Tag: herbert jones

2021 NBA Draft Big Board 4.0: Top 100 prospects pre-combine and lottery

Now that the early entry list is officially out and combine invitations have been sent out, the 2021 NBA draft class is starting to finalize.

Now that the early entry deadline has passed and combine invitations have been sent out, the 2021 NBA draft class is starting to finalize.

Last year, the NCAA tournament and the combine were both canceled due to the pandemic. That made evaluations much tougher for scouts and front offices around the league. This year, the pre-draft process feels somewhat normal again for top basketball prospects who are set to join the pros.

As a new class of players prepares to turn professional, here is how we would currently rank this class based on what we have seen from them so far, with some of my picks that are higher than other experts have them ranked.

2021 NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Player comparisons and predicting all 60 picks

Who should the Houston Rockets select if they get the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft?

While fans are now enjoying the NBA postseason, there are several teams that didn’t make the playoffs with full attention on the draft.

Now that the regular season and play-in tournament are both complete, the order is set for picks No. 15 to No. 60. However, we will have to wait until the lottery on June 22.

For more details on odds for when each team in the lottery will be on the clock, you can read this post by our own Charles Curtis.

Meanwhile, we also have a pretty clear idea of which prospects have opted to declare for the 2021 NBA draft. But any stragglers still have until May 30 to make their decision in order to be eligible for draft consideration.

Scouts and executives around the league will have an even better feel for this class come June 21, when the combine begins in Chicago.

After that, all those who hired either NCAA-certified agents or do not already have any representation have until July 19 to decide if they wish to remain in the class and forego their collegiate eligibility or return to school.

Until then, however, this is how we predict the two rounds of the 2021 NBA draft will shake out:

2021 NBA Draft Big Board 3.0: Top 100 prospects pre-early entry deadline

As the NBA’s 2020-21 regular season nears its close, the league’s next wave of talent is preparing to take the great leap to become pros.

As the NBA’s 2020-21 regular season nears its close, the league’s next wave of talent is preparing to take the great leap to become pros.

Players have until the end of this month, May 30, to apply for entry into the 2021 NBA draft. They will then have until July 19 to determine whether or not they plan to stay in this class or (unless they hired an agent who does not have NCAA certification) return to school.

This is obviously an incredibly difficult decision and as the majority of early entry candidates have made their intentions public, those who are testing the waters are already weighing their options.

Fortunately, the NBA’s Undergraduate Advisory Committee (UAC) exists to help answer some of those questions.

The advisory committee, which began in 1997, offers feedback to prospects on their potential draft stock. As many prospects are facing pivotal decisions about their future, this kind of intel is incredibly important.

Players like Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert and Baylor’s Jared Butler both went through this process last season, likely were not satisfied with the results and opted to return. Now, after tremendous efforts last season, both are projected first-rounders.

These decisions have tremendous financial implications for these individuals as well. For example, even if Kispert or Butler went with the last pick in the first round in 2020, they would have likely earned a contract worth around $5 million over three years. This year, even if they went outside of the lottery at at No. 15 overall, that would be around $8.5 million.

With that in mind, for the latest version of For The Win’s 2021 NBA draft big board, I’ve provided my evaluation for the top prospects expected to be in the pre-draft process. Players excluded from this exercise were likely because the reporting suggests that they are going back to school.

Note that these decisions were fully based on where I would have each player ranked, not a projection, although various conversations with scouts as well as other talent evaluators around the league have factored into my evaluation.

Sixers mock draft: Alabama’s Herbert Jones can help bench right away

A recent mock draft has the Philadelphia 76ers selecting Alabama forward Herbert Jones.

The Philadelphia 76ers have much more important matters to attend to at the moment: They have 18 games left before the NBA playoffs begin on May 22.

But it does not hurt to look to the offseason a bit.

The 2021 NBA draft is set for July 29, and the Sixers have a first-round pick. At the moment, it is No. 28, but that will change based on how the remainder of the season plays out.

Philadelphia needs some help off the bench, and it will need somebody to come in and help right away rather than a long-term prospect.

In a mock draft performed by Bryan Kalbrosky of For The Win, he has the Sixers selecting senior Herbert Jones out of Alabama:

It is hard not to root for players like Herbert Jones, who won SEC MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in 2020-21. He is a versatile, do-it-all type of player ready to step on the floor and make a difference in an NBA game.

While tripling his output, Jones also increased his 3-point percentage from 7.1 percent as a junior to 35.1 percent as a junior. Those kinds of strides will make teams believe that he can potentially be a strong pick even in the first round.

Jones averaged 11.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists and he shot 47% from the floor overall along with his 3-point percentage. The Sixers will need a guy like him who can play the wing positions right away in order to improve the inconsistent bench unit.

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

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2021 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Latest updates after March Madness

Front offices have seen what some of the best prospects in the 2021 NBA Draft have done on the biggest stage.

Now that the NCAA tournament is in the rearview mirror, front offices have seen what the best prospects in the 2021 NBA Draft have done on the biggest stage.

With a new champion crowned, fans have seen the first wave of prospects declare early entry for the draft and forego the remainder of their collegiate eligibility. Others, meanwhile, are testing the waters to gain feedback from teams around the league as they decide whether or not to return to college.

