Tag: Jalen Suggs

Warriors land Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs with No. 4 overall pick in latest Bleacher Report 2021 mock draft

In the latest 2021 mock draft from Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, the Warriors land Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs at No. 4 overall.

Although it’s still early in the 2020-21 NBA campaign, new mock drafts featuring the Golden State Warriors are beginning to roll out.

After last season’s blockbuster trade that included Andrew Wiggins, D’Angelo Russell and a first-round pick, the Warriors could have the opportunity to be on the clock early in the 2021 draft.

In the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, the Warriors add a versatile piece to the backcourt. With the No. 4 overall pick, the Warriors land Gonzaga’s freshman point guard Jalen Suggs.

Via Bleacher Report:

A large sample size of games will likely expose shooting question marks, but Suggs adds too much value with his downhill attacking and two-point scoring, passing skills, defensive activity and winning intangibles to fall in the draft. A consistent jump shot would help elevate Suggs into potential superstar territory.

The Golden State Warriors get the Minnesota Timberwolves’ pick if it lands outside the top three. After passing on LaMelo Ball in November’s draft, they could use another ball-handler to take pressure off Stephen Curry.

View Wasserman’s full 2021 mock draft on Bleacher Report here.

Via @BleacherReport on Twitter:

Through 11 games for the Bulldogs, Suggs is averaging 14.2 points on 54.6% shooting from the field with 4.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 steals in 26.4 minutes per contest.

During a matchup against the No. 3 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, the freshman point guard exploded for a career-high 27 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field. Suggs drilled seven triples on 10 attempts from beyond the arc against Iowa. The 19-year-old also added seven boards, four assists and three steals in 33 minutes for Mark Few’s Bulldogs.

Via @MattNorlander on Twitter:

Via @overtime on Twitter:

Prior to his sizzling performance against Iowa, Suggs notched 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting in a Gonzaga win over the college basketball powerhouse Kansas Jayhawks.

Via @Aaron_Torres on Twitter:

While it’s still very early in the process, Suggs clearly looks like a name to pay attention to as draft season fires up.

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2021 aggregate NBA mock draft 2.0: How has the NCAA season changed rankings?

Now that the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball season is underway, we are getting a more clear picture of the top prospects in the upcoming class.

Now that the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball season is underway, we are getting a more clear picture of the top prospects in the upcoming class.

Former top recruits like Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs have made a great first impression and have confirmed why many already feel they are going to be solid future professionals in the NBA.

Of course, considering the unusual nature of the college basketball season, some players are struggling a bit more than others. The performance on the court will likely stray closer to the mean with a larger sample size as the year continues.

But to get a better sense of where everyone stands right now, we compiled mock drafts from ESPN, NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, The Athletic and USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win to see where the prospects rank at the moment.

We highlighted the prospects who have been the biggest risers since we published our last edition of this exercise.

College basketball standouts who have most drastically improved their draft stock through the early parts of the season include Keon Johnson (Tennessee), James Bouknight (UCONN), Jared Butler (Baylor), Corey Kispert (Gonzaga), Day’Ron Sharpe (UNC), Aaron Henry (Michigan State), Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois), Marcus Bagley (Arizona State), Moussa Cisse (Memphis), Charles Bassey (Western Kentucky), Jason Preston (Ohio) and Luka Garza (Iowa).

Below are the rankings based on the latest mock drafts from top analysts and experts:

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

2021 NBA Mock Draft: Predicting all 60 picks, starting with Cade Cunningham

Now that the 2020-21 NCAA Men’s Basketball season is in full swing, we examined what the 2021 NBA draft class is shaping up to look like.

Now that the 2020-21 NCAA Men’s Basketball season is in full swing, we examined what the 2021 NBA draft class is shaping up to look like.

Consider this an introduction to the top players in college, as well as those on the inaugural NBA G League Ignite team, a new developmental team that plays exhibitions and is meant to serve as an alternative to college for some players. We’ll also look at international prospects who are playing abroad.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, this is going to be an unusual season for all hopeful pros. The bizarre offseason made it hard to get in the swing of things and some may struggle early as they adjust accordingly. As they already have been, games will inevitably be postponed or outright canceled.

Even in a normal season, a mock draft this early is a bold move. With these circumstances in mind, our mock draft is obviously going to look very different from how the actual night will shake out next offseason.

But it does offer a general starting range to encapsulate where the top prospects may be selected if they draft were held now. It also gives some insight on the kinds of players who may be available when your favorite team is on the clock.

The draft order was determined by projected wins from ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, whose projected real plus-minus has “outperformed” the over-under figures from Las Vegas since 2015. Pick swaps and trades were pulled from the future draft picks section on RealGM.

