2021 NBA Draft Scouting

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2021 NBA Draft Big Board: Top 60 Prospects to Watch



1. Cade Cunningham, PG, Oklahoma State

Height: 6' 7" | Weight: 220 | Age: 19 | Freshman

Spoiler:

While it’s too early to 100% guarantee Cunningham ends up as the No. 1 pick, based on everything I’ve seen him do in various settings over the past 18 months, he should inspire as much confidence as any top prospect in some time. I have little doubt he’ll hold down the No. 1 spot on this board from now until whenever the draft actually takes place. Cunningham’s plus-plus size, sublime basketball IQ, mature shot selection, ambidextrous, visionary passing and strong defensive chops make him as well-rounded a teenage guard prospect as you’ll find. He checks the right boxes off the floor, and is well-suited to assume leadership of a winning team early in his career. The Luka Doncic comparisons are obviously unfair—the Mavericks star is a generational, MVP-caliber player at age 21—but the fiber of Cunningham’s game is not dissimilar. He’s not an explosive athlete in tight spaces, but his internal clock and ability to process gameflow in the moment surpasses that of any college freshman in the past decade, at least. There is obvious All-Star potential here, with the worst-case floor being a highly capable starting guard. He’s in a class by himself atop this draft.

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Cunningham is not perfect, and there are a couple contextual caveats to keep in mind as his season unfolds at Oklahoma State. So far, his assist totals have been modest, a byproduct of a somewhat limited team around him and the fact opponents are already defending him like a superstar, throwing bodies in his way, determined to let pretty much any other player beat them. His raw counting stats may not look quite as gaudy as you might expect based off reputation four months from now. Cunningham’s handle can get a little loose under pressure, and smaller guards have historically had a degree of success trapping and getting into his body. He occasionally struggles to finish inside against bigs. These are things he should be able to clean up; at this stage, he’ll inevitably be nitpicked. All that really matters is his skill level continuing to rise over time—he’s not an elite athlete, but he’s big, strong and quick enough to compensate. Cunningham’s overall profile is hard to argue with, and right now he’s the only player in the draft I’d feel totally comfortable staking a franchise to. Enjoy his time in college while you can.

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2. Evan Mobley, F/C, USC

Height: 7' 0" | Weight: 215 | Age: 19 | Freshman

Spoiler:

Mobley is almost certain to be the first big off the board in this draft, gifted with impactful length (he’s measured with a 7’4” wingspan) and timing as a shot-blocker and a budding face-up game. He’s the galvanizing force for an otherwise underwhelming USC team, and his ability to wipe away a segment of the floor as a mobile rim protector has been a pretty big equalizer at the college level so far. Mobley is also a plus passer and ball-handler at his size and has some basic shooting ability, giving him some extra perimeter value operating as a screener and eventually, as a secondary playmaker. He’s athletic but not crazy explosive, and needs to add more strength to his narrow frame, but rarely do you find gifted rim-protecting prospects with such projectable offensive versatility. That’s going to be the crux of Mobley’s case. His early play has eased some of the concerns I had coming into the season about his motor and level of care—while Mobley has more of an introverted presence on the floor, he’s been engaged more often than not in the earlygoing, and made a tangible impact on winning while involving himself in gameflow. His play was up and down as a high school senior, which saw him cede the top spot in most recruiting rankings, but at the end of the day, Mobley fits the bill as a top-five prospect. And as recent drafts have shown, the changing nature of the center position isn’t stopping NBA teams from investing in high-ceiling bigs anytime soon.

5. Jalen Suggs, G, Gonzaga

Height: 6' 4" | Weight: 205 | Age: 19 | Freshman

Spoiler:

No player has used the first few weeks of college games to his advantage more than Suggs, who was generally viewed as more of a back-half lottery talent and is certainly trending up. It’s only December, and Suggs has benefitted from a favorable team context, but his all-around athletic package and improved floor game have shone through in the earlygoing. He plays with impressive burst off the dribble, finishes capably at the rim, and has passed the ball even better than advertised, looking like someone who can handle point guard duties and turning his combo-guard label into a positive. Suggs isn’t particularly long, but he’s laterally agile and covers ground quickly from a standstill, making him an obvious plus on the defensive end and in transition, where he loves to advance the ball with the pass. Teams will track the progress of his jumper closely — he’s looked a bit better mechanically, but he’s looked like an inconsistent shooter in the past, and has room to improve creating off the dribble. But it’s hard to be too critical of anything Suggs has done so far, and even if he’s more hyper-athletic utility guard than high-usage playmaker, there’s plenty to like. His fearlessness and competitive engine are an added bonus, and point to a reliable floor.

