NBA Draft Board 2021

Wanted to get some (fairly rambling) draft thoughts out there before Thursday night.  Didn't get to watch as much of these guys as in past years, but still enough to get a big board out there.  Listed positions are pretty approximate, especially with how position-less modern basketball is.

Tier 1:

1a. SF Cade Cunningham

1b. C Evan Mobley

Cade Cunningham has been the consensus #1 for pretty much this entire draft cycle, and while I'm still a really big fan of his NBA potential, I'm definitely somewhat lower on him than consensus.  I personally don't have him in the Zion/Luka tier of a generational type draft prospect, but he certainly has a lot of talent and is a great fit for the modern NBA.  Possibly the most impressive thing from Cade's season at Oklahoma St was his shooting numbers, as he showed elite NBA shooting potential that wasn't always there in high school, especially off the dribble.  He also showed great defensive potential, as his instincts and team defense are both at a very high level already.  At the same time though, he wasn't that elite as an offensive creator, especially for a player who is old for his class.  He averaged more turnovers than assists, and doesn't have the type of separation ability that most elite NBA creators at the wing position do.  You would expect a number one pick with Cade's skillset to be much more dominant in the NCAA at that age.  I know AST/TO ratio isn't that great of a stat, but I couldn't find a single example of a prospect with a college AST/TO ratio < 1 that ended up becoming a good passer in the NBA.  Thus, I think his likely outcome is more in the mold of a Khris Middleton/later career Paul George type player.  A great two-way player, sure, and worthy of the #1 selection, but not quite an elite creator in the way that someone like Luka, Lebron or Kevin Durant is.  Mobley is a very different player, as he's much more of a top tier athletic presence.  He also is pretty old for his class (even older than Cunningham), but is definitely still growing into his body.  Mobley's defensive potential probably excites me as much as any prospect since Anthony Davis, as he combines elite shot blocking ability with very impressive lateral quickness for his size.  The fact that he's 7 feet tall and can do a standing backflip is just one example of how impressive his body control is for his size.  Seeing the success that Nicolas Claxton has had in the NBA should only make NBA GMs more excited about Mobley, as Mobley has a similar switchability/rim protection combination to Claxton, and he definitely has DPOY potential.  He's much more raw offensively, but actually had a better assist to turnover ratio than Cunningham, and his passing and ball handling is probably underrated.  I could see him making an Anthony Davis-type offensive leap in the NBA and for that reason he probably has the highest ceiling in the draft.  Mobley's a much, much better prospect than Wiseman was last year.  They are similar athletically but Mobley is much more skilled with a basketball IQ that dwarfs Wiseman's (if you couldn't tell I'm very low on Wiseman's NBA future).  Mobley would be my pick in terms of star potential/ceiling while Cade would be my pick if I was looking for the best chance to get an all star.  That's why I decided to put them as 1a and 1b, as I think taking either at 1 is very justified.

Tier 2:

3. SG Jalen Green

4. PG Jalen Suggs

5. PF/C Alperen Sengun

6. SF Scottie Barnes

This tier highlights just how strong this draft is, as all of these guys would have been in the conversation for #1 on my board last year (along with LaMelo Ball and Killian Hayes).  Jalen Green was quite efficient and scored 17.9 PPG despite playing in the G-League last year (much better competition than the NCAA), which shows his massive scoring potential.  Unfortunately he doesn't do much other than score, but his maximum ceiling could be as a Kobe level scorer.  He's an absolute freak athlete (similar to young Kobe) and his physical profile hopefully gives him some defensive potential.  I'm usually not a big fan of the athletic/pure scoring type players, but Green is as good as I've ever scouted out of that archetype.  I considered putting him in the first tier and I would not be that surprised if he ends up as the best player in this draft class.  Jalen Suggs was a massive part of Gonzaga's success last year, even though his shooting percentages did start to fade down the stretch.  He flashes elite two-way guard potential in a similar way to someone like Jrue Holiday.  Like Holiday, Suggs doesn't have true primary initiator ability, but could be a great fit as a secondary imitator, providing passing ability, some scoring punch and fantastic team defense.  He's also pretty old for this class (what is it with so many of these guys being held back a year?) but his very successful football career likely means that he hasn't focused on basketball for that long and could see a big skill jump after entering the NBA.  Sengun is my favorite player in the draft this year.  He's been absolutely dominant in the 2nd best national league in Europe, shooting 64.6% from the field while averaging 24.4 PPG and 11.9 RPG per 36 minutes, along with fantastic steal, block and assist rates as well.  If his play style was a good fit for the modern NBA, he would definitely be in the conversation for the #1 pick and would almost definitely be my choice for #1.  The problem is that he gets most of his points off of scoring in the post, and players of this type are a dying breed in the NBA.  The reason why I'm so high on Sengun isn't because of his low post ability but rather because of his combination of shooting potential (81.2 FT%), passing and instincts on both sides of the ball.  While athleticism definitely isn't his strength, I think he's much more athletic than most people seem to think.  When watching his tape it's important to remember that he's 18 years old playing against grown men in a league that has WAY better competition than the NCAA.  I also think he has a lot of room to develop physically.  As for his defense, he may struggle somewhat to guard smaller, quicker players but he is a way better mover laterally than plenty of NBA centers, and will have the size to guard 5s in the NBA once he develops more.  Steal and block rates tend to be very promising signs for NBA defense which is another positive for Sengun.  Overall, I think he has star potential with the floor of an efficient bench big, which is awesome value even at 5.  Barnes has been a bit of a polarizing prospect for me, as he has some fantastic skills (ability to guard any position on defense, fantastic ball handler at 6-8 with a 7-3 wingpsan, elite passing) but also some glaring weaknesses (mainly his lack of an outside shot or much of a scoring prowess).  The top player comp that would come to mind is Ben Simmons, which I know might be disappointing to some given Simmons's struggles as of late.  I don't think Barnes will ever have the shooting or scoring struggles of Simmons though, and he honestly may also be a better passer.  I can probably count on one hand the number of guys his size who had this type of ball handling and passing skills at this age (Lebron and Simmons would be the only names to immediately come to mind, possibly someone like Luka who is a bit smaller or Durant who wasn't as good of a passer).  Size and creation ability (passing/ball handling specifically) are perhaps the premier 2 skills to have in the modern NBA, and Barnes has both.  This makes him a pretty good bet in the top 6 or 7 range.