Based on the general consensus learned thus far, now is a great time to offer an update since we last published a mock draft back in February.

The main difference from the big board that I published last month is that my mock also factors intel, team fit, front office evaluation philosophy and roster construction. For example, there are more international players included here because I’m projecting teams with surplus picks will select draft-and-stash players rather than roster four or five rookies next season.

This should act as a barometer for a player’s stock before pre-draft workouts, interviews and the 2021 NBA Draft Combine. As those factors come into the light over the next few months, expect some potentially significant changes.

This draft order, which factors in trades and pick protections, was pulled from the latest Tankathon update following the games on April 12.

2021 NBA Draft Big Board 2.0: Top prospects playing in March Madness

This includes some names to watch in the men’s tourney.

March Madness is set to begin, which means for college basketball fans, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. But it’s also one of the busiest times for scouts and executives around the NBA.

Last season, the men’s NCAA Tournament was canceled due to COVID-19, which makes the stakes even higher for those involved in this year’s event. It will be a fascinating few weeks of basketball, all unfolding in Indiana, and the games are sure to further illuminate who may be most worth targeting in the 2021 NBA Draft.

But in addition to the spotlight of college basketball fully underway, we have now also seen the entirety of the 2021 G League season. That included the inaugural campaign for the Ignite, a pathway to the NBA for top talents who sought an alternative to the NCAA. Their exciting playoff run taught us more about prospects including Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga.

So with those results in mind, and with the college basketball postseason on the horizon, we have ranked the Top 100 prospects most likely set to make the jump to the NBA next season.

Our methodology for the rankings includes conversations with folks around the league, learning the general consensus surrounding a player, as well as a deep dive into stats and game film.

To put everything in perspective, we have also included everyone’s previous ranks from our last update, published on Jan. 22. This helps show whether a player is trending up or trending down and also helps illuminate how much can change in just two months of action.

As the madness begins during the men’s NCAA Tournament, follow along to see how these players are performing, as many will make a case to move up or down once the nets are cut on Apr. 5, 2021.

5 college basketball players improving their draft stock ahead of March Madness

Included: Oregon’s Chris Duarte, Baylor’s Davion Mitchell and more.

As college basketball is set to turn the page from a strange regular season to the start of the March Madness tournament, we wanted to take a look at the players who have improved their draft stock of late.

Last time we did this exercise back in January, we highlighted a wide range of candidates, extending from raw sophomore big man Kai Jones to polished sharpshooting senior wing Corey Kispert.

This time, we have taken a similar approach, including upperclassmen and underclassmen alike. These are the players who may not have been on the minds of executives before the season but who have played their way into serious consideration.

We have also added some honorable mentions who are likely top targets in the 2022 NBA Draft but would qualify for this group if they opted to turn pro after this season.

Note that all statistics are accurate as of games before March 2, 2021.

Alabama defeats Mississippi State, captures SEC regular season title

Nate Oats is already proving why he was granted a contract extension through 2027, as he has led his team to an SEC regular season title.

Nate Oats is in his second season with the Crimson Tide, but that is all it took for him to lead Alabama to an SEC regular season title, the program’s first in nearly two decades, the last time they won the regular season was in 2002.

Alabama took down Mississippi State 64-59 on the road, following a disheartening loss against Arkansas just a few days earlier.

Jaden Shackelford led the team in points with 15 and Herbert Jones led the team in rebounds with 14.

The Crimson Tide shot 25% from behind the arc, but managed to hit 88.7% from the free throw line, only missing two.

This is Alabama’s eighth regular season title and the first SEC team to win both football and basketball regular season titles in the same year since Florida did it in 2006.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.

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REPORT: Herbert Jones “is ahead of schedule in his recovery”

Alabama Basketball got some great news on Tuesday when Alabama head basketball coach Nate Oats shared news on Herb Jones.

Alabama Basketball got some great news on Tuesday when Alabama head basketball coach Nate Oats shared news on Herb Jones. Jones, who fractured his left wrist on January 29th against LSU had surgery on February 1st. Charlie Potter from 247 Sports was one of the first to report the story.

Nate Oats share the news that everyone was hoping to hear:

“They were predicting three (weeks). I think it’s going better than normal,” Oats said. “I’m hoping for maybe two and a half, maybe a week from today. We’re doing conditioning with him, trying to keep him in shape. He can’t do anything with his left hand really, so he’s doing a bunch of right-hand (drills). We’ll probably bring him back well before he’s 100 percent…I mean, that kid’s wanted to play all the time, but the left hand’s still sore — he can’t really do anything with it. We’ve got to get it to a point where he can at least function, where he can pass, catch, dribble some, shoot free throws, at least. And once that gets to that point, hopefully, he does well. He tolerates pain well. Hopefully, another week or so.”

Oats also shared that he is hopeful that Jones can return for Alabama’s matchup against Texas A&M on the 19th of February.

“I think there’s a very good possibility. Obviously, it’d be nice to have him for these next two. It doesn’t work out that way. Hopefully, at the end of the year — the committee’s always said that they take injuries into account. We hope they do. We’ve still got to get some quality wins with or without Herb. But yeah, I would hope he could play in some limited role for the A&M (game). If not, I think definitely positive for the one following that.”

So far this season, Jones is  averaging 9.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, and has become a big part of Alabama’s success this season.

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