Tag: Keon Johnson

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.

Tennessee freshman Keon Johnson just destroyed the vertical jump record at the NBA Draft Combine

Keon Johnson was really flying.

For 20 years, the NBA Draft Combine’s vertical jump record stood at 45.5 inches. It was held by Kansas’ Kenny Gregory and hadn’t been touched for years.

Until now. And not only was it touched — it was shattered.

Tennessee guard and potential lottery pick Keon Johnson was the one that did the shattering. He made Gregory’s record look like an absolute afterthought with his jump.

On Wednesday, he pulled off a 48-inch max vertical jump at the combine in Chicago. It was just as spectacular as you think it was. When you take a look at the video of him breaking the record in slow motion, it looks like he’s flying.

That’s what jumping out of the gym looks like, fam. Unbelievable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOBrXkjW2PQ&list=PL89E_SzPNzLqXug9ytQ_TRLxehRIDfI52

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2021 NBA draft prospects who have interviewed or worked out with Rockets

This list, which is being continuously updated, includes all reports to date of 2021 NBA draft prospects who have been linked to Houston.

With three selections in the first round at No. 2, No. 23, and No. 24, the Rockets are likely to be one of the most active NBA teams in preparation for the July 29 draft. It’s an opportunity for Houston general manager Rafael Stone to rapidly improve the depth and talent of a roster that finished with the league’s worst record in the 2020-21 season.

As part of that search, Stone and the Rockets are casting a wide net on potential candidates to join the team. Based on various interviews, social media posts, and media reports, here’s a look at who has interviewed or worked out with Houston during the 2021 pre-draft process.

(Last updated: Thursday, June 24)

  • Florida guard Tre Mann: workout (source)
  • Tennessee guard/wing Keon Johnson: interview (source)
  • Baylor guard Jared Butler: interview (source)
  • Nebraska guard/wing Dalano Banton: workout (source)
  • Auburn forward JT Thor: workout (source)
  • Duke forward Jalen Johnson: interview (source)

Additional information on many of these players can be found in the latest mock draft by For The Win’s draft guru Bryan Kalbrosky.

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Keon Johnson shatters combine record with historic max vertical jump

Johnson produced a historic vertical jump during the NBA draft combine, surpassing the previous mark that stood for 20 years.

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On Wednesday, Tennessee guard Keon Johnson produced a historic vertical jump during the NBA draft combine, surpassing the previous mark that stood for 20 years.

Johnson, who measured in at 6-foot-4 in shoes, registered an incredible 48-inch max vertical leap during the strength and agility portion of the event. His mark topped the previous record of 45.5 inches, which was set by Kenny Gregory in 2001.

He also turned in a 41.5-inch standing jump, which also led all prospects.

Johnson established himself as a high-flyer last season with the Volunteers, and that has certainly been on display this week at the combine. With the display, Johnson continued to show NBA teams that he could be one of the most athletic players in the draft this year.

Johnson was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after averaging 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 27 games with the Volunteers. He was the second-leading scorer on the team while he was third in assists and minutes.

He has shown promise on defense, with his size and instincts, and could be a strong 3-and-D prospect with an improved shot. The showing in the vertical jump certainly won’t hurt his stock and could even help him climb up draft boards.

Johnson is projected to be selected eighth in the Rookie Wire NBA Mock Draft.

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

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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.

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.

ForTheWin mock draft: Thunder take ‘home run swing’ on Keon Johnson

In a recent NBA mock draft, the OKC Thunder took Keon Johnson of Tennessee and Bennedict Mathurin of Arizona in the first round.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could go in quite a few directions with this NBA draft, and much of it depends on their luck in the lottery.

Should they stay at No. 6, ForTheWin’s Bryan Kalbrosky thinks the Thunder should take a “home run swing.”

In his latest mock draft, Kalbrosky had the Thunder selecting wing Keon Johnson out of Tennessee.

“He showed flashes of star potential while at Tennessee, like scoring 27 points against Kentucky. He also has the elite athleticism that Oklahoma City’s front office has often valued in the prospect evaluation process.”

The Thunder have some good young pieces, but they still need a secondary scorer to pair with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The hope in Johnson would be that the 6-foot-6 forward could eventually be that guy to slot in next to SGA and Lu Dort.

Johnson averaged 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He was rather inefficient, shooting 44.9% from the field and just 27.1% from 3.

“The Thunder are collecting assets and with a ton of first-round picks available to use over the next few years, they can take a home run swing on Keon Johnson.”

With the Miami Heat’s pick at No. 19, the Thunder got Arizona’s Bennedict Mathurin.

The 6-foot-7 wing averaged 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He shot 47.1% from the field and made 41.8% of his 3.5 attempts from behind the arc per game.

“He has a fascinating mix of shooting and athleticism, which gives him the ability to score well near the rim and from the perimeter. With his size, it is not hard to imagine his path to becoming an even better player on the defensive side as well.”

Oklahoma City loves athletic players and the team needs more shooting, so there could be a fit there.

In the second round, the Thunder took Virginia’s Trey Murphy with the No. 31 pick. Over three seasons, the 6-foot-9 wing averaged 11 points and shot 40% from 3.

With pick No. 37, they got 6-foot-10 big Alperen Sengun out of Turkey. Sengun posted averages of 19 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game this season for Besiktas in the Turkish Super League.

The Thunder used the 55th pick on Juhann Begarin, a 6-foot-5 guard out of France. The 18-year-old averaged 11.6 points per game this season for Paris Basketball.

2021 aggregate NBA mock draft 4.0: Checking in after March Madness

Which future NBA players played the best during March Madness? Who has made the most significant improvements to their draft stock since our last update?

Which future NBA players played the best during March Madness? Which prospects made the most significant improvements to their draft stock?

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

Since our previous update last month, these are the players who have improved their stock and are trending up on mock drafts: Davion Mitchell (Baylor), Josh Giddey (Adelaide), Chris Duarte (Oregon), Miles McBride (West Virginia), Aaron Henry (Michigan State), Bennedict Mathurin (Arizona), Kessler Edwards (Pepperdine), Trey Murphy (Virginia) and Neemias Queta (Utah State).

Some of the names that did not make the list last time but now appear among the Top 60 include Isaiah Todd (G League Ignite), Johnny Juzang (UCLA), Max Abmas (Oral Roberts), RaiQuan Gray (Florida State), Santi Aldama (Loyola Maryland and Austin Reaves (Oklahoma).

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

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report