Tag: Luka Garza

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

Hornets worked out Sharife Cooper, JT Thor and others on Friday

The two former Auburn players were among the prospects to work out with the Hornets on Friday.

Auburn guard Sharife Cooper and forward JT Thor were among the prospects that worked out on Friday with the Charlotte Hornets, the team announced.

Cooper was named to the SEC All-Freshman team after averaging 20.2 points, 8.1 assists, 4.3 rebounds and one steal in 12 games. He was one of seven players to average at least 20 points and eight assists over the last 25 years.

Meanwhile, Thor averaged 9.4 points, five rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots in 27 games played last season with the Tigers. He finished as one of five freshmen in the country to register at least 250 points, 100 rebounds and 30 blocks.

In addition to Cooper and Thor, the Hornets also worked out Iowa forward Luka Garza, Howard center Makur Maker, international prospect Roko Prkacin, Tennessee guard Jaden Springer and UConn guard James Bouknight.

The Hornets have picks 11, 56 and 57 entering the draft, and each player they met with on Friday is projected to be in their range in the first round. Of course, workouts are hardly an indication of how a team will draft as organizations look to do their homework on as many prospects as possible.

The NBA draft is scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 29.

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

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Iowa center Luka Garza dropped over 20 pounds since leaving school

Garza impressed executives and scouts when it was revealed he dropped over 20 pounds since the end of last season.

When Luka Garza stepped onto the scale this week at the NBA draft combine, the former Iowa center made headlines once the final reading was recorded.

Garza was consistently listed at 265 pounds last season at Iowa. For a player attempting to transform his game from a back-to-the-basket player to the uptempo style in the NBA, Garza knew he had to shed pounds and hit the weight room.

Well, he did that and then some.

He officially weighed in at 242.8 pounds at the NBA draft combine this week with 11.7% body fat. The process of dropping that extra weight was among his biggest goals preparing for the NBA, and Garza said he isn’t done.

“It was a lot that went into it,” Garza told Mike Schmitz of ESPN. “I started working with a dietician and a chef and that helped a lot. Also, just working out and working a lot and working hard on my body. It has definitely paid off.

“I know I need to be a little lighter going into the NBA game, not as much posting up. I was posting up 47% of the time (last season), so I need to do that a little bit less and get on the outside more. I recognize that and that’s why I made the change.”

Garza finished his career at Iowa as the 2021 consensus national player of the year and a two-time first-team All-American. He averaged 24.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 31 games last season on 44% shooting from 3-point range.

He enters the combine projected to be a second-round pick, but he wants to help improve that stock with a positive showing. He believes he is the best shooting big man in the draft, and that figures to be highly beneficial at the next level.

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Of course, questions linger regarding his fit in the modern NBA and ability on defense, but he could be a good steal candidate in the second round. Certainly, his resume alone should warrant a look at some point in the 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.

A look at the Big Ten basketball block leaders in 2020-21

Last season, the Big Ten was stacked with talent at the forward and center positions, and the Wisconsin Badgers were no exception with th…

Last season, the Big Ten was stacked with talent at the forward and center positions, and the Wisconsin Badgers were no exception with the trio of Tyler Wahl, Micah Potter and Nate Reuvers. In fact, Reuvers made the top 15 in blocks per game in the Big Ten last season. Although the Lakeville, Minn. native struggled with consistency throughout last year, he provided valuable length for Wisconsin against some of the best big men in the country in the Big Ten.

Related: A look at the Big Ten basketball scoring leaders in 2020-21

Below is the ranking of the top 15 players in blocks per game from the Big Ten 2020-21 Conference season. This list includes players from Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, Maryland and Nebraska.

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