Tag: Josh Giddey

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.

Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green among prospects invited to draft green room

Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green are among the 15 prospects invited to attend the NBA draft from the green room.

Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green are among the 15 prospects invited to attend the NBA draft from the green room at the Barclays Center on July 29 in Brooklyn, New York.

The NBA on Thursday announced that the draft would take place in person after it was mostly held virtually last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The league was then expected to invite the top prospects to attend from the green room.

While no player attended the draft in person last year, the league invited about 20 players in 2019 to the green room, including Zion Williamson, Ja Morant and R.J. Barrett. The league has so far invited 15 players this year, with five more expected to join the list next week.

The 15 players invited this year, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Of course, the 15 players invited so far are widely expected to be the first drafted in some order. Prospects like Alperen Sengun, Sharife Cooper, Ziaire Williams, Cameron Thomas and Usman Garuba are among the next group of players to be invited to the green room.

With the draft less than two weeks away, teams are busy conducting interviews and workouts as most prospects continue to try to improve their stock. Prospects often work out with teams right up until the day before the draft before enjoying the festivities with family and friends.

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

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The Athletic mock draft: Could Thunder get Giddey at No. 16?

The Thunder got Australian star Josh Giddey with pick 16 — plus, Jonathan Kuminga fell to No. 6. See all the Thunder selections in The Athletic’s mock draft.

We’re starting to see some names become common for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but someone like Josh Giddey isn’t a name typically linked to the organization.

However, in The Athletic’s latest mock draft, the 18-year-old Australian wing was still on the board at No. 16.

Giddey may be the best passer in the draft. He hits teammates at ridiculous angles and recorded triple-doubles in the NBL as he averaged 10.9 points, 7.5 assists and 7.4 boards per game.

Zach Harper, who put together the mock draft, wrote:

“At this point, Josh Giddey has fallen too far in the draft not to be taken by the Thunder here. Giddey has great potential as a wing who can create for others.”

That’s his calling card, but beyond that he’s rather raw. Giddey is not a good shooter or scorer, having hit less than 43% of his field goals and 30% of his 3s, and his lack of quickness has so far prevented him from becoming a good defender.

With the Thunder, though, he would have time to develop.

“Going to OKC here is perfect for him because he’ll have plenty of time to develop with a team happy to take it slow.

What the Thunder have done with Lu Dort’s offensive game is pretty encouraging for figuring out how to unlock Giddey.”

Giddey is typically projected to be a lottery pick. Nabbing him at 16 would be a nice get.

Josh Giddey has strong debut with Australia in exhibition play

Giddey finished with 14 points during his exhibition debut with Australia in a blowout win over Nigeria.

Projected first-round pick Josh Giddey on Tuesday turned in a strong performance to help Australia defeat Nigeria in exhibition play from Las Vegas, Nevada.

Giddey finished with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and one blocked shot during the 108-69 victory. He converted on 3-of-8 shot attempts from the field and went 6-of-8 from the free-throw line in nearly 25 minutes of work.

The 6-foot-8 guard earned some run with the Australians after the team elected to rest starters Joe Ingles, Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova. He played with confidence throughout the blowout win and looked very much like a potential lottery selection this month.

Giddey, who was born in Sydney, was among the 24 finalists selected to play with Australia during the Olympics but was not named to the final 12-man roster. He was instead listed as one of three alternate players for Australia but will likely not make the trip to Tokyo.

He averaged 10.9 points, 7.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 28 games last season with the Adelaide 36ers. He led all players in the NBL in assists, while he finished sixth in rebounding. He was the youngest Australian player in the NBL to register a triple-double on April 25.

Giddey has drawn comparisons to fellow Australian Ben Simmons with his ability to lead his teams and flashy passes. While he is still a bit smaller than Simmons at this stage of his career, he is touted as a better shooter than Simmons was at the same age.

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With Australia participating in tune-up games ahead of the Olympics, Giddey was expected to be heavily scouted by NBA teams during Australia’s stay in Las Vegas. While he has played just one game to this point, the chance to watch Giddey on Tuesday was likely valuable for scouts.

Australia will wrap up its exhibition schedule on Sunday with a second matchup against the United States. Teams and scouts could get an even better glimpse of Giddey against NBA players in that contest should he get playing time again.

