Category: 2021 NBA Draft

Cavaliers draft USC center Evan Mobley with third overall pick

Mobley was heavily linked to the Cavaliers during the pre-draft process, and the 7-footer will now head to Ohio to begin his NBA career.

USC center Evan Mobley was heavily linked to the Cleveland Cavaliers during the pre-draft process, and the 7-footer will now head to Ohio to begin his NBA career.

The Cavaliers on Thursday selected Mobley with the third overall pick in the NBA draft after a tremendous freshman campaign. He helped lead the Trojans to the Elite Eight after finishing with the second-most wins (25) in program history.

Mobley was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year after averaging 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.4 assists in 33 games. He also won Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player ever to win all three awards.

Mobley proved to be dominant down low last season and has the potential to be an elite defender at the next level. While he can work in the paint, many believe he is among the most versatile prospects in the draft given his overall skill set on both ends of the floor.

His agility and length on defense make him arguably one of the best frontcourt defenders as he can guard nearly every position on the floor. With added development, Mobley believes he can eventually be a generational player in the NBA.

Certainly, adding Mobley next to the likes of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro will give the Cavaliers a strong core of young players to build around. The future appears to be bright in The Land.

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

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Cavaliers draft USC center Evan Mobley with third overall pick

Mobley was heavily linked to the Cavaliers during the pre-draft process, and the 7-footer will now head to Ohio to begin his NBA career.

USC center Evan Mobley was heavily linked to the Cleveland Cavaliers during the pre-draft process, and the 7-footer will now head to Ohio to begin his NBA career.

The Cavaliers on Thursday selected Mobley with the third overall pick in the NBA draft after a tremendous freshman campaign. He helped lead the Trojans to the Elite Eight after finishing with the second-most wins (25) in program history.

Mobley was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year after averaging 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.4 assists in 33 games. He also won Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player ever to win all three awards.

Mobley proved to be dominant down low last season and has the potential to be an elite defender at the next level. While he can work in the paint, many believe he is among the most versatile prospects in the draft given his overall skill set on both ends of the floor.

His agility and length on defense make him arguably one of the best frontcourt defenders as he can guard nearly every position on the floor. With added development, Mobley believes he can eventually be a generational player in the NBA.

Certainly, adding Mobley next to the likes of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro will give the Cavaliers a strong core of young players to build around. The future appears to be bright in The Land.

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

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Jalen Green drafted No. 2 overall by Rockets in NBA draft

Green, 19, becomes the first player from the G League Ignite to be drafted into the NBA.

With the second overall pick in the NBA draft, the Houston Rockets selected Jalen Green from the NBA G League Ignite, becoming the first player to be taken from the program.

Green entered draft night as the favorite to land with the Rockets, and the 19-year-old will now join a roster on the rise with John Wall, Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr. among others. He praised the Rockets’ system earlier this week, and believed his potential would work well.

The 6-foot-6 guard is highly touted for his scoring ability, and many believe he could develop into a superstar in the NBA. Houston was reportedly also considering USC center Evan Mobley but ultimately believed Green and his potential was the right move.

Green averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 assists in 15 games last season to lead the NBA G League Ignite in their inaugural season. He produced his best game of the season in the playoffs: 30 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds in a loss to the Raptors 905.

The addition of Green gives the Rockets a cornerstone player they can build around. He has drawn comparisons to younger versions of Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, and if he can tap into even some of that potential, the Rockets could have an All-Star for years to come.

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

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Sixers asked Warriors for Wiggins, Wiseman and picks for Ben Simmons

The Warriors rejected a lopsided trade request from the Sixers that involved Ben Simmons.

The Golden State Warriors reportedly rejected a trade proposal that would have sent two key players and four first-round draft picks to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons.

The Sixers asked the Warriors for Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, the Nos. 7 and 14 picks on Thursday and two future first-rounders for Simmons, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Golden State turned down that offer.

Philadelphia is reportedly scouring the market for potential trade scenarios involving Simmons. The team is open to trading him after an abysmal showing in the playoffs, and has set a steep asking price for the three-time All-Star.

