2021 NBA Draft Tracker: The full list of early-entrant prospects

Rookie Wire took a look at those prospects that have opted to enter the NBA draft as an early-entrant candidate.

With March Madness in full swing, the sports world has been yet again enthralled with some outstanding individual performances on the biggest stage in college basketball.

Of course, with teams’ seasons ending and players exiting the NCAA bubble in Indianapolis, Indiana, some notable prospects will begin to look ahead and plan for their respective futures and take the next steps in their basketball careers.

Several high-profile prospects have already started to declare for the 2021 NBA draft in order to test the waters. Others, who are still playing, will eventually reach that point and throw their names into the hat as the collegiate season winds down.

As players look ahead to the 2021 NBA draft, the process this year will look a bit different based on the ongoing circumstances regarding the coronavirus pandemic. Among the changes, seniors will now need to petition the NBA to be draft-eligible this year.

In past seasons, seniors were not required to declare early for the draft. However, with the NCAA granting winter athletes an additional year of eligibility for the 2021-22 season, those seniors must now declare early for the draft.

Rookie Wire took a look at those prospects that have opted to enter the NBA draft as an early-entrant. With a record number of prospects expected to be eligible this year, we will continue to update this list throughout the pre-draft process.

Evan Mobley’s double-double leads USC past Drake in the first round

Freshman star Evan Mobley and the USC Trojans outlast the Drake Bulldogs, 72-56, to move on to the round of 32 to face the Kansas Jayhawks.

Last season, the USC Trojans’s were led by freshman big man Onyeka Okongwu, who was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NBA draft.

This season, the Trojans find themselves led by another freshman big man. Evan Mobley, consensus top-5 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, helped lead the Trojans to a 23-7 regular season record this season, despite losing in the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament.

In today’s first round matchup in the NCAA Tournament against the 11-seed Drake Bulldogs, Mobley and the 6-seed Trojans dominate the second half to outlast Drake in their 72-56 victory to move on to the round of 32. Mobley finished the game with 17 points on 7-of-15 from the floor with a game-high 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Evan’s older brother, Isaiah, finished with 15 points and 5 rebounds for the Trojans.

The Trojans will take on the 3-seed Kansas Jayhawks on Monday.

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Cunningham’s second half performance leads Oklahoma State to victory

After only scoring one point in the first half, Cade Cunningham scored 14 second half points to lead Oklahoma State to victory over Liberty.

Oklahoma State’s freshman guard Cade Cunningham came into the season as the projected No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA draft. With that, comes pressure. And that pressure only rises when March rolls around and it’s NCAA Tournament time.

For Cunningham, his Oklahoma State Cowboys came into today’s first round matchup as the No. 4 seed against the No. 13 seed Liberty Bulldogs in the Midwest bracket.

In the first half, Cunningham was all aboard the struggle bus, scoring only one singular first half point on 0-of-5 from the field with three turnovers and two quick fouls as Liberty led 30-27 at the half.

But in the second half, Cade made it a point to leave his mark on this game. Cunningham was ultra aggressive in final 20 minutes, scoring 14 points as he continuously attacked the basket, making 7-of-9 from the free throw line along with hitting the dagger 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs away.

Oklahoma State outscored Liberty by 12 in the second half to move on to the round of 32, 69-60. The Cowboys will take on the No. 12 seed Oregon State Beavers after upsetting No. 5 seed Tennessee earlier today.

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Cunningham’s second half performance leads Oklahoma State to victory

After only scoring one point in the first half, Cade Cunningham scored 14 second half points to lead Oklahoma State to victory over Liberty.

Oklahoma State’s freshman guard Cade Cunningham came into the season as the projected No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA draft. With that, comes pressure. And that pressure only rises when March rolls around and it’s NCAA Tournament time.

For Cunningham, his Oklahoma State Cowboys came into today’s first round matchup as the No. 4 seed against the No. 13 seed Liberty Bulldogs in the Midwest bracket.

In the first half, Cunningham was all aboard the struggle bus, scoring only one singular first half point on 0-of-5 from the field with three turnovers and two quick fouls as Liberty led 30-27 at the half.

But in the second half, Cade made it a point to leave his mark on this game. Cunningham was ultra aggressive in final 20 minutes, scoring 14 points as he continuously attacked the basket, making 7-of-9 from the free throw line along with hitting the dagger 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs away.

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Oklahoma State outscored Liberty by 12 in the second half to move on to the round of 32, 69-60. The Cowboys will take on the No. 12 seed Oregon State Beavers after upsetting No. 5 seed Tennessee earlier today.

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Adam Silver: NBA wants upcoming rookie class to have normal offseason

Silver expressed a desire to return to more of a normal offseason period to make for a smooth transition for the next rookie class.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Saturday expressed a desire to return to more of a normal offseason period this year in order to make for a smooth transition for the upcoming rookie class.

Of course, the coronavirus pandemic drastically changed the schedule last year with the NBA draft getting pushed back until November. The current class of rookie players did not have the luxury of a Summer League and time to acclimate to their new teams and the league is looking to change that this year.

With the 2020-21 regular season set to run through the middle of May, the league would return to more of a normal scheduling period. While a date for the 2021 NBA draft has not yet been set, the expectation is it will take place early enough to give players the chance to have a smooth transition over the summer.

Of course, the NBA would like to eventually cycle back to its normal calendar schedule. The league is taking steps to get everything back on track, including the start of next season, to ensure future events can return to return to normalcy.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Oklahoma State: Cade Cunningham’s ankle injury likely not too serious

Cunningham left Thursday night’s loss to Baylor early after rolling his ankle late in the fourth quarter.

