2021 NBA Draft Winners and Losers
The 2021 NBA Draft has concluded and the landscape of the NBA has changed once again. For some teams, their pick has solidified their future and there’s a lot to look forward to, while others left fans with more questions than answers. Let’s take a look at which teams were winners and which teams were losers on the night.
THE WINNERS
THE TOP 3 PICKS (DETROIT PISTONS, HOUSTON ROCKETS, AND CLEVELAND CAVALIERS)
The first three picks were all homerun picks and were the best at their available positions. For Detroit, they nabbed Cade Cunningham 1st overall, a generational point guard who was the consensus number one pick no matter who had the pick. The Houston Rockets got the best scorer in the draft with certified bucket getter Jalen Green. As for Cleveland, they got the best big man in the draft by a country mile in Evan Mobley. The duo of Mobley and Jarrett Allen should be great for Cleveland early on. All three of these picks get an A+.
THE ORLANDO MAGIC LAND A FRANCHISE POINT GUARD
Having two picks in the top ten, the Magic had a lot of decisions to make on draft night. In a move literally no one expected, playmaking point guard Jalen Suggs was somehow still on the board when the 5th pick rolled around. A no-brainer, the Magic immediately advantage and took the Gonzaga star. The Magic haven’t had a true playmaking point guard to this degree since Penny Hardaway in the mid-1990s. With the 8th pick, the Magic selected Franz Wagner, a high IQ forward with defensive capabilities and a ton of upside on offense. Picking Suggs automatically made the Magic winners but they nailed this draft.
THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS’ YOUTH MOVEMENT CONTINUES
Much like Orlando, Golden State also had two picks in the lottery and their selections were just as great. With the 7th pick, they took Jonathan Kuminga out of the G League. Kuminga had been mocked to go in the top five nearly all year so for Golden State to select him at seven is a tremendous value. Kuminga has all the physical tools and athleticism to be successful in the NBA. Having a mentor like Draymond Green will do wonders for Kuminga. Kuminga was the top player in his high school class. With the versatility he brings, if he can improve offensively, this will be a monster pick. With the 14th pick, the Warriors also get incredible value here by selecting Moses Moody. Moody had slipped in the draft and was projected to go much earlier with many thinking he would go to the Warriors at seven. Moody is a potentially great 3 and D guy right but could develop into so much more. Learning from a great scorer like Klay Thompson should only elevate his game. Don’t look now but Golden State is on Demon Time. I expect them to make some noise this year.
THE ATLANTA HAWKS END UP WITH THE STEAL OF THE DRAFT
Atlanta made the most of their two selections and grabbed two STUDS. Getting Duke’s Jalen Johnson at number 20 is an absolute steal. He was projected to go in the lottery in nearly every mock draft. Just two seasons removed from being a five-star high school prospect, Johnson has all the potential in the world. Playing alongside Trae Young, John Collins (pending free agency), and Clint Capela, Johnson’s situation is ideal. Atlanta also ended up with the best player in the entire second round, the massively underrated Sharife Cooper. Cooper had averages of 20/8/4 his freshman season at Auburn. While he doesn’t have a consistent shooting stroke, his playmaking abilities along with his passing and high IQ can’t be ignored. I can’t believe he fell all the way to pick 48. Definitely, a guy to keep an eye on.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Charlotte grabbing James Bouknight and Kai Jones
Russ heading home to LA
The Clippers trading up for Keon Johnson
THE LOSERS
TORONTO RAPTORS PASS ON JALEN SUGGS
Jalen Suggs should’ve been the 4th overall pick, point blank period. I see the upside and the intrigue with Scottie Barnes but with Kyle Lowry more than likely out the door and Suggs’s significant upside, how do you mess this pick up? If Suggs turns into a superstar, this pick would have been a disaster. Reminds me of the 2005 Draft when the Atlanta Hawks decided to take Marvin Williams over the likes of Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Marv went onto become a serviceable rotation player, but Deron Williams was an All-Star for the first half of his career while Paul is a future Hall of Famer.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES TRADED UP FOR WHO?
Did you decide to trade into the top 10 for Ziaire Williams? For now, it looks the Pelicans got the better end of their deal to move back in the draft. Williams had a disappointing freshman season at Stanford, putting up averages of 10/4/2. Williams needs to put on some size as well. Extremely underweight, he will be bullied by bigger wings if he doesn’t gain some strength. Williams still has tremendous upside, but he was not a lottery selection by any means, especially with players like Keon Johnson, Corey Kispert, and Jalen Johnson still on the board at 10.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS FAIL TO TRADE DOWN
Easily the biggest reach of the night, the Spurs selected Alabama’s Josh Primo at 12. The youngest player in the whole draft, the 6’6 Primo averaged only 8 points a game his freshman season in Tuscaloosa. There must be something in the young Primo that Coach Pop sees but I’m not expecting very much from the rookie. I didn’t see him anywhere near the first round in any mock draft so for him to be selected in the lottery was a huge shocker. Not to mention, the Thunder got TWO future first-round picks from the Houston Rockets just for the 16th pick. I would’ve taken that or something close to that over Josh Primo any night.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Buddy Hield still being stuck in Sacramento
Everyone who was traded off the Los Angeles Lakers
Killian Hayes in Detroit
Ben Simmons’s trade value
Bradley Beal staying in DC(I know he doesn’t wanna leave, they’re just gonna still suck)