He is most commonly projected to be a lottery pick on July 29 and can help his stock even more with a strong showing against the U.S.

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

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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.

Hornets Mock Draft Roundup: Charlotte adds shooters around LaMelo Ball

In the latest round of mock draft roundups, the Hornets appear to be targeting shooters to complement LaMelo Ball.

With the early entry withdrawal deadline coming to pass on Wednesday, a handful of freshly updated 2021 NBA mock drafts were released this week.

For Charlotte, the focus was on shooters around LaMelo Ball. After a standout rookie season, the Hornets are focused on building around Ball. One of the primary ways to do so is to add shooters to a team that ranked 14th in the league in 3-point shooting.

The Rookie Wire’s Cody Taylor projected the Hornets to take Duke forward Jalen Johnson:

“After dealing with a foot injury and opting out of the season in February, Johnson logged only 13 appearances with the Blue Devils. He averaged 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocked shots on 52.3% shooting from the field. Despite the shortened season and overall questions regarding his durability, Johnson still projects to bring plenty of defense and post-scoring to the NBA. Of note, Johnson recorded the largest hand size at the combine by length (9.75 inches) and width (10.5 inches).”

From CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, Charlotte would take Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu:

“Proven bucket-getter who embraced pressure, led Illinois to its best season in 16 years and did so despite injury and a never-ending greeting of double teams. Dosunmu will almost certainly be drafted 5-10 spots lower than he should be, because he’ll be over-scrutinized and overanalyzed. He’s a desirable player because he’s fundamentally good at so many things. What will hold him back is some thought that he’ll never be NBA-great at any one thing. Once you’re outside of the top six or seven picks, those hangups can shoot you awry. Dosunmu will be a plus on the offensive end, will have defensive reliability, and he’ll be a quality role player. His toughest challenge heading into the draft is the question of if he should, or will, be able to guide an NBA offense in a lead guard role.”

NBA.com released a consensus mock draft in which they awarded points based on where players were drafted across 14 mock drafts and assigned the players to teams accordingly. The result for the Hornets was landing Australia forward Josh Giddey.

“Big guard who can dish and defend, likely providing efficient minutes from the jump; scoring punch will determine how versatile the lineups can get”

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NBA Mock Draft 5.0: All 60 picks updated after the 2021 lottery

Learn who we think will get selected with each of the 60 picks in the 2021 NBA draft.

The 2021 NBA draft order is set and the Detroit Pistons have won the lottery, taking home the No. 1 overall pick on Tuesday evening.

Of course, these projections are subject to change even over the next few days, as the NBA’s combine is currently underway in Chicago. Prospects are often able to separate themselves and improve their draft stock if they stand out during five-on-five scrimmages that will take place later this week.

Note that there are several players who are currently “testing the waters” (e.g. Texas Tech’s Terrence Shannon Jr., UCLA’s Johnny Juzang, St. John’s Julian Champagnie and Oral Roberts’ Max Abmas, etc.) that were omitted from this mock. Such players will have until midnight on July 8 to decide if they wish to return to the NCAA and improve their draft stock or remain in this class.

Unfortunately, collegiate national champion Jared Butler was omitted from our mock after news broke earlier today that he is “not permitted to play or practice” in the NBA, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania, unless his heart condition is deemed as cleared.

We will continue to release more mock drafts as we gather more intel, but until then, here is how we project the draft to shake out on July 29.

Projected first-round pick Josh Giddey named NBL Rookie of the Year

Giddey averaged 10.9 points, 7.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 28 games with the Adelaide 36ers.

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Projected first-round pick Josh Giddey on Wednesday was named the 2021 National Basketball League Rookie of the Year after a stellar season with the Adelaide 36ers.

The 18-year-old averaged 10.9 points, 7.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 28 games with the 36ers. He led all NBL players in assists, while he finished sixth in rebounding. He became the youngest Australian player in the NBL to register a triple-double on April 25.

Giddy, who was born in Sydney, joined the 36ers as part of the “Next Stars” program, a plan introduced to give the top high school prospects a way to play professionally. It helped launch the careers of LaMelo Ball, R.J. Hampton and Didi Louzada among others.

