The 2021 NBA Draft is approaching fast. And though the prevailing thought is still that the Detroit Pistons will use the first overall pick on Oklahoma State All-American Cade Cunningham, sources throughout the league continue to insist the franchise is thoroughly doing its due diligence on at least three other prospects — namely Jalen Green, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs.
That makes sense to me.
My current belief is that the first four players selected in this draft should be Cunningham plus those three — with Cunningham going first followed by Green, Mobley and Suggs at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 in some order. So even if Detroit knows it's selecting Cunningham first, there's no harm in the Pistons taking advantage of their position in this draft to get a close look at, and create relationships with, the other elite prospects available, if only because you never know what you might learn, or how it might pay off in a year or two or seven. So Detroit will continue to evaluate, ask questions and do homework over the coming hours and days. And the Pistons will likely also accept calls from teams interested in maybe trading for the No. 1 pick. But, barring a surprise, on Thursday night, they'll make Cunningham the newest member of a franchise that's won three NBA championships but zero since 2004.
A special episode of Eye on College Basketball projects all 30 first-round picks of the 2021 NBA Draft. Listen now.
NBA Mock Draft
Round 1
Round 1 - Pick 1
The Pistons were the fortunate franchise that won the lottery — and now the job of general manager Troy Weaver is easy. The pick should be Cade Cunningham, a point guard with size who can shot-create, play-make, score from all three levels and just generally take over games when the situation requires it, which he showed time and again in his one season in the Big 12.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
 
Jalen Green
SG
USA
• Jr
• 6'4"
/ 186 lbs
The Rockets have employed various star guards in recent years — namely James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul. Now they desperately need another one. And the highest-upside guard not named Cunningham in this draft is probably Jalen Green — an elite scorer with explosive athleticism who has a chance to be a big-time scorer in this league for a decade-plus.
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Round 1- Pick 3
The Cavaliers have young talent in their backcourt thanks to the presence of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, but they could use a frontcourt star to go with them. That's why the pick should be Evan Mobley, a one-and-done center who is perfectly suited for the modern NBA given that he's a true rim-protector who can guard in space, make plays off the bounce, shoot jumpers from the perimeter and impressively pass out of double-teams.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
The Raptors were big winners on lottery night when they bounced into the top four and earned the right to select whichever top-tier prospect drops to them. In this mock draft, it's Jalen Suggs — a great competitor and top-shelf athlete who could flourish playing next to Fred VanVleet and become an All-Star level player in time if his 3-point shot becomes more reliable.
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Round 1 - Pick 5
 
Jonathan Kuminga
SF
Congo
• Jr
• 6'7"
/ 225 lbs
The Magic are in a total rebuild and would be wise to select the prospect with the most potential to develop into something special. From my perspective, that prospect is Jonathan Kuminga, the big and versatile athletic wing who would pair nicely with a young core of R.J. Hampton and Cole Anthony.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
Oklahoma City's rebuild should have general manager Sam Presti focusing on nothing but adding young prospects with high upsides. At this point in this mock draft, the best player who fits that description is Scottie Barnes, a versatile combo forward who will soon become Florida State's next one-and-done lottery pick.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
There's some thought that the Warriors will try to package this pick and move it for a veteran who is better equipped to help a core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green compete for another title next season. But if they can't get that done, an intriguing option would be Davion Mitchell, the tenacious on-ball defender whose playmaking ability — and shotmaking ability — helped Baylor win its first national title.
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From
Chicago Bulls
Round 1 - Pick 8
James Bouknight has reportedly eased a lot of concerns about his low 3-point percentage during the pre-draft process by burying shots from everywhere in workouts. That's encouraging and among the reasons the big-scoring guard from UConn is now projected to be a top-10 pick.
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Round 1 - Pick 9
The Kings finished with the worst defensive rating in the NBA this season, which suggests they could use a prospect who adds something on that end of the court. Keon Johnson was a terrific on-ball defender in his one season at Tennessee and projects as a nice two-way player in the NBA for many years to come thanks to freakish athleticism that allowed him to set a vertical record at the combine.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
The Pelicans still need to surround Zion Williamson with shooting -- and adding Moses Moody would accomplish that goal. The one-and-done prospect from Arkansas projects as a 3-and-D wing after shooting 35.8% from 3 while helping the Razorbacks advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
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Round 1 - Pick 11
 
Josh Giddey
SF
Australia
• Jr
• 6'8"
/ 216 lbs
Gordon Hayward has missed 48 regular-season games the past two seasons, which is among the reasons the Hornets need to add depth on the wing. The selection of Josh Giddey would do just that and give Charlotte a perimeter player with size who has already proven himself against professionals in the same league where Charlotte star LaMelo Ball also played before coming to the NBA.
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Round 1 - Pick 12
The midseason buyout of LaMarcus Aldridge left San Antonio with zero great options in the frontcourt. So using this pick on a big like Isaiah Jackson — whose block percentage of 12.7 ranked eighth nationally (according to KenPom) in his one year at Kentucky — could possibly help the Spurs find their next special rim-wrecking athlete.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
The Pacers need to add depth on the wing, which makes Franz Wagner an obvious option. His 3-point shot must improve for him to meet expectations, but the fact that he shot 83.3% from the free-throw line last season at Michigan suggests he's capable of being an above-average perimeter shooter in time.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
 
