2021 NBA Draft Recap: Favorite Picks, Winners and Losers, and Storylines to Follow
By Carson Hull
The 2021 NBA Draft has wrapped up and made for some very exciting television. From the draft rumors, to actual trades that happened, to the unexpected picks, this draft was one of the most exciting ones in recent memory. I’m here to break down my favorite picks, winners and losers, and the top storylines to track with this rookie class during the season.
My Favorite Picks
Jalen Suggs to the Orlando Magic at No. 5
Now don’t get me wrong. I really wanted to see Suggs in Toronto. It fits perfectly with either direction they choose: rebuild or contend. It also provides Kyle Lowry insurance in case he leaves. But falling to 5 is great for the Magic because the last few years they always seemed to get the pick where the draft dropped off in talent. In 2017 they just missed out on Tatum, Fox, and Lonzo. In 2018, they missed out on Doncic, Trae, and Ayton. This year, they got an NBA ready player in Suggs with star potential, which Orlando has been longing for. He is extremely competitive, a career winner, and the type of culture changer that Orlando desperately needs as they have been trying to find an identity for the past few seasons. Now with Suggs leading the offense, you have an exciting young core of Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, Jonathan Isaac, and Jalen Suggs leading the offense and also adding to what is already an extremely high upside group of defenders. They just need their core to stay healthy.
Moses Moody to the Golden State Warriors at No. 14
Moody has an excellent frame at 6-6 with a 7-1 wingspan. He is still a project, but his two already refined skills fit perfectly for what the Warriors need next season to get back to title contention: 3 point shooting and defense. He shot 36% from 3 at Arkansas and has the tools to defend at a high level right away. To me, he is the Warriors version of Mikal Bridges. An already established 3 and D player with the upside for more in the coming years. He was a projected top 10 pick and talent, so for the Warriors to have him fall all the way to 14 is a massive win and will most likely help them win more next year than Kuminga.
Trey Murphy III to the New Orleans Pelicans at No. 17
The clock is ticking for the Pelicans to try and stave off their star Zion Williamson from leaving in the coming years. They need instant contribution to try and compete for a playoff spot, and Trey Murphy does exactly that. He was a knock down shooter at Virginia, shooting 43% from 3 and 93% from the line this season, and 40% his whole college career. With a really good physical profile, he’ll be able to guard multiple positions at a high level. Murphy is the 3 and D player the Pelicans desperately needed, as shooting and defense are two of the Pelicans main needs. That is true for the whole NBA, but it’s been especially brutal for the Pelicans who haven’t had much of either since Zion arrived. He will get big minutes right away and is the perfect fit for Zion.
Kai Jones to the Charlotte Hornets at No. 19
We did a mock draft the day before the draft, and I was the Hornets GM for the exercise with the 11th pick. I was really debating taking Kai Jones because he is exactly the type of big man that the Hornets need. I ended up not taking him because the type of rim protector and vertical spacer Jones is seems like a bad value pick in the lottery because you can find players like that everywhere. But having Jones fall to 19??? Fantastic. We are going to talk about Jones more later(spoiler alert: the Charlotte Hornets are one of the winners of this draft). The rim protection will be amazing for the Hornets and giving LaMelo another lob threat will not only help unlock LaMelo’s game more, but will push Jones to run the floor harder and defend when he knows he is running with a point guard that will reward him.
Winners and Losers
WINNER: The Houston Rockets
The Rockets went from having one of if not the most uninspiring roster last year with no talent to getting an influx of exciting new talent through this draft. You get your potential franchise star in Jalen Green with the 2nd pick, then you get Alperen Sengun falling in your lap at the 16th pick. Sengun was a projected top 10 pick and was a great value pick here for the Rockets picking up the 18 year old Turkish League MVP with elite interior scoring. Then you get the complete opposite version of Sengun in Usman Garuba with the 23rd pick. Winning the Rising Star trophy in the EuroLeague playing for Real Madrid, Garuba made waves in the weeks leading up to the draft as potentially the best defender in the draft because of his defensive versatility. He can stay in front of guards and bang with any kind of big man. Finally, with the 24th pick you end up with Josh Christopher. A high upside pick who showed great scoring prowess and bucket getter potential in college and high school, along with a strong frame that offers defensive upside. Plus, he is best friends with Jalen Green which will help with chemistry and potentially keeping your star in the future. A potential star, elite offensive big man and elite defensive big man, and an upside bucket getter? Great diversity in the Rockets draft selections and now I am extremely excited to watch Rockets games next season. They had the best draft class in my opinion.
LOSER: The Sacramento Kings
I love Davion Mitchell. I think he is going to be in the league for a very long time with his defense, great athleticism, and playmaking. But the fit here for the Kings is discouraging considering you still have two really good young guards in De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. The best case scenario for the Kings would be if a lineup of Mitchell, Fox, and Haliburton could work like the OKC three guard lineup of Shai, Schroder, and CP3, but that is a big if considering how undersized they would be and the lack of defense around them. Essentially, you are drafting a backup point guard if you are the Kings. With other needs for them on the board such as a 3 and D wing like Moses Moody(Jose really wanted him), or Chris Duarte who would have been a little bit of a stretch, but fits better with the current roster. He also helps with the Kings front office wanting to compete for a playoff spot. I hope it works out for the Kings. I really do. But the last thing the Kings needed was another guard.
WINNER: The Orlando Magic
The Magic got two NBA ready prospects in Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner with upside for much more. Suggs is their star going forward in the rebuild, and Wagner offers great defense that can become even better learning under Jonathan Isaac. These two were great value picks as well, picked as best available and were projected to potentially go higher than they did. The Magic had the best draft since drafting Dwight Howard with the No. 1 pick in 2004.
