NBA Draft 2021

[BGesus4]

Figured a consolidated thread might be helpful here.

Latest B/R mock has Bouk at 7, Juzang at 25

 

[CTBasketball]

Wouldn’t be surprised if Juzang goes top 15, and Bouknight falls to 15-20.

 

[husky429]

Wouldn’t be surprised if Juzang goes top 15, and Bouknight falls to 15-20.

Bouk was up to 6-10 on most mocks 6 weeks ago. I'd think he falls a little bit, but more likely the 10-15 range than out of the lottery.

 

[BGesus4]

Wouldn’t be surprised if Juzang goes top 15, and Bouknight falls to 15-20.

I just don’t see 15 guys worth taking ahead of him. Tough to find 10. First 5 are obvious.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Wouldn’t be surprised if Juzang goes top 15, and Bouknight falls to 15-20.

This would surprise me very much.

 

[the Q]

I’m really curious about juzang’s athleticism.

He does seem to be a mile long though.

He has kind of a Kyle Anderson feel for me.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

I just don’t see 15 guys worth taking ahead of him. Tough to find 10. First 5 are obvious.

other than mr. mobley, i haven't seen anyone this season who is an obvious top 5.
evan is a generational talent, and sir james is just plain unique, and can score on anyone. im certain that a few of those picker 'experts' know that.

 

[navery12]

other than mr. mobley, i haven't seen anyone this season who is an obvious top 5.
evan is a generational talent, and sir james is just plain unique, and can score on anyone. im certain that a few of those picker 'experts' know that.

Then you haven't been paying enough attention, the top 5 this year are miles better than anyone else and all would have gone #1 overall last year

 

[the Q]

Then you haven't been paying enough attention, the top 5 this year are miles better than anyone else and all would have gone #1 overall last year

I have lamelo on the same range.

It’s clear NBA teams wildly overrated their concerns about him. But he was a special talent.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

There isn’t a sure fire 2 guard outside the top 5 better than Bouk. Think Bouk has a much better overall game than Moody.

 

[navery12]

I have lamelo on the same range.

It’s clear NBA teams wildly overrated their concerns about him. But he was a special talent.

I agree LeMelo is just as good as the guys this year but for whatever reason Minnesota didn't like him. Was really only considering these 5 vs Edwards

 

[the Q]

I agree LeMelo is just as good as the guys this year but for whatever reason Minnesota didn't like him. Was really only considering these 5 vs Edwards

Fair.

I think Edwards has a decent argument to go 6/7ish in this draft.

I think last years draft was deeper though. But it lacked much of a top of the draft.

This draft is the inverse.

 

[MDHuskFan]

Fair.

I think Edwards has a decent argument to go 6/7ish in this draft.

I think last years draft was deeper though. But it lacked much of a top of the draft.

This draft is the inverse.

Edwards has justified his position as #1 overall. LaMelo wasn’t a positional fit with Deangelo Russell. Edwards has been playing really well as of late. I think Edwards prob would have slotted in that 3-5 range with Suggs & Green.

 

[UofCT]

Sam Vecenie from The Athletic top 12. Bouk is 12.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Then you haven't been paying enough attention, the top 5 this year are miles better than anyone else and all would have gone #1 overall last year

like many other scaredycats here, you too have precluded us from seeing ur other lazerlike observations, so i have zero to see concerning those brilliant past utterances. given that, im left only with 'why? becuz u say so?'
that won't feed the cat.
and speaking of obvious no-brainers, howz my boi ja morant working out? i hear that he dropped 36 on someone the other day.
'As a sophomore, Morant became the only NCAA player in at least 25 years to average at least 20 points and 10 assists.'

 

[navery12]

like many other scaredycats here, you too have precluded us from seeing ur other lazerlike observations, so i have zero to see concerning those brilliant past utterances. given that, im left only with 'why? becuz u say so?'
that won't feed the cat.

What does this even mean?

 

[ClifSpliffy]

whole lotta stink, stank, stunk on this list. on the udder hand, a whole lotta uninformed press clippings too, so there's that.
2020 NBA Draft | Basketball-Reference.com (basketball-reference.com)

 

[uconngb]

Bouk was up to 6-10 on most mocks 6 weeks ago. I'd think he falls a little bit, but more likely the 10-15 range than out of the lottery.

But, the lottery is only the top 3.....I read it on the Boneyard.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

im certain that a few of those picker 'experts' know that.

OT: Not many picker 'experts' out there besides this fella:

 

[auror]

There isn’t a sure fire 2 guard outside the top 5 better than Bouk. Think Bouk has a much better overall game than Moody.

Bouk is also a year and a half older than Moody and worse at the most important thing for a shooting guard (the shooting part).

I do think Bouk is much more dynamic and I think I'd take Bouk before Moody. But reasonably minds can certainly differ on that one.

