There is precisely one week until the NBA Draft commences and as that date quickly draws near, a more complete picture of how this year's draft might look is starting to come into focus. However, even up until teams make their selections on draft night, projecting which directions each franchise might steer is largely a guessing game.
So I called in the big guns to help me sort things out and make it, at least, a guessing game with some education.
In "three-man weave" style with Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander, we completed our own first-round mock projections in snake draft style on the Eye on College Basketball Podcast. I picked first. Then Norlander. Then GP. And we repeated that flow for picks 1-30.
There aren't a ton of surprises at the top. I selected Cade Cunningham No. 1 for the Detroit Pistons. Norlander went with Suggs, GP with Mobley. As we went, though, I found that we broke far away from consensus. Ziaire Williams went inside the top 10. Usman Garuba fell to the 20s. Kai Jones -- a lottery talent -- dropped outside the teens.
A special mock draft episode of Eye on College Basketball projects all 30 first-round picks of the 2021 NBA Draft. Listen now.
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Below are the results of our mock draft.
NBA Mock Draft
Round 1
Round 1 - Pick 1
Oklahoma State
• Soph
• 6'6"
/ 220 lbs
This was an easy one for me. Selecting for the team with the top pick I selected the top player. Cunningham's a talented 6-foot-7 prospect who can operate as lead guard and initiate your offense as a table-setter. -- Boone
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Round 1 - Pick 2
Jalen Suggs
PG
Gonzaga
• Soph
• 6'5"
/ 205 lbs
I'm going Suggs because I think he has the highest upside here. He has All-Star upside. Rockets would immediately find themselves in an upward trajectory with him on the roster. -- Norlander
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Round 1- Pick 3
USC
• Soph
• 6'11"
/ 215 lbs
A near-perfect modern big prospect. He can guard in space, he can rim-protect. Then on the offensive end he can pick and pop, he can play-make. I think eventually he's going to be a real stretch-the-floor big. -- Parrish
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Round 1 - Pick 4
Pumped that Green fell to me at No. 4. He's No. 2 on my board. One of the most NBA-ready scorers in this draft and the potential to be a true No. 1 scoring option. -- Boone
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Round 1 - Pick 5
Florida State
• Soph
• 6'7"
/ 225 lbs
Tremendous defender, really good length, nice wingspan. The issue is the shooting, but honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if we look up in five years if he's a 35% 3-point shooter. I love his floor. He's going to be a top-20 level defender in the NBA by the end of his first contract. -- Norlander
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Round 1 - Pick 6
The Thunder are in a total rebuild so they can afford to take big swings. Kuminga is arguably the biggest swing you can take. A prospect with tremendous upside; big, strong, athletic, explosive in transition, great defensive potential. -- Parrish
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Round 1 - Pick 7
Baylor
• Soph
• 6'0"
/ 202 lbs
Golden State's likely going to want to add a player who can contribute early if it decides to hang on to this pick. Davion Mitchell, 22, fits the profile of a potential Warriors fit as he's an elite on-ball defender and talented creator who has years of college experience under his belt. -- Boone
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From
Chicago Bulls
Round 1 - Pick 8
Stanford
• Soph
• 6'9"
/ 185 lbs
He's high on my draft board. Complete big board selection. He had an up and down season at Stanford for many reasons. ... his athleticism, ability to create as a long wing, really high-level athlete, very smart player. He'll be a little bit of a project but I love his developmental potential and NBA ceiling. -- Norlander
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Round 1 - Pick 9
Connecticut
• Soph
• 6'4"
/ 190 lbs
Natural scorer, great athlete, moves incredibly well without the ball. He shot a poor percentage from 3 in college, and that's the knock. Can he be a reliable shooter? By all accounts, you get him into a gym and he makes the shots. I'm told he's done a lot to alleviate concerns about his 3-point shot. And if you don't have concerns about his 3-point shot then I think he's a top-10 pick in this draft. -- Parrish
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Round 1 - Pick 10
