Tag: Joe Wieskamp

2021 aggregate NBA mock draft 7.0: Ranking the full class of prospects

The 2021 NBA draft is less than a week away and we finally have an idea of who is in — and who has withdrawn — from the class.

The 2021 NBA draft is less than a week away and we finally have an idea of who is in – and who has withdrawn – from the class.

In order to get a better sense of where all of the prospects stand as of right now, we compiled mock drafts from NBADraft.net, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, Yahoo, The Athletic, The Ringer, Yahoo, NBA Big Board and USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win to see where the prospects rank at the moment.

Please note that these rankings reflect the composite score to get a feel for consensus, not our own opinion.

Since our previous update last month, some of the players with the most positive momentum include Quentin Grimes, Joe Wieskamp, Vrenz Bleijenbergh, Aaron Wiggins, Justin Champagnie, Jericho Sims, Jason Preston, Josh Primo, Neemias Queta, Trey Murphy and Bones Hyland.

Among players who ranked on our previous update who have since withdrawn from the draft include Roko Prkacin (32), Marcus Bagley (39), Terrence Shannon (48), Ariel Hukporti (50), Max Abmas (53), Johnny Juzang (54), Jordan Hall (66), Carlos Alocen (69) and Ochai Agbaji (75).

The most notable omissions who remain in this class but not these rankings are Yves Pons, Scottie Lewis, Jay Huff, Marcus Zegarowski, Aamir Simms, Dalano Banton, Matt Mitchell, Jose Alvarado, Carlik Jones, Derrick Alston Jr., Romeo Weems, Balsa Koprivica, Chaundee Brown, Isaiah Miller, Jordan Schakel and D.J. Carton.

Note that for the offensive roles, we borrowed a fun idea from Todd Whitehead (formerly of Nylon Calculus) with help from our friends at Bball-Index.com to create a slightly tweaked formula from the version they use.

The goal of that is not to explain how well a player scores but rather offer context for the way that he was used on his most recent team. This should help you predict how he might be used at the next level.

Meanwhile, you can learn the latest updates on every single prospect who has been included in recent mock drafts by scrolling below.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

2021 NBA Draft Big Board 5.0: Final rankings of the Top 100 prospects

With just over a week left until the 2021 NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, it’s officially the most wonderful time of the year! 

With just over a week left until the 2021 NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, it’s officially the most wonderful time of the year!

That means that after a slew of surprising early entry withdrawals impacted the worlds of both college and international basketball, the next generation of NBA talent is getting closer to entering the league. As players finalize their place on big boards in front offices, I wanted to offer my opinion on how I think those rankings should look.

Note that our list is certainly going to look different from the lists at ESPN, The Athletic, Bleacher Report and other publications. Player evaluation is an inexact science. Part of the process is being willing to admit when you were wrong about a player.

But avoiding group-think and ending higher than consensus on a player is how an NBA team ends up selecting them in the draft. With that in mind, here is who I would target if I were running a front office.

Bleacher Report: Three ideal draft picks for the Celtics at No. 45

Who should the Celtics draft with the 45th pick? Our friends over at Bleacher Report have three prospects in mind.

In years past, the Boston Celtics seemed to always have a stash of draft picks in their arsenal from trades made by former president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.

This year looks to be a little different for Boston. The Celtics currently find themselves with only one draft pick in the 2021 NBA draft, in the second round at No. 45.

Notable selections at No. 45 in NBA history are 13-year veteran Antonio Davis in 1990, Goran Dragic of the Miami Heat in 2008, Dwight Powell of the Dallas Mavericks (selected by the Celtics) in 2014, and Dillon Brooks of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2017.

If the Celtics get their hands on a player like the ones listed above with the 45th pick, that would mark the 2021 NBA draft as a success.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report recently listed three potential candidates for the Celtics to draft at No. 45.

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New cohort of projected prospects to the Celtics arrive with Early Entry deadline passage

With the Early Entry eligibility deadline passed, a new crop of mocks projecting players for Boston’s No. 45 pick have come out.

With the passing of the 2021 NBA draft’s deadline for Early Entry prospects to pull out of the coming annual event and still retain their NCAA eligibility on July 7, a clearer picture of who will be taken where begins to come into focus.

Particularly later in the second round where the Boston Celtics will potentially make their only current selection of the 2021 draft, having dealt away their No. 16 overall pick in the deal moving on from starting point guard Kemba Walker. And with that clarity comes a crop of new mock drafts with a new group of players one of whom may well end up in a Celtics uniform on opening day next season.

Let’s take a look at the field of projected candidates for Boston’s No. 45 pick.

2021 NBA Mock Draft 6.0: Predicting all 60 picks after the combine

While most of the basketball world is focused on the NBA Finals, scouts and draftniks are in the midst of a very busy time of year as well.

While most of the basketball world is focused on the NBA Finals, scouts and draftniks are in the midst of a very busy time of year as well.