 

[Watchdog]

So many experts here. This thread needs to be saved for post draft review so next year the GM's know who to contact for advice on picks.

 

[Watchdog]

Bouk is also a year and a half older than Moody and worse at the most important thing for a shooting guard (the shooting part).

I do think Bouk is much more dynamic and I think I'd take Bouk before Moody. But reasonably minds can certainly differ on that one.

The agonizing part for the GM's making the picks has to be keeping their heads when considering dynamism and athleticism versus the ability to make shots, and make them in pressure situations.
Look at Juzang versus JB. Who wants to make that call? One is dynamite athletically and can make all kinds of shots in sometimes spectacular fashion while the other made them at a higher rate in high pressure situations in the tournament.
One had one good game out of his last five while the other had one bad game out of his last five.
Ask me in two years and I'll tell you who the better choice would be.

 

[Lefty2one]

Should be a fun thread. I'm not going to discuss Bouk at length (for now) since that's been done to death. Everything from the Top 5 onward is tough to peg this year.

For me...

1. Cunningham - didn't quite live up to the hype or the scouting report: he's not a pure playmaker but he's a much better shooter than we were told. Had a lot of inefficient games because OSU's offense/spacing blows. Isn't an elite athlete but he's huge. Between his jumper and the improving spacing he'll see in the NBA I think his playmaking ability will have a chance to shine. I don't consider him a lock to be the best player in this draft. If I had to take the field vs Cade, I'd take the field.
2. Suggs - When there's a virtual tie with a handful of prospects--as we have 2-5--I'm taking the playmaker. This is why I had LaMelo as my #1 last year. Suggs reminds me of Westbrook Lite. Was an equal part in Gonzaga's great offense, which makes it a bit tough to judge exactly how good he is, but the good part is that he played in an NBA-style offense with plenty of spacing and he looked good.
3. Mobley - I don't like taking big men very high. I thought Ayton and Bagley were idiotic picks over Luka. I thought Wiseman over LaMelo was bad. Mobley's playmaking ability separates him for me. I consider him a better version of Jaren Jackson Jr.
4. Green - plenty of things to work on and develop but he's an explosive athlete and a very good shooter. Playmaking is a big question. Slight frame. Not entirely sure about his ceiling. Is he Malik Monk or is he Zach LaVine?
5. Kuminga - enticing versatile two-way player. A bit of wild card, not sure how high his offensive ceiling is. Not sure how great is BBIQ/feel for the game is. Very good athlete and strong. Inefficient season with Ignite where he battled some injuries.

Now it gets fun. Going to throw it in spoilers because it's long...

Spoiler

No final rankings yet, just thoughts. I will say that COVID made this the most difficult season to scout in ages, and I think that shows based on how wildly different mock drafts are this late in the game.

Moody - Mr. Overrated of 2021. Not that I think he's terrible, but there's no way I'm taking him #6 like many mocks have him ranked. I think teams have begun to overvalue shooting as you can find it all over the 1st round. He's not a great athlete in any sense: slow first step, struggles finishing, not much of a passer, his primary offense is shooting over the top of short DI guards and catch-and-shoot situations. That's fine, but that's not what I want at #6. He has a pretty stroke and good size. Rebounds well for a wing and has a good feel for the game. Not sure he'll be anything more than an average role player. I have no idea if he's just a worse-defending Mikal Bridges. Everyone loves crapping on Bouk's end to the season, Moody averaged 13/5/0.5 on 32% shooting and 17% from three in four NCAA tournament games. He was just a cog in Arkansas offense, it's not like he was getting special attention from defenses. I would probably take a shot on someone like Ziaire Williams over Moody. Wagner, Barnes, and Bouknight at minimum are comfortably above him.

Keon Johnson - his two-way potential gets him consistently mocked over Bouknight. Very good athlete but thin, poor shooter, limited offensive game. Like Kuminga, I'm unsure of his offensive potential. Pretty big bust potential. A bit overrated to me as he's 6th or 7th in many mocks.

Bouknight - I've said my piece a thousand times. I'd take him as the #2 SG after Jalen Green in the 6-9 range.

Franz Wagner - super role player. Well-rounded game, smart player. Fits in perfectly with the modern NBA. Probably in the 7-10 range for me.

Kispert - you know exactly what you're getting, the question is at which pick does a team go with a safe role player?

Barnes - unique prospect. Could be the steal of the draft. Some have compared him to Draymond Green; I don't quite see that (not that Green was anything great at MSU). I'd roll the dice on him anywhere from 6-9.

Jalen Johnson - along with Ziaire Williams, the toughest guy to peg of potential lottery picks. He has great size, athleticism, has shown passing/playmaking ability. All kinds of drama at Duke, seems like his attitude isn't the best (though I'm not sold on that), not sure how great his BBIQ is despite his potential as a passer.