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76ers president Daryl Morey previously asked the San Antonio Spurs for four first-round picks, three pick swaps and a young player for Simmons. Morey also wanted Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and the fourth pick on Thursday from the Toronto Raptors in a Simmons package.

Certainly, Morey and the Sixers still hold Simmons in high regard and want to acquire him for equal value in return. The problem, though, is the rest of the NBA doesn’t quite hold him in the same regard and may not be willing to give up that many assets for him.

The Sixers set the bar high for Simmons, and will likely need to lower it in order to move him. Simmons is open to a trade and a fresh start elsewhere, so it appears as though he may have played his last game in Philadelphia.

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

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NBA fans react to Adrian Wojnarowski spoiling draft picks hours ahead of time

There won’t be any suspense over the top three picks in Thursday’s draft.

If you’re a die-hard NBA fan, ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski is a must-follow on Twitter. Along with The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Wojnarowski is one of the best sources of breaking news across the league, and it’s highly likely that he’ll be one of the first to share news of free agency decisions or blockbuster trades.

On NBA draft night, however, some fans go as far as to mute Wojnarowski and Charania to avoid spoilers. For several years now, insiders like Woj and Shams have been tweeting draft picks before they are announced on TV, citing their sources within different organizations. For some, seeing a team’s decision on Twitter before Adam Silver reveals the pick is a bit anti-climactic, and there’s an argument to be made that reporting picks ahead of time could hurt ESPN’s ratings. Why watch if you’ll be the first to know on Twitter?

Back in 2018, it was reported that ESPN instructed its reporters not to spoil picks before they were announced on air – but Wojnarowski found a loophole that allowed him to informally announce every pick using creative language. Instead of tweeting that the Bulls are selecting Wendell Carter, for example, Wok tweeted that “Chicago is zeroing in,” or that Orlando is “focused on” a particular player. The practice has spawned plenty of memes over the last few years, but for fans who don’t want the latest draft news, they can choose to log off Twitter or mute Woj during the event.

On Thursday, however, some six hours before the start of the 2021 NBA draft, Wojnarowski had already reported the first three picks.

Here’s what NBA fans had to say about Wojnarowski sharing picks so early:

NBA fans react to Adrian Wojnarowski spoiling draft picks hours ahead of time

There won’t be any suspense over the top three picks in Thursday’s draft.

If you’re a die-hard NBA fan, ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski is a must-follow on Twitter. Along with The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Wojnarowski is one of the best sources of breaking news across the league, and it’s highly likely that he’ll be one of the first to share news of free agency decisions or blockbuster trades.

On NBA draft night, however, some fans go as far as to mute Wojnarowski and Charania to avoid spoilers. For several years now, insiders like Woj and Shams have been tweeting draft picks before they are announced on TV, citing their sources within different organizations. For some, seeing a team’s decision on Twitter before Adam Silver reveals the pick is a bit anti-climactic, and there’s an argument to be made that reporting picks ahead of time could hurt ESPN’s ratings. Why watch if you’ll be the first to know on Twitter?

Back in 2018, it was reported that ESPN instructed its reporters not to spoil picks before they were announced on air – but Wojnarowski found a loophole that allowed him to informally announce every pick using creative language. Instead of tweeting that the Bulls are selecting Wendell Carter, for example, Wok tweeted that “Chicago is zeroing in,” or that Orlando is “focused on” a particular player. The practice has spawned plenty of memes over the last few years, but for fans who don’t want the latest draft news, they can choose to log off Twitter or mute Woj during the event.

On Thursday, however, some six hours before the start of the 2021 NBA draft, Wojnarowski had already reported the first three picks.

Here’s what NBA fans had to say about Wojnarowski sharing picks so early:

NBA Draft: The players most likely to drop in the first round

Identifying the players that could tumble in the first round on Thursday night.

The 2021 NBA Draft is finally here, and the class of ’21 is loaded with talent throughout the first round.

The best prospects in the class will be at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on draft night – but which players will be spending an agonizingly long time in the green room waiting for their names to be called?

Before draft night begins, we asked NBA Wires writers Sanjesh Singh, Asher Low and Logan Newman to predict the players who could end up slipping from their expected draft position.