On Thursday, Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham exited the Cowboys’ game late in the fourth quarter versus Baylor after rolling his left ankle on the foot of an opposing player. He was helped off the court and did not return during the 81-70 loss.

The early signs indicate the injury may not be as bad as it looked on replay.

According to Andy Katz of NCAA.com, the Cowboys said in a release that Cunningham rolled his left ankle and it does not appear to be too serious. He will be further evaluated by the team medical staff to confirm the early prognosis.

Cunningham finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Of course, Cunningham is widely projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He was named a semifinalist for the Naismith Player of the Year award after averaging 19.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists entering play on Thursday.

While nothing yet is official, Cunningham appears to have avoided a significant injury. His status for the Cowboys’ regular-season finale on Saturday versus No. 6 West Virginia is not yet known.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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2021 NBA Mock Draft consensus 2.0: The updated first round

See the latest picks in our consensus NBA Mock Draft 2.0.

With the G League season underway and the 2021 NCAA Tournament nearing, several NBA prospects have been shooting up draft boards.

Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham and USC’s Evan Mobley are projected to be selected first and second, respectively, in the 2021 NBA draft later this year, but the draft order becomes much more difficult to predict after the first two picks.

To rank the top players available, we analyzed five 2021 NBA mock drafts and big boards from around the internet – the latest revisions from For The Win, NBC Sports, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated and NBA Draft Room – and found each player’s average draft position.

Forty-four players appeared as first-round selections across the mock drafts we reviewed, down from 47 in the Consensus 1.0. If a player was left out of one of the mock drafts, he was assigned a value of 31 for each absence to determine his draft average. To give an approximate draft range, we’re also listing each player’s best and worst draft position across the five mock drafts, and indicating whether a player’s stock has risen or fallen since our last mock.

The draft order was set using each team’s current record, via Tankathon.

Here is our consensus mock draft 2.0, with all 30 picks in the first round:

(This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire. Follow us on Facebook!)

2021 NBA Mock Draft consensus 1.0: The complete first round

See the top projected picks in our first consensus NBA Mock Draft.

Oklahoma State star Cade Cunningham is widely expected to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, but there’s plenty of talent available in what is projected to be a deep draft class.

To rank the top players available, we analyzed five 2021 NBA mock drafts from around the internet – the latest revisions from For The Win, NBC Sports, Yahoo Sports, Sports Illustrated and NBA Draft Room – and found each player’s average draft position.

A total of 47 different players appeared as first round selections across the mock drafts we reviewed. If a player was left out of one of the mock drafts, he was assigned a value of 31 for each absence to determine his draft average. To give an approximate draft range, we’re also listing each player’s best and worst draft position across the five mock drafts.

The draft order was set using each team’s current record, via Tankathon.

Here is our consensus mock draft 1.0, with all 30 picks in the first round:

(This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire. Follow us on Facebook!)

Dwyane Wade reacts to Cade Cunningham’s game-winning 3-pointer

Cunningham was trending on social media after the shot and even earned a reaction from Dwyane Wade.

Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham had gone scoreless in the second half on Saturday but then proceeded to make the biggest shot of his young collegiate career in the closing seconds of a contested matchup against Wichita State.

With the game tied up at 64 points apiece, Cunningham had the ball near center court with the time winding down. The five-star prospect dribbled the ball a few times, then went to work near the left wing, pulled up and drilled what would become the game-winning shot with 9.8 seconds left.

Cunningham, who is expected to be a top-five pick in next year’s NBA draft, was quickly trending on social media after the shot and even earned a shout-out from future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade on Twitter.

The shot by Cunningham sent the Cowboys to a 6-0 record to remain perfect in non-conference play. He finished the contest with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes as the Cowboys now turn to Big 12 play this week.

Cunningham turned in a strong performance during the Cowboys’ non-conference schedule, even scoring a season-high 29 points on Tuesday. Now, the basketball world awaits what he has in store for conference play with several ranked opponents ahead.

OSU returns to action on Wednesday vs. TCU.

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Jalen Suggs shakes off scary injury, returns as No. 1 Gonzaga wins

Suggs suffered what appeared to be a serious left ankle injury but eventually returned as the Bulldogs pulled out the 87-82 win.

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Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs suffered what appeared to be a serious left lower leg injury after slipping on the court versus No. 11 West Virginia in the Jimmy V Classic on Wednesday but eventually returned as the top-ranked Bulldogs pulled out the 87-82 win.

Suggs, who is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2021 NBA draft, was in visible pain on the floor following the play and immediately left the game for the locker room. The replays showed the freshman may have hurt his Achilles but the team ruled it a left ankle sprain.

The 19-year-old was then seen in the second half warming up in a tunnel attempting to return and, a few minutes later, was inserted back into the game after getting medically cleared. He finished with four points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in 26 minutes.

Afterward, Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said Suggs convinced him enough to go back into the game. Few told Suggs that if he was limping, he would take him out but Suggs stopped limping and finished out the game for the Bulldogs, according to Alyssa Charlston of 4 News Now.

Suggs boasts an impressive skillset on both ends of the floor that will likely see him taken in the first round next year. He has the potential to be perhaps the top freshman in the country this year given his athleticism and playmaking on offense.

Gonzaga plays next on Saturday vs. No. 2 Baylor.

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