NBA Draft Picks 2021 - Top 5 Picks Review

It's the summer league that has been on the rise which is a showcase of Rookies for all the teams. The Draft night concluded the past month and we saw a slew of lottery surprises, some picks were expected to go in the Top 5, some made their mark from the European and Israeli leagues, and so on. 

Of course, there were some twists and turns as there were a lot of in draft trades that took place and few went above the expected draft picks and few went lower than expected. 

Here in this blog, we discuss the Top 5 picks in the NBA Draft 2021 along with the list of 60 prospects who cut the NBA this year.

1) Detroit Pistons - Cade Cunningham - Oklahoma State

One of the expected top NBA 2021 Draft Picks in the Lottery. Listed at 6'8, Cade Cunningham is a gifted athlete with a 7'0ft wingspan who has a good size of a Small Forward but his preferred position is at the Point Guard. Few of the accolades he received while playing for the Oklahoma State

• Ranked 1st in the NCAA and 1st in the Big XII in clutch scoring (103 points)

• Ranked 7th in the NCAA and 1st in the Big XII in isolation scoring (3.5 points per game)

• Ranked 4th in the Big XII in pick and roll scoring (5.0 points per game)

2) Houston Rockets - Jalen Green - G League Ignite

One of the first recruits from the newly formed G League Ignite Program is described as an opportunity for the players that offers a better opportunity for players to prepare themselves for the NBA competition than the AAU Program. 

Jalen Green stood out in the G League games with 36.5% on 3% shooting and averaged 17.9 points per game. 

Listed at 6'6 with a 6'7 wingspan Green has the size of a shooting guard. With the uncertainty of John Wall sticking around the franchise, the Rockets rebuild would have a strong backcourt of Kevin Porter Jr and Green shall be one to look out for in the Regular Season

3) Cleveland Cavaliers - Evan Mobley - USC

The saga of Top NBA Lottery Picks and Cleveland Cavaliers has been on point for almost two decades. Right from Top Picks like Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, Collin Sexton to worst picks like Anthony Bennett. Cavs have always found their luck in the draft and this year they have snapped up the top center prospect in the NBA Draft Picks of 2021, Evan Mobley.

Mobley is considered to be a defensive game-changer who flashed significant upside as a scorer while leading USC to the Elite Eight last season. 

He averaged 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, and 2.4 assists per game. He was also included in Consensus second-team All-American which cemented him as one of the top drafts picks in the NBA Draft. 

With Cavs locking up Jarrett Allen and having a dominant backcourt of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, Cavs should see themselves challenging for a Playoff spot at least this season, instead of fighting for another draft pick.

4) Toronto Raptors - Scottie Barnes - Florida State

A power-forward who is a defensive first guy and the pass-first player who believes in the floor-spacing instead of being ball-dominant. 

Barnes emerged as a prospect as an underclassman at the NSU University School (FL), was a key cog on the United States teams that won gold medals at the 2017 FIBA U16 Americas Championship, 2018 FIBA U17 World Championship, and 2019 FIBA U19 World Championship, and capped his prep career at Montverde Academy (FL) with McDonald’s All-American honors.

With Lowry heading out, Siakam becoming the leader of the squad, Barnes shall have big shoes to fill in and help the squad out to regain its glory days.

5) Orlando Magic - Jalen Suggs - Gonzanga

Another squad that needs an overhaul. Magic has been looking for a leader like Shaq, Penny, or Dwight Howard who will put the Magic on Notice. On paper, the squad looks a much dominant one, but when they get on the court, the team never puts up a show.

Jalen Suggs showed marked development ahead of his first collegiate season where he averaged 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 4.5 assists per game for Gonzaga. 

Suggs was perhaps the biggest revelation of the early part of the college season and carried that momentum through a stellar freshman season that saw him tabbed as a Consensus second-team All-American while solidifying himself among the elite prospects for the 2021 NBA Draft.

He is not a flashy high flier like the rest of the Guards in the draft but he has one of the most athletic structures to compete with the elite. 

List of NBA Draft Picks 2021 - 22

Round 1

Round 2