Of course, Giddey succeeds Ball as NBL Rookie of the Year after he took home the award with the Illawarra Hawks last season. Like Ball, Giddey set numerous records throughout the season and is also poised to become a first-round pick in the NBA draft on July 29.

The 6-foot-8 guard has drawn comparisons to fellow Australian Ben Simmons with his ability to lead his teams and flashy passes. While he is still a bit smaller than Simmons at this stage of his career, he is touted as a better shooter than Simmons was at the same age.

Giddey will bypass competing in the NBA draft combine this month in order to play with the Australian men’s basketball team in the Olympics. He is among the 24 finalists selected to play with Australia.

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

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NBA teams to scout Josh Giddey during Olympics mini-camp in Las Vegas

The five-country mini-camp in Las Vegas ahead of the Tokyo Olympics is expected to attract scouts from numerous NBA teams.

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With the Tokyo Olympics set to begin on July 23, several men’s teams are expected to participate in training camp in Las Vegas prior to departing for the games in Japan.

MGM Resorts on Thursday announced that it will host exhibition games for five Olympic countries: Argentina, Australia, Nigeria, Spain and the United States. The tune-up games will take place July 10-18 as each country will play 4-5 contests apiece.

The single-site mini-camp in Las Vegas is expected to attract numerous NBA teams. The games will give scouts and executives an opportunity to get a closer look at several high-profile players, including projected first-round pick Josh Giddey.

Giddey, who was born in Sydney, was among the 24 finalists selected to play with Australia. He played last season in the National Basketball League and is expected to be heavily scouted during Australia’s exhibition games, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report.

Giddey averaged 10.9 points, 7.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 28 games with the Adelaide 36ers. He led all players in the NBL in assists, while he finished sixth in rebounding. He became the youngest Australian player in the NBL to register a triple-double on April 25.

The 6-foot-8 guard has drawn comparisons to fellow Australian Ben Simmons with his ability to lead his teams and flashy passes. While he is still a bit smaller than Simmons at this stage of his career, he is touted as a better shooter than Simmons was at the same age.

Giddey is most commonly projected to be a mid-first-round pick but could improve his stock even more with a strong showing in Australia’s mini-camp and the Olympics if he is chosen for their final 12-man roster.

Australia begins exhibition play on July 10 vs. Argentina.

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

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NBA teams to scout Josh Giddey during Olympics minicamp in Las Vegas

The five-country mini-camp in Las Vegas ahead of the Tokyo Olympics is expected to attract scouts from numerous NBA teams.

[mm-video type=video id=01f7vd6b4n72jhbn98v7 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f7vd6b4n72jhbn98v7/01f7vd6b4n72jhbn98v7-755318f3379e5548d06363307e6acc90.jpg]

With the Tokyo Olympics set to begin on July 23, several men’s teams are expected to participate in training camp in Las Vegas prior to departing for the games in Japan.

MGM Resorts on Thursday announced it will host exhibition games for five Olympic countries: Argentina, Australia, Nigeria, Spain and the United States. The tune-up games will take place July 10-18 as each country will play 4-5 contests apiece.

The single-site minicamp in Las Vegas is expected to attract numerous NBA teams. The games will give scouts and executives an opportunity to get a closer look at several high-profile players, including projected first-round pick Josh Giddey.

Giddey, who was born in Sydney, was among the 24 finalists selected to play with Australia. He played last season in the National Basketball League and is expected to be heavily scouted during Australia’s exhibition games, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report.

Giddey averaged 10.9 points, 7.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 28 games with the Adelaide 36ers. He led all players in the NBL in assists, while he finished sixth in rebounding. He became the youngest Australian player in the NBL to register a triple-double on April 25.

The 6-foot-8 guard has drawn comparisons to fellow Australian Ben Simmons with his ability to lead his teams and flashy passes. While he is still a bit smaller than Simmons at this stage of his career, he is touted as a better shooter than Simmons was at the same age.

Giddey is most commonly projected to be a mid-first-round pick but could improve his stock even more with a strong showing in Australia’s minicamp and the Olympics if he is chosen for their final 12-man roster.

Australia begins exhibition play on July 10 vs. Argentina.

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

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