Gonzaga
• Soph
• 6'6"
/ 224 lbs
While there might be more intriguing prospects available at No. 10, there are none who profile as perfect fits the way Kispert does in New Orleans. He's the best shooter in the draft who hit 44% from 3-point range last season and finds a landing spot on a Pelicans team that was fifth-worst in the NBA last season in team 3-point shooting percentage. -- Boone
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Round 1 - Pick 11
Keon Johnson
SG
Tennessee
• Soph
• 6'4"
/ 185 lbs
Extremely good athlete out of Tennessee who set the vertical leap record at the Combine. The Hornets are already fun with LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, I think adding Keon Johnson to the mix would make them a top-three League Pass alert team. -- Norlander
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Round 1 - Pick 12
Kentucky
• Soph
• 6'9"
/ 205 lbs
The Spurs don't have much in their frontcourt, so Isaiah Jackson helps them check that box. Top-shelf athlete, elite shot-blocker, rim-protector. He can rim-run, catch lobs. He's still limited offensively, so that's a concern. The defensive fundamentals, for as great as he can be on that end of the court, aren't quite where you'd like them to be. But there's just a lot of natural stuff to work with here [for San Antonio]. -- Parrish
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Round 1 - Pick 13
Franz Wagner
SF
Michigan
• Soph
• 6'10"
/ 220 lbs
Wagner's a 6-9 combo forward who looks like a prototypical 3-and-D add. He can defend multiple positions, shoots it at a high level and should be a high-level role player in the NBA. -- Boone
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Round 1 - Pick 14
Ayo Dosunmu
SG
Illinois
• Soph
• 6'5"
/ 200 lbs
He's not an A-level anything as an NBA player. But he's a B-minus to B-plus in everything. I think once you're in this spot in the draft, you just want to find someone who can be a net positive, and if he can be someone off the bench who clicks, that's a wonderful fit. -- Norlander
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From
Boston Celtics
Round 1 - Pick 15
Moses Moody
SG
Arkansas
• Soph
• 6'5"
/ 211 lbs
Moses Moody is a good-sized guard who was the leading scorer and second-leading rebounder for Arkansas -- and one of the biggest reasons the Razorbacks made the Elite Eight for the first time since 1995. -- Parrish
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Round 1 - Pick 16
Giddey is a 6-8 wing who in the NBL served as a lead guard and led the league in assists, and he enters the draft as the most creative passer. While it's hard to envision a scenario where he's a true No. 1 initiator it's also hard to see how his vision and ability to generate offense won't in time elevate him to a prominent offensive role for years to come. -- Boone
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Round 1 - Pick 17
Villanova
• Soph
• 6'8"
/ 242 lbs
One of the best defenders in this draft. Quality passer. High IQ player. Doesn't make a lot of bad decisions. I see his game, his stature, everything he brings to the table and I'd be surprised if he's not one of the best 17 players in this draft. -- Norlander
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From
Miami Heat
Round 1 - Pick 18
Duke
• Soph
• 6'8"
/ 219 lbs
Another big swing for Oklahoma City in Jalen Johnson. Started tremendously at Duke, but then they couldn't win with him, then his playing time got limited, then he quit. But he's still a great athlete, forward with good size, shot 44.4% from 3-point range, albeit in a limited sample. If you're OKC and you want to take someone who you think can become something special, Jalen Johnson's someone I would consider here. -- Parrish
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Tennessee
• Soph
• 6'4"
/ 202 lbs
The Knicks might deem it necessary to upgrade at the guard spot this offseason and if they do, they'd get a good one in Jaden Springer. A true combo guard out of Tennessee, he hit 43.5% of his 3-pointers last season and has a knack for scoring the bucket to go with his bulldog defensive mindset. Fits what this new Knicks front office looks for in prospects and fits a need, too. -- Boone
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Round 1 - Pick 20
LSU
• Soph
• 6'3"
/ 210 lbs
Shooter, shooter, shooter, shooter, shooter. Cam Thomas out of LSU: Shooting guard. He's not a combo, he's not a lead, he's not a wing -- he's a shooting guard. He's good at making tough shots, his range is deep. The idea of him playing next to Trae Young in Atlanta is very entertaining. -- Norlander