LOSER: The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks
This year’s draft was one of the most talented and deepest in recent memory, yet both of these teams did not have a single selection. The Suns, Lakers, and the Heat did not have one either, but those teams are in championship contention. The Mavericks could have added someone who helps Luka right now as they desperately need more defense and another big man. They still have Luka Doncic though and are semi-contenders just by having him, but it sure would have been nice adding someone that can help him elevate the Mavericks even more. The Timberwolves are the biggest losers out of this group because that 7th pick could have gotten them someone who not only improves their team moving forward, but fits the timeline of the young core Minnesota already has in place. I would much rather have any of the players in that 7th pick range than D’Angelo Russell.
WINNER: The Charlotte Hornets
Drafting James Bouknight seems strange with the current roster. He has a similar playstyle to Terry Rozier and Devonte Graham, but he offers the Hornets a cheaper and younger version of both of those players since Graham is a restricted free agent this off season and Rozier is an unrestricted free agent next off season. Plus Bouknight was a steal since he was projected to go as high as pick 6. Then they pick up Kai Jones at 19 who is the exact type of big man they were looking for whose skill sets fit perfectly with LaMelo and the rest of the team. Finally, you get JT Thor with the 37th pick who at 6-10 shows great potential defensively with his size and his perimeter play on offense, and he isn’t even 19 yet. Plus acquiring Scottie Lewis as a project to develop in the G-League is nice considering he was once a projected lottery pick and high pedigree high school player.
My Favorite Storyline for this Rookie Class
What will these rookies look like for the Warriors, or do they even play at all?
The Warriors have the potential to be the biggest winners of this draft. If any other team was in the Warriors shoes and got who they got, they would be the biggest winners. Jonathan Kuminga has arguably the highest star potential out of anyone in this draft with his physical tools and getting him at 7 is a steal. Moses Moody also has star potential and will at least be a solid 3 and D guy to start his career and he was a steal at 14 considering he was a projected top 10 guy. With that being said, it’s uncertain how much Kuminga and Moody will help the Warriors in their quest to reclaim championship glory considering they are both projects. They could also be packaged in a trade for another star to solidify the Warriors being in win now mode. I’m very interested to see both players' development, if they will help the Warriors win now or not, and if they will even play at all and be used in a trade package for someone like a Bradley Beal.
Who will be the best player from this draft in 5 years?
This one is a little cheap and an easy way out, but the star potential is ridiculous with this draft. Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, and Evan Mobley are all No. 1 picks in different years that all have All-Star written all over them. Kuminga is the wild card, who might have the most star potential out of anyone who would have given Anthony Edwards a run for his money last year to be the No.1 pick himself considering both are similar prospects. Scottie Barnes will be good right away with the elite defensive capability and play making and the mark on him is that if he gets the jump shot down he could be dominant and the best player from this draft. That sentence right there kind of reminds you of someone else, someone who just dropped a 50 piece in the Finals to win Finals MVP. Then you have Suggs, who for his skill set and tournament run could have passed as a No.1 pick in years past as well. Man. Anyone of these six players could be the best player from the draft in five years and I wouldn’t be surprised. The craziest part of all? A lot of times the best player from a draft comes in the 10-20 pick range, or even the second round like Jokic. You never know, and the star potential this draft offers makes me so excited to see how it all turns out five years down the line. See you soon 2026.
Which rookies will make a difference in the playoffs?
Usually the top picks don’t often get the chance to play in the playoffs considering they are more than likely going to bad teams that are out of playoff contention. So I’m looking at guys that are in the mid to late first round or even the second. Last year, we saw the likes of Tyrese Maxey, Onyeka Okongwu, and Cam Reddish step up to the challenge and provide big minutes in pivotal playoff games. From this class, I think Keon Johnson, Cam Thomas, Jaden Springer, and Jared Butler are guys that were drafted by playoff teams that will come up huge in this year's upcoming playoffs.
With Johnson, he slipped a lot and fell to the Clippers which is an ideal situation for him. He will be surrounded with great shooting that plays to his strengths in the open court with how fast he is, and his defense will be much needed since they will miss Kawhi either from injury or departure in free agency.
Cam Thomas is arguably the best scorer in the draft, and falling to the Nets at 27 is the absolute perfect fit for him. He gets to learn from three of the best scorers OF ALL TIME in KD, Kyrie, and Harden and will get experience in the regular season because you know those three will either be injured, load managed, or absent for a period of time. His scoring will be valuable in the playoffs coming off the bench and will definitely swing a game or two when one or two of the Big 3 might be off and none of the other role guys can get it going. They would have loved to have Cam in games 3 and 4 in Milwaukee this year.
Jaden Springer is very similar to Thomas as he offers bucket getter potential and is another shooter that Embiid and Philly desperately needs. Him and Maxey will be a nightmare to guard for opposing second units and is another heat check that can swing a game or two for Philly when Embiid or Tobias Harris might not have it. Unlike Thomas, Springer has the quickness and strength to defend 1-3.
Finally, the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Jared Butler finds himself in Utah where he will fit right in with the unselfish playstyle of the Jazz. He can create his own shot while also creating for others, and will be a great facilitator helping to alleviate second unit playmaking from Joe Ingles. He fits right in as the second unit point guard and that second unit of Butler, Clarkson, and Ingles is looking really, really tough for all the backups out there in the Western Conference.
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