SI.com

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James Bouknight, SG, UConn

Height: 6' 5" | Weight: 190 | Age: 20 | Sophomore

The top returning college prospect, Bouknight has shown positive growth in the earlygoing and is on his way to affirming himself as a first-rounder. While he mostly flew under the radar from a draft perspective, he begin breaking out toward the end of last season and was drawing interest from NBA execs who paid careful attention before he decided to return to UConn. At this rate, he won’t be there much longer. Bouknight is an athletic slasher with a solid jump shot, and couples a nice all-around skill set with deliberate decision-making and demonstrable effort at all times. He’ll have to keep improving his handle and working on getting separation when creating shots for himself, but there aren’t many pronounced holes in his game. Bouknight manages to be high-volume without being selfish or ball-dominant, and has an advanced understanding of how to pick his spots and limit mistakes. There’s a lot to like here, and he should become a more popular name in league circles in the coming weeks.

Sports Illustrated

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This kid is the real deal.

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Corey Kispert | 6-7 wing | 22 years old, senior | Gonzaga

The biggest first-round riser thus far, Kispert is having an absolutely preposterous offensive season that looks tailor-made for translating to the NBA. As of Wednesday, the 6-foot-7 wing was averaging 21.6 points per game while shooting 63 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3 and 88 percent from the foul line. I thought I was being a bit bold when I predicted in the preseason that he would be a 50/40/90 player, but in the early portion of the season, it looks like that was underselling him.

The big thing is that he’s just an utterly elite shooter off movement and off the catch. I’m not joking when I say that I think he’ll be a consistent 40 percent shooter from 3 in his NBA career, something very few players can say. He can attack closeouts with ease and finish at the basket. He’s a willing passer in those situations. Defensively, he’s willing and gives effort even if his feet sometimes get stuck in the mud. Basically, Kispert is the easiest player in this class to project into an NBA role outside of the top-five guys. I think he’s a pretty clear lottery-level prospect.

The Athletic

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Where is the draft thread. This team is relatively soft, and the pick should rival last seasons if not through seeding, then through impact. I have my eyes strictly on Bouknight or Moody.

James Bouknight is definitely one of the guys I like most from this draft as well.

James Bouknight | 6-5, 190 | SF | Soph. | UConn

A 6-5 shooting guard/wing, James Bouknight has been one of college basketball's biggest sophomore star turns. He's averaging 20.3 points and 5.3 boards per game for UConn and emerged as a very legitimate lottery prospect. He's long had NBA athleticism to bolster his next-level prospects but his shot making has been elevated to a new level, and his efficiency this season has basically stayed static despite now taking much more attempts -- many of which are now tougher as he operates as UConn's No. 1 option. He's a very easily projectable wing with good length and an immediately valuable skill as a creator, particularly off the ball.

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CBS Sports

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CPW, I'll have to keep a closer eye on Moody. The scouting report and the numbers sound really good, though.

Moses Moody (Arkansas, SG, Freshman)



Moses Moody is building the three-and-D profile that always hints at a high NBA floor, especially given his 6'6", 205-pound frame.

But along with the 40.0 percent shooting from deep, he's also averaging 16.78 points, finding ways to score from off the ball by cutting and crashing the offensive glass. He's coming off a 25-point game against Georgia in which he converted 7-of-9 attempts inside the arc.

Lottery teams continue to show interest in shooters who can defend like Mikal Bridges, De'Andre Hunter and Devin Vassell. Moody, who's flashed more offensive upside as a freshman than those three did, figures to be the next one in line for the 2021 draft.

CBS Sports

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Do Milwaukee, Boston or Philadelphia have any chance at getting past the stacked Brooklyn Nets this post-season?

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