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From
Dallas Mavericks
Round 1 - Pick 21
Sengun is a traditional big more than a modern big. Great in the low post, can catch at the elbow, score, play-make, pass. Incredible rebounding instincts. Statistically, Sengun was incredible as an 18-year-old in Turkey, and was the Turkish League MVP as an 18-year-old. From a production standpoint, he's historically great for an international prospect. -- Parrish
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Round 1 - Pick 22
Chris Duarte
SG
Oregon
• Soph
• 6'5"
/ 190 lbs
Chris Duarte is the oldest prospect in this year's draft and, luckily for the Lakers, he might also be the most NBA-ready prospect, too. He hit 42.4% from 3 at Oregon last season and can make shots at every level. Adding that to his big frame and defensive chops should make him a high-level role player early in his NBA career. -- Boone
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Round 1 - Pick 23
Kai Jones
PF
Texas
• Soph
• 6'11"
/ 221 lbs
Classic example of a guy with a lot of tantalizing upside in Kai Jones. Awesome rim-runner, quality defender, can shoot it decent enough. I think he's got solid potential and the Rockets, in this spot, I like it. Seems to be a good fit. --Norlander
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From
Milwaukee Bucks
Round 1 - Pick 24
Tre Mann
PG
Florida
• Soph
• 6'3"
/ 178 lbs
Guard with size who shoots at a high level from 3. He helped himself probably as much as anybody last season by returning as a sophomore. Not an explosive athlete but he has a lot of stuff to his game, a stepback, range. If you're looking for guards with size who can make perimeter shots I think at this point in the draft it's a sensible option. -- Parrish
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Round 1 - Pick 25
The numbers Garuba's put up for Real Madrid don't flash but scouts love his defensive versatility and mobility for his 6-8 frame. Moves his feet well and can defend post to perimeter. Has the type of skill set that would allow him to potentially thrive in closing lineups for the Clippers, something they desperately need in their frontcourt. -- Boone
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Greg Brown
PF
Texas
• Soph
• 6'7"
/ 206 lbs
Greg Brown had some up and down spurts at Texas. Easily one of the top five or six athletes in this draft, though. Can finish through contact, good shot-blocker, fairly disciplined. Take a chance and see if he hits if you're the Nuggets. In terms of upside he's a first-round talent. -- Norlander
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Round 1 - Pick 27
Jared Butler
PG
Baylor
• Soph
• 6'3"
/ 193 lbs
If you're in Brooklyn's situation, I'd lean towards taking someone who can help -- and I think Jared Butler can help. He can play as a rookie for a contender. On or off the ball he's a reliable, proven guard who can shoot it. -- Parrish
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Round 1 - Pick 28
Bones Hyland
PG
VCU
• Soph
• 6'2"
/ 169 lbs
We saw what "Bones" Hyland's game is centered around when, at the combine, he came in and provided instant offense in scrimmage settings. He knocked down shots, got to the cup and scored at will, showing off so much he didn't compete the next day because his stock was so red-hot. A team looking to add a microwave scorer would do well to look his way in the mid-to-late first round. -- Boone
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Round 1 - Pick 29
Alabama
• Soph
• 6'7"
/ 206 lbs
Herb Jones has great measurements, finalist for Defensive Player of the Year last season at Alabama. He's someone who can guard multiple positions and late first round value here because defensively he's there. If he commits to expanding the offensive repertoire, yeah, there's a lot to like about him here. -- Norlander
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Round 1 - Pick 30
Virginia
• Soph
• 6'8"
/ 206 lbs
Trey Murphy has proven over multiple years to be a knockdown shooter. He's a 6-9 reliable shooter. He doesn't do much else on the offensive end right now. But at that size, that's valuable, and especially when he's not a liability on defense. Murphy played for Tony Bennett, he can guard, fights through screens, stays in his stance. I don't know that he's an All-Defensive player in the NBA but he can play on that end. When you find me someone at that size who can shoot the way he does and guards well at his position, I want that guy." -- Parrish
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