Note that all conversations with NBA scouts mentioned in the article were held under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on behalf of their teams.

All relevant statistics are from BartTorvik.com, KenPom.com, Sports-Reference, RealGM and Synergy Sports Tech. Statistics for 2020-21 college basketball freshmen were calculated from their most recent AAU season via Open Look Analytics.

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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Get to know top NBA prospects who may join new G League Select Team

The NBA G League is launching a brand new team for top prospects who would prefer to forego the traditional route of college basketball.

The NBA G League is launching a brand new team for top prospects who would prefer to forego the traditional route of college basketball.

Prolific Prep’s Jalen Green was the first player to commit to the program, which exists in many ways to convince players to be in their pipeline rather than go overseas in Australia and play in the NBL like LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton did in 2019-20.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony, former NBA Coach of the Year Sam Mitchell is “expected to be considered” as an option to lead the team.

We have provided brief profiles on Green, who will headline the show in Southern California, as well as several other prospects who could join him.

Jalen Green, Guard

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

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

Jalen Green is an incredibly explosive athlete who also has improved as a shooter over the past few years. The scorer has become a more consistent and reliable option, offering an attacking mentality that will develop further as competition continues. One of Green’s 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 also averaged 7.7 threes per 40 minutes, showing he is a fearless shooter. His natural stroke from the free-throw line shows that his 3-point percentage will likely increase within time, too.

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Josh Hart helps snag a win in SLAM’s latest Call of Duty tourney

Josh Hart is one of the most reliable and consistent Call of Duty gamers in the NBA.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Josh Hart maintained his perfect record Saturday in SLAM’s fourth Call of Duty: Modern Warfare tournament.

The tourney was close, with the squad of NBA players defeating a team made up of mostly high school players, 4-3, in a seven game series.

Hart’s team included Miami Heat big man Meyers Leonard, Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Kevin Porter Jr. Ben Simmons played in a couple of the games, but he wasn’t able to play for the first three matches. He was out in the latter half of the series because of technical difficulties.

The other team was made up of Kentucky commits Terrence Clarke and Isaiah Jackson, along with fellow high school hoopers Jalen Suggs and Adam Miller. Former Duke point guard Tre Jones also was on the team.

Hart wasn’t the star of the NBA team, but he was a solid contributor. The NBA squad had one of its closest games in the third game of the series. The two teams played Domination on the map Vacant.

Hart finished with 24 kills, and his team won 200-195. Booker, who was the MVP of last week’s tourney, had a team-high 40 kills in Domination.

One of Hart’s best performances came when the two teams played Capture the Flag on Rammaza. The NBA team won 2-0, and Hart had 15 kills, the third-highest mark on the team behind Booker and Fox. He also had one of the two captures, with Simmons snagging the other one.

As a regular in the Call of Duty tourneys, Hart has been a staple for his teams. With Hart being around other skilled gamers such as Leonard, Fox and Booker, he can be a viable sidekick for players who are just as good or better than him.

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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.

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

Picks: 1 – 5 | Picks: 6 – 10 | Picks: 11 – 15 | Picks: 16 – 20 | Picks: 21 – 30 | Picks: 31 – 50 |

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) 

Catalina Fragoso-USA TODAY Sports

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 

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

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) 

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

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) 

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

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

(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

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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McDonald’s 2020 All-American Game: Boys and Girls rosters unveiled

The official McDonald’s 2020 All-American Games rosters were unveiled on Thursday afternoon.

The rosters for the McDonald’s 2020 All-American Games were unveiled on Thursday afternoon with the next wave of boys and girls set to play in the annual game on April 1.

Five-star recruits Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, Jalen Green and Jalen Suggs among others headline the deep roster of boys set to participate in the event in Houston.

Meanwhile, five-star prospects Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and Caitlin Clark are among the girls to earn an invitation to play in the game.

Most boys and girls have committed to a college while some are still undecided.

Forty-eight high school seniors – comprising the top 24 girls and
24 boys in the country – were selected by a committee of basketball experts from more than 900 nominated players.

The players unveiled on Thursday will look to leave their mark and attempt to join recent MVP winners like Cole Anthony, Nassir Little, Sabrina Ionescu, Jordan Horston and others.

The games will be telecast live on ESPN and ESPN.

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Suggs, who scored 25 points and had …

Suggs, who scored 25 points and had eight assists in Friday’s win, chose Gonzaga over Florida State, Florida, Minnesota and Iowa State. However, the 6-foot-4 guard hasn’t ruled out playing professionally overseas. “That consideration is very serious,” Suggs said of his overseas options. “Me and my parents have been in talks with multiple teams overseas, trying to figure out contracts and stuff like that. But as of right now I’m fully invested in the Zags.”