floor, pass out of double teams and guard different positions. For more, go here
9. Sacramento, Jalen Johnson, SF/PF, Duke
Disappointed this season, but expect him to be on a fast curve and live up to the hype once he gets to the league.
8. Orlando via CHI, Moses Moody, SG, Arkansas
10. New Orleans, Cory Kispert, SF, Gonzaga
An elite shooter with good height, you can easily deem him the best three point shooter in this class. For more, go here
11. Charlotte, Keon Johnson, SG, Tennessee
12. San Antonio, Kai Jones, C, Texas
Would fit in very well in a Gregg Popovich system.
13. Indiana, Davion Mitchell, SG.PG, Baylor
14. Memphis, Alperen Sengun, C, Turkey
15. Washington, Chris Duarte, SG, Oregon
16. Oklahoma City, Usman Garuba, PF, Spain
17. New Orleans, Trey Murphy III, SF/SG, Virginia
18. Oklahoma City, Jaden Springer, SG/SF, Tennessee
19. New York, Jared Butler, PG, Baylor
20. Atlanta, Isaiah Jackson, PF/C, Kentucky
Jackson’s ability and athleticism were evident early in his freshman campaign and he transformed into an All-Southeastern Conference Freshman Team and Defensive Team performer by the season’s end. The freshman forward averaged 8.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in 25 games with 18 starts.
“Isaiah made unbelievable strides to put himself in a position to test the waters,” UK head coach John Calipari said.
“He grew throughout the year and became more confident on both ends of the floor.”
21. New York, Josh Giddey, PG, Australia
22. Lakers, Ayo Dosunmu, PG/SG, Illinois
Forget the fact that he was AWOL MIA in his final collegiate game, the Masked Mamba was the USA Today Player of the Year. Honestly, he should be projected much higher, given all that he’s accomplished.
It’s hard to predict where Dosunmu will go because the NBA Draft isn’t really about selecting the best basketball player. Sounds silly to say, but it’s true.
The NBA Draft has long been a beauty pageant for boys, where measurables take precedence over accomplishment, but in recent years this has gotten more obnoxious.
If the entertainment value of consuming NBA Draft content seems to be diminishing to you, well, you’re not alone. Consuming more college basketball doesn’t always make you more familiar with who will get selected on draft night. It’s more about combine stuff than what’s done on the court these days.
Dosunmu is lauded for having great handles, creative shot-making ability, tremendous passing and vastly improved shooting.
As Ayo Dosunmu draft stock is a topic we have covered extensively the past three years, you can go here, here and here for more on this subject matter.
23. Houston, Cameron Thomas, SG, LSU
24. Houston, Sharife Cooper, PG, Auburn
25. Clippers, Nah’Shon Hyland, SG/PG, VCU
26. Denver, Josh Chrisopher, PG, Arizona St.
27. Brooklyn, Miles McBride, PG, West Virginia
28. Philadelphia, Tre Mann, PG, Florida
29. Phoenix, Joel Ayayi, PG/SG, Gonzaga
He’s got the athleticism, size and playmaking ability to project well at the next level, with a 3pt shot to boot. For more, go here
30. Utah, BJ Boston, SG, Kentucky
Boston made 24 starts in 25 appearances for the Wildcats this season. He averaged a team-high-tying 11.5 points per game and his 4.5 rebounds per outing led UK’s guard group.
“It was an honor for me to play for the Big Blue Nation this season and to suit up for one of the best coaches in the country,” Boston said of his one year in Lexington.
“I want to thank Coach Cal, the staff, and my teammates for pushing me day in and day out to be the best player I could be. I’m proud of the progress I made on the court and off it this season.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.