NBA Draft coverage from around the NBA Wires network:

Here are the players most likely to drop in the first round:

Rumor: Ziaire Williams ‘a real possibility’ for Magic at No. 8

With the NBA draft less than one day away, Stanford guard Ziaire Williams is reportedly drawing interest from the Magic.

With the NBA draft less than one day away, Stanford guard Ziaire Williams is reportedly drawing interest from the Orlando Magic, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report.

Williams, who was the highest-rated recruit to commit to Stanford, averaged 10.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists last season. He posted just the second triple-double in program history, recording 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against Washington on Jan. 7.

The 6-foot-9 guard is most commonly projected to be a mid-to-late first-round pick. Williams largely didn’t live up to expectations last season as a five-star prospect but still has immense talent and could thrive in the right situation.

The Magic enter draft night with pick Nos. 5 and 8, which makes their apparent interest in Williams a bit surprising since he isn’t expected to go that high on Thursday. However, if the Magic really like him, they may feel inclined to take him a bit higher than anticipated.

The Magic will be a team to watch on Thursday as things could get a bit interesting when they are on the clock with two picks in the top 10. The top-four prospects appear to be settled, in some order, and Orlando could be the first wildcard at five, and then again at eight.

In any case, the draft often provides plenty of twists and turns with plenty of trade rumors and speculation, and Thursday is proving to be no different this year.

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

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2021 NBA Draft: Predict the first round, pick-by-pick

Make your predictions for every first round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

The 2021 NBA Draft is nearly here, and on Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, several future All-Stars will walk across the stage and be welcomed by their new teams.

Led by consensus No. 1 overall prospect Cade Cunningham, the Class of 2021 is loaded with talent, and it would not be a surprise to see star players come from outside the lottery.

Check out our final Rookie Wire mock draft.

Before the draft gets underway at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN on Thursday, make your picks below for every first round selection. It’s expected that Cunningham is a lock to go No. 1, but after that, we could see plenty of trades and surprising picks.

Josh Giddey ‘a strong possibility’ for Warriors with No. 7 pick

The Australian point guard appears to be rising up through the ranks and could be a target of the Warriors on Thursday.

Ahead of the NBA draft, Australian point guard Josh Giddey appears to be rising up through the ranks and could be a target of the Golden State Warriors with the seventh overall pick.

According to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle, Giddey is a strong possibility for the Warriors at No. 7. Giddey, who played last season with the Adelaide 36ers in the National Basketball League, projects to fill a need as the backup ballhandler behind Stephen Curry.

The 6-foot-8 guard, who was named the NBL Rookie of the Year, produced a sensational season with the 36ers, averaging 10.9 points, 7.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 28 games. He became the youngest Australian to register a triple-double in the NBL.

Giddey recently finished a stint with the Australian basketball team during its exhibition games in Las Vegas and apparently left an impression. He produced 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot versus Nigeria in his lone appearance with the Boomers.

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Giddey has drawn comparisons to fellow Australian Ben Simmons with his ability to lead and get others involved, something that would certainly fit in the Warriors’ pass-happy system. He is arguably the best passer in the draft and would give the Warriors another playmaker.

While the Warriors are apparently interested in Giddey, he has also drawn some interest from the Memphis Grizzlies. On Monday, they reportedly acquired the 10th overall pick from the New Orleans Pelicans with the hope to target him on draft night.

Giddey was previously linked heavily to the San Antonio Spurs with the 12th pick, but he appears to have improved his stock after his performance with Australia. Now, it appears his ceiling in the draft could be the Warriors at No. 7.

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Entering the draft, the Warriors were once believed to be interested in trading either their seventh or 14th overall picks to acquire veterans that can help them win now. However, that thinking may have changed as the team may now elect to keep both picks.

Warriors president Bob Myers on Monday said the team currently has no plans on trading those two picks. He did acknowledge that stance could change with Thursday approaching as teams tend to ramp up trade talks on draft night.

Golden State enters the draft as one of the wild cards: Its plans appear to be very fluid. With some assets available, it will be worth monitoring how they operate and which prospects they target.

The NBA draft is scheduled to begin Thursday at 8 p.m. EDT on ESPN.

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

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