Alperen Sengun
C
Turkey
• Jr
• 6'11"
/ 243 lbs
With or without James Wiseman in Golden State's plans, the Warriors are pretty light in the frontcourt. Adding Alperen Sengun, a throwback center who has been a professional in Turkey since 2018, would qualify as a sensible move and give Steve Kerr someone who is already very comfortable catching the ball at the elbow and using a developed face-up game to score and draw fouls.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
Jalen Johnson's decision to quit Duke midseason after his role was decreased wasn't a good look (or a positive for his draft stock). But he's still a former five-star prospect with undeniable potential, which is among the reasons he'd make sense for a Washington franchise that needs this pick to become somebody who can lead the team once the Bradley Beal/Russell Westbrook era is over.
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From
Boston Celtics
Round 1 - Pick 16
Oklahoma City has so many picks — in this draft and future drafts — that it can afford to take a big swing on a prospect like Kai Jones. It's a bet on his upside, sure, but the two-year product from Texas has a chance to be a stretch-big at the next level considering he made 13 of the 34 3-pointers he attempted as a sophomore.
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Round 1 - Pick 17
Trey Murphy has reportedly moved up draft boards in recent weeks now that franchises are confident he's a legitimate perimeter player with size who can serve as a high-level catch-and-shoot threat and also guard his position. He's exactly the type of teammate who could keep the court spaced in a way that allows Ja Morant to carve up defenses.
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From
Miami Heat
Round 1 - Pick 18
The Thunder are in a total rebuild and should be focused on trying to add prospects who have a chance to be special. Ziaire Williams fits that description in part because he's a one-and-done wing with athleticism who was a consensus top-10 prospect coming out of high school.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
All indications are that the Knicks have prioritized the present, which means they could make this pick part of a trade package. But if they keep it, Chris Duarte could provide New York with a do-it-all guard who made better than 42% of the 5.5 3-pointers he attempted per contest last season at Oregon, where he led the Ducks to back-to-back outright Pac-12 regular-season titles.
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Round 1 - Pick 20
Cameron Thomas is a big-time scorer who led the SEC in points per game in his one season at LSU. The efficiency numbers weren't great, but that's largely because he was responsible for creating an unusually high percentage of the Tigers' offense, which obviously wouldn't be the case in Atlanta because of the presence of Trae Young.
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From
Dallas Mavericks
Round 1 - Pick 21
 
Usman Garuba
PF
Spain
• Jr
• 6'8"
/ 229 lbs
Usman Garuba is a versatile high-level defender who could help as a rookie and eventually develop into one of the best defensive bigs in the world. It would be fascinating to watch Tom Thibodeau develop an 18 year-old who already possesses incredible defensive instincts.
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Round 1 - Pick 22
The Lakers are always looking to add shooting around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Corey Kispert, who made 44.0% of the 6.5 3-pointers he attempted per game last season at Gonzaga, is arguably the best shooter in this draft, which is why he'll be selected in the first round despite some obvious flaws that were exposed during the Zags' loss to Baylor in the national title game.
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Round 1 - Pick 23
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From
Milwaukee Bucks
Round 1 - Pick 24
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was the leading scorer and rebounder for a Villanova team that won the Big East by multiple games. He's not the best athlete, but his understanding of how to play, and his ability to be a pick-and-pop 4, could allow him to become a core piece for the Rockets, who are still probably years away from competing for a postseason spot.
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Round 1 - Pick 25
Ayo Dosunmu improved enough as a shooter in his third season at Illinois to lock up a spot in the first round. The regularity with which he took over games in the Big Ten suggests he can be a big-scoring guard who could provide depth in the Clippers' backcourt and help them win immediately.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Jaden Springer made above 43% of his 3-point attempts in his one season of college, which is an encouraging stat even if it was on limited attempts. Among the youngest players in this draft, he could develop into an important piece that upgrades Denver's backcourt.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
The Nets should prioritize finding a multi-positional player who can make life easier for Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving by making shots and just generally being a rock-solid teammate. Jared Butler is capable of all of those things and worthy of a look in this range now that the NBA has made it clear his medical condition will not prevent him from playing in the league.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
The Sixers still need to add shooting regardless of what they do with Ben Simmons -- and adding Tre Mann would accomplish that goal. He shot 40.2% on 4.7 3-point attempts in his final season at Florida, where played and guarded multiple positions and drastically increased his reputation as a likely first-round pick.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
If the Suns decide to add backcourt depth, Miles McBride would be a reasonable option. He's a guard who gets after it defensively and shoots it reliably — evidence being that he shot 41.4% from 3-point range last season, and 81.3% from the free-throw line while leading West Virginia to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
The Jazz are at a point with their roster where they can afford to take a gamble on an intriguing prospect like Josh Christopher. He's a guard with size who, in a limited number of games, showed a real ability to shot-create and score in ways that translate to the NBA.
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