Ziaire Williams - great size, gorgeous stroke--has a rainmaker of a J, wildly inconsistent season at Stanford. Handle, agility, strength are concerns for me.

Springer - struggling to see the hype on this kid, especially as a Top 10 pick as he is in some mocks.

 

[SouleMan]

Should be a fun thread. I'm not going to discuss Bouk at length (for now) since that's been done to death. Everything from the Top 5 onward is tough to peg this year.

For me...

1. Cunningham - didn't quite live up to the hype or the scouting report: he's not a pure playmaker but he's a much better shooter than we were told. Had a lot of inefficient games because OSU's offense/spacing blows. Isn't an elite athlete but he's huge. Between his jumper and the improving spacing he'll see in the NBA I think his playmaking ability will have a chance to shine. I don't consider him a lock to be the best player in this draft. If I had to take the field vs Cade, I'd take the field.
2. Suggs - When there's a virtual tie with a handful of prospects--as we have 2-5--I'm taking the playmaker. This is why I had LaMelo as my #1 last year. Suggs reminds me of Westbrook Lite. Was an equal part in Gonzaga's great offense, which makes it a bit tough to judge exactly how good he is, but the good part is that he played in an NBA-style offense with plenty of spacing and he looked good.
3. Mobley - I don't like taking big men very high. I thought Ayton and Bagley were idiotic picks over Luka. I thought Wiseman over LaMelo was bad. Mobley's playmaking ability separates him for me. I consider him a better version of Jaren Jackson Jr.
4. Green - plenty of things to work on and develop but he's an explosive athlete and a very good shooter. Playmaking is a big question. Slight frame. Not entirely sure about his ceiling. Is he Malik Monk or is he Zach LaVine?
5. Kuminga - enticing versatile two-way player. A bit of wild card, not sure how high his offensive ceiling is. Not sure how great is BBQ/feel for the game is. Very good athlete and strong. Inefficient season with Ignite where he battled some injuries.

Now it gets fun. Going to throw it in spoilers because it's long...

Spoiler

No final rankings yet, just thoughts. I will say that COVID made this the most difficult season to scout in ages, and I think that shows based on how wildly different mock drafts are this late in the game.

Moody - Mr. Overrated of 2021. Not that I think he's terrible, but there's no way I'm taking him #6 like many mocks have him ranked. I think teams have begun to overvalue shooting as you can find it all over the 1st round. He's not a great athlete in any sense: slow first step, struggles finishing, not much of a passer, his primary offense is shooting over the top of short DI guards and catch-and-shoot situations. That's fine, but that's not what I want at #6. He has a pretty stroke and good size. Rebounds well for a wing and has a good feel for the game. Not sure he'll be anything more than an average role player. I have no idea if he's just a worse-defending Mikal Bridges. Everyone loves crapping on Bouk's end to the season, Moody averaged 13/5/0.5 on 32% shooting and 17% from three in four NCAA tournament games. He was just a cog in Arkansas offense, it's not like he was getting special attention from defenses. I would probably take a shot on someone like Ziaire Williams over Moody. Wagner, Barnes, and Bouknight at minimum are comfortably above him.

Keon Johnson - his two-way potential gets him consistently mocked over Bouknight. Very good athlete but thin, poor shooter, limited offensive game. Like Kuminga, I'm unsure of his offensive potential. Pretty big bust potential. A bit overrated to me as he's 6th or 7th in many mocks.

Bouknight - I've said my piece a thousand times. I'd take him as the #2 SG after Jalen Green in the 6-9 range.

Franz Wagner - super role player. Well-rounded game, smart player. Fits in perfectly with the modern NBA. Probably in the 7-10 range for me.

Kispert - you know exactly what you're getting, the question is at which pick does a team go with a safe role player?

Barnes - unique prospect. Could be the steal of the draft. Some have compared him to Draymond Green; I don't quite see that (not that Green was anything great at MSU). I'd roll the dice on him anywhere from 6-9.

Jalen Johnson - along with Ziaire Williams, the toughest guy to peg of potential lottery picks. He has great size, athleticism, has shown passing/playmaking ability. All kinds of drama at Duke, seems like his attitude isn't the best (though I'm not sold on that), not sure how great his BBQ is despite his potential as a passer.

Ziaire Williams - great size, gorgeous stroke--has a rainmaker of a J, wildly inconsistent season at Stanford. Handle, agility, strength are concerns for me.

Springer - struggling to see the hype on this kid, especially as a Top 10 pick as he is in some mocks.

Thanks for sharing your observations. Too much to ask for a UConn roster and incoming freshman breakdown next?

 

[the Q]

If he makes to their second round pick, Grimes from Houston seems like very much a Danny pick.

And a far better prospect than waters was.