The most crucial dates leading up to the draft are the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the early entry application deadline, the lottery, the combine and the early entry withdrawal deadline. All have since come and gone, which means that we’re somehow already in the home stretch before the big night in Brooklyn on July 29.

Prospects are still frantically traveling around the country, visiting with teams for both individual and group workouts in front of key decision-makers. Still, others are currently playing for their national team on the FIBA circuit.

But as far as the public is concerned, the only new information that will be released between now and the draft will be filtered through whatever is reported by journalists. As such, until intel starts rolling in, this mock draft offers the most informed projections yet.

While these predictions are based on my conversations with NBA scouts and executives around the league, as well as my own scouting and information-gathering, they’re subject to change dramatically over the course of the next few weeks.

Luka Garza: ‘People who criticize me give me a to-do list of stuff to work on’

Luka Garza, a 6-foot-10 big man for the Iowa Hawkeyes, was the consensus pick for national collegiate player of the year this past season. 

Luka Garza, a 6-foot-10 big man for the Iowa Hawkeyes, was the consensus pick for national collegiate player of the year this past season.

Garza averaged 24.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 three-pointers per game while shooting 44.0 percent from beyond the arc in 2020-21. He won Sporting News Player of the Year for the second year in a row, becoming the first repeat winner since Michael Jordan. The big man finished his NCAA career as the all-time leading scorer in Iowa program history.

He recently caught up with HoopsHype to discuss how he has changed his game since college, what he will bring to an NBA team and the advantages of his underdog mentality. You can stream the video with Garza via YouTube below.

Please note this interview was minorly edited in its transcript for clarity.

https://youtu.be/8LSXjXfSWns

Did he stay or did he go? Tracking the biggest NBA draft decisions

All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.

All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.

While the official date from the league is not actually until July 19, the NCAA has mandated the deadline of July 7 for players who wish to play college basketball next season.

Prospects who declared as early entry candidates but were just “testing the waters” often opt to return to the collegiate ranks so as to improve their draft stock for the subsequent year instead. But there are several reasons why a player might be even more willing to return to college for another campaign than usual.

For example, seniors have the option to use another year of eligibility because of the massive impact of COVID-19. Others may be interested in playing another year of college in front of fans after last season was met with many restrictions.

Meanwhile, all NCAA athletes also now have the ability to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) for the first time. This offers an avenue to collect some money while still in college without needing to fully commit to turning pro.

Here are the latest updates about who is still testing the waters, who will be turning pro and who will be returning to the NCAA.

Did he stay or did he go? Tracking the biggest NBA draft decisions

All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.

All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.

While the official date from the league is not actually until July 19, the NCAA has mandated the deadline of July 7 for players who wish to play college basketball next season.

Prospects who declared as early entry candidates but were just “testing the waters” often opt to return to the collegiate ranks so as to improve their draft stock for the subsequent year instead. But there are several reasons why a player might be even more willing to return to college for another campaign than usual.

For example, seniors have the option to use another year of eligibility because of the massive impact of COVID-19. Others may be interested in playing another year of college in front of fans after last season was met with many restrictions.

Meanwhile, all NCAA athletes also now have the ability to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) for the first time. This offers an avenue to collect some money while still in college without needing to fully commit to turning pro.

Here are the latest updates about who is still testing the waters, who will be turning pro and who will be returning to the NCAA.

Did he stay or did he go? Tracking the biggest NBA draft decisions

All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.

All prospects who declared early entry for the 2021 NBA draft without foregoing their collegiate eligibility had until July 7 to withdraw.

While the official date from the league is not actually until July 19, the NCAA has mandated the deadline of July 7 for players who wish to play college basketball next season.

Prospects who declared as early entry candidates but were just “testing the waters” often opt to return to the collegiate ranks so as to improve their draft stock for the subsequent year instead. But there are several reasons why a player might be even more willing to return to college for another campaign than usual.

For example, seniors have the option to use another year of eligibility because of the massive impact of COVID-19. Others may be interested in playing another year of college in front of fans after last season was met with many restrictions.

Meanwhile, all NCAA athletes also now have the ability to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) for the first time. This offers an avenue to collect some money while still in college without needing to fully commit to turning pro.

Here are the latest updates about who is still testing the waters, who will be turning pro and who will be returning to the NCAA.

Another five 2021 NBA draft prospects reportedly meet with the Boston Celtics

Boston forges ahead with its 2021 draft research.

The Boston Celtics continue to probe the depths of the 2021 NBA draft class, most recently focusing on a handful of players projected to be taken from the middle of the second round to potentially undrafted, per Forbes Sports’ Chris Grenham and Sport TV Portugal’s Ricardo Brito Reis.

The Celtics have only their second-round pick slated to come in at No. 45 overall, so this range makes sense if they plan on using it. But despite having traded away their first-round pick in this year’s draft, the team has been interviewing prospects projected to the first round, even including a few players in lottery range.

So, while we can’t tell you too much about what Boston might be planning based on who they’ve been interviewing and working out, we can tell you about the players they are reported to have interest in — let’s take a quick look.