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2021 NBA Mock Draft: Introducing high school, international prospects

With the NBA trade deadline approaching, there may be some swaps of picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, which is considered to be a strong class.

Now that the rosters for the McDonald’s All-American Game have been announced and the Hoophall Classic is complete, top prospects are emerging as future stars in the league.

This list does not include any of the top international prospects who will likely be selected in 2020 like Killian Hayes and Theo Maledon. It also does not mention any of the top returning players in the nation as it will be unclear who will opt to play in the NBA and it is still tough to predict at this point.

Instead, it offers an introduction to the current high school seniors and the international

All statistics are updated through February 3, 2020 and are pulled from D1Circuit.com, MaxPreps and RealGM unless stated otherwise.

1. Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State (Committed)

Guard, 6-foot-7, 18 years old, Montverde Academy (Florida)

Cade Cunningham is currently the anchor for Montverde Academy, which is being called the best high school team of all-time. They are currently ranked as the top school in the nation. The point forward is so good that an NBA scout recently told Yahoo’s Krysten Peek he would likely be the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft if he were eligible. That indicates he might already be the best player who is not currently in the league. For proof: Cunningham averaged 18.0 points and 8.5 assists per 36 minutes at the U19 World Cup, trailing just one player for total assists (40) during the tournament. With his size and his playmaking ability, he is already showing flashes of becoming a future franchise cornerstone.

2. Jalen Green, Uncommitted

Guard, 6-foot-5, 17 years old, Prolific Prep (California)

Jalen Green is an incredibly explosive athlete who has improved as a shooter over the past few years as well. The scorer has become a more consistent and reliable option on the floor, offering an attacking mentality that will continue to develop as his competition continues. One of his crowning achievements thus far: He took home tournament MVP during the U17 World Cup in 2018, leading the United States to the gold medal behind 15.7 points per game. He averaged 7.7 three-pointers per 40 minutes during this competition, showing he is a fearless shooter. His natural stroke from the free-throw line shows that his three-point percentage will likely increase within time, too.

3. Evan Mobley, USC (Committed)

Big, 7-foot-0, 18 years old, Rancho Christian (California)

Evan Mobley was 2019’s Gatorade Player of the Year in California and came into the summer as the highest-rated player on RSCI, which compiles all of the rankings on recruiting sites like 247 Sports and Rivals. The versatile big brags a 7-foot-5 wingspan with a 40-inch vertical leap, a rare measurement combination. He has recently been listed as a small forward, however, which Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo says “points to the dissonance” between his current identity and the best eventual fit in the NBA for someone his size. Still, there is arguably more to like about Mobley’s potential than that of 2020 projected lottery big man James Wiseman.

4. Scottie Barnes, Florida State (Committed)

Forward, 6-foot-8, 18 years old, Montverde Academy (Florida)

Scottie Barnes currently plays alongside Cunningham at Montverde Academy and has a lot to offer as he continues to develop. He is a stat-sheet stuffer capable of putting up impressive lines for points and rebounds as well as assists. Like Cunningham, he has a point-forward mentality which is elevated by the fact that he is also measured with an incredible 9-foot-1 standing reach. Barnes can be a plug-and-play option for almost any team on both offense and defense in the NCAA and eventually in the NBA. That was an especially attractive trait for him for Team USA in the U19 World Cup, where he was a strong facilitator from the elbow. He assisted on 16.8 percent of scores for his team when he was on the floor despite never acting as his offense’s primary playmaker.

5. Ziaire Williams, Uncommitted

Wing, 6-foot-8, 18 years old, Sierra Canyon (California)

Ziaire Williams is currently playing high school basketball at the high-profile Sierra Canyon. While he had to sit out the first few months of his senior year because of transfer rules, he has been a force to be reckoned with already. But that was no surprise for those who have followed the prospect. Williams led his AAU team (which also briefly included the aforementioned 2021 projected lottery pick Jalen Green) in points as well as rebounds and assists per game on the U17 circuit. The prospect has shown he is an above-average finisher near the rim, which will be important as he continues his growth. The Stepien’s Ross Homan also believes Williams can become the best shooter in this class. It will be fascinating to monitor his collegiate decision as he is the highest-rated recruit without an NCAA commitment yet.

Picks: 6 – 10 | Picks: 11 – 15 | Picks: 16 – 20 | Picks: 21 – 30 | Picks: 31 – 50

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Bronny James throws down dunk in first career start for Sierra Canyon

Bronny James Jr. made his first career high school start on Tuesday night and made some big plays in a win for Sierra Canyon.

Moments after LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers notched their most impressive win of the season to this point with last night’s 105-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets, the James family reached another milestone on the basketball court.

Bronny James Jr., LeBron’s eldest son, got his first career high school start for the Sierra Canyon Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, according to Tarek Fattal of the L.A. Daily News. Fattal also spoke with Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier, who said that Bronny’s consistency in practice earned him the start on Tuesday.

“(Bronny) has been consistent in practice,” Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier said of James earning the start. “He’s the only guy this year that’s practiced everyday. He stepped into the opportunity when it presented itself.”

Bronny is on a team with a couple of top recruits and several players who are off to Division 1 schools next year, so his stats aren’t going to be blowing anybody away as he finds a way to fit in with a group of more mature players. But he did already get a highlight on the board in his first start with an alley-oop dunk, to score two of his four points on the night.

Brandon Boston alley oop to Bronny James 💪 pic.twitter.com/O5iQGtA6WB

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) December 4, 2019

What John Calipari is saying about his 2020 Kentucky basketball recruiting class

John Calipari talked about his 2020 Kentucky signing class, which includes Chosen 25 players Terrence Clark, BJ Boston and Devin Askew.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – Depth is a problem for the current Kentucky basketball team. It should not be in a year.

John Calipari is set to end the early signing period with the No. 1-ranked 2020 recruiting class after signing six players, including four consensus top-30 prospects. While the 247Sports Composite has ranked Kentucky’s recruiting first or second in each year of the Calipari Era, the Hall of Fame coach has never signed that many prospects in the early period.

“I’m really excited about this group of young men,” Calipari said in a UK news release announcing the class. “They recruited us as much as we recruited them. They wanted this culture. They wanted to be with other good players. They didn’t need crazy promises. They wanted this. In the past, when we’ve had groups like that, it’s led to success both individually and as a team.

“When you’re building a great team, not only do you need to be talented, you need to have high-character individuals, which we have with this group. These are great kids from good families.”

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He is likely to add more to the class in the spring with at least a couple more high-profile frontcourt targets still in his sights. Several of the current Wildcats could return to school next year too, combining some veteran experience with the elite freshman talent.

Those decisions are still to come though. For now, we know these six players have signed onto the 2020-21 class. Here is what Calipari said about each in the UK news release announcing their signing.

Terrence Clark (No. 4 overall, No. 1 shooting guard)

“Terrence is one of the most talented basketball players in the country regardless of class. He has a toughness to him that the Big Blue Nation is going to really love. When he came on his visit, he saw firsthand the type of effort and work we expect of our players and immediately decided this was the type of environment he wanted to be in. Terrence has all the tools you look for in a kid: length, athleticism, toughness and a high basketball IQ. I’m looking forward to coaching him.”

Sierra Canyon Chatsworth, California) shooting guard Brandon Boston (Photo: Talha Rafique)

BJ Boston (No. 13 overall, No. 3 shooting guard)

“BJ is one of the best basketball players in the country. He can score from anywhere on the floor with his length and his athleticism and he finishes really well in traffic. He’s versatile enough to play two or three positions. On top of BJ’s basketball ability, what I love about him is he wants to play with other great players. He’s already doing that on the high school level and wanted the challenge of competing with and against the best every day in practice here.”

Devin Askew (No. 18 overall, No. 4 combo guard)

“Devin is a winner who other players want to play with. He has a team-first mentality and a maturity about him that you won’t find from many kids his age. He can make shots, he creates plays for himself and his teammates, and he is a willing defender with great size and length. Devin embraces the challenge of playing on this stage and has the makeup to be a special player.”

Isaiah Jackson (No. 26 overall, No. 3 power forward)

“Isaiah is without a doubt one of the best defenders in this class. You’re talking about an elite shot blocker who can guard one through five. Isaiah is acquiring the offensive skills needed to be an exceptional two-way player and I really like his ability to attack the rim in a lot of different ways. Isaiah is a high-character kid and a winner.”

See the rest of the class at the Courier Journal.

Bronny James Jr. and Sierra Canyon to have 15 games streaming on ESPN

The high school squad of LeBron James Jr. and Zaire Wade will be broadcast 15 times on ESPN streaming services.

Move over, Disney+. There’s a new streaming event that promises to sweep the nation. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are currently the best basketball team in town and the Western Conference with a 9-2 record through 11 games and the No. 1 ranked defense in the NBA, but the team that may rival their following during the season is not the Los Angeles Clippers but rather a high school boys team from Chatsworth: Sierra Canyon.

If you had previously doubted the level of attention in Sierra Canyon, who feature Bronny James Jr. and Zaire Wade, sons of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, as well as top recruits BJ Boston and Ziaire Williams, their level of inclusion on ESPN’s slate of high school games should change that. ESPN will carry 15 Sierra Canyon games this season on their ESPN 3 channel, with the first one coming only six days from now, according to Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times.

Canyon has already played fall league games in preparation for their upcoming season, with some of the highlights from those games leaking out to show pretty hyped gyms including LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. If those tune-ups are any indication, atmosphere for these games should be remarkable to witness.