Tier 3:

7. SF Josh Giddey

8. SG Moses Moody

9. SF Jonathan Kuminga

The fact that someone like Josh Giddey is 7 on my big board shows just how good this draft is in the top 10 or 15.  Giddey averaged 10.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 7.5 APG (to 3.3 TPG) in the NBL in Australia, extremely impressive numbers for someone who doesn't turn 19 until October.  He has great size at 6-7/6-8 and handles the ball very well for his size.  His numbers are awfully similar to LaMelo Ball's NBL numbers outside of LaMelo's higher scoring volume (shown below).

LaMelo Ball NBL numbers: 17.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 6.8 APG w/ 2.5 TPG on 37.5/25/72.3 shooting percentages

Josh Giddey NBL numbers: 10.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 7.5 APG w/ 3.3 TPG on 42.7/29.3/69.1 shooting percentages

One of the reasons why I had LaMelo top 2 in last year's draft was because he backed up his flashy play and creation potential with pretty elite numbers in the NBL, outside of his very poor shooting percentages which were likely to improve with age.  He had a fantastic rookie NBA season and even though I doubt his shooting percentages will stay as high as they've been in the NBA, he has massive potential as one of the best young players in the league.  Even if Giddey takes several years to get to LaMelo's rookie stats, that would still be fantastic value at 7.  I saw one NBA comparison on Twitter that I love for Giddey, basically that he'll be what Luka Doncic skeptics thought he would be pre-draft (elite skill but not athletic enough to be a star, more like a Hedo Turkoglu/Danilo Gallinari, good starter type impact).  I think this is a solid projection (value wise) for Giddey, and his skillset should make him a great faciliator who is a solid shooter and switchable on defense due to his size(even if fairly weak on defense overall).  With his size, ball handling and court vision at such a young age, there's also some potential for more.  I know Moody doesn't have the superb physical profile of Kuminga, but his freshman season at Arkansas was undeniably fantastic.  A lot of people have been projecting him into a 3 and D type role, which might be his most likely outcome and probably why most people wouldn't put him as high as 8.  However, he's also really young, having just turned 19 at the end of May and shows a lot of potential as a shot maker especially in the mid range.  I don't think his handle will ever progress enough for him to be a primary initiator, but he could be a pretty damn good 2nd or 3rd player on a contender.  His game reminds me of Khris Middleton in a lot of ways, and he probably has even more potential than Middleton defensively as he's long and switchable with fantastic instincts.  The lower body mechanics on his shot definitely need a lot of work, but it seems like a very fixable issue. Moody would likely be a top 5 prospect in some recent drafts, so getting him at 8 or lower would be great value.  Kuminga is a bit like Wiseman in that he's definitely a pretty massive project.  His G-League numbers were quite terrible and I wouldn't be surprised if advanced metrics had him as one of the worst players in the G-League.  This isn't necessarily THAT indicative of his NBA potential, as many make the argument that he is young and had much less high level experience than someone like Jalen Green.  These things are true, but another worrying factor is rumors that he might actually be older than his listed age.  With how valuable athletic wings are though in the modern NBA though, I'm not sure I could justify putting him any lower than 9.  He has a similarly fantastic physical profile to Wiseman, but unlike Wiseman he is very young for his draft class and plays a much more premium position.  

Tier 4:

10. SF Franz Wagner

11. PG/SG Jaden Springer

12. PF Jalen Johnson

13. SG Keon Johnson

14. C Kai Jones

This is another tier with a lot of talent for this stage in the draft.  Wagner will likely always be a limited player given his lack of explosiveness or elite ball handling/shot making skills, but I think he has a chance to be one of the best 3 and D role players in the NBA.  His 3 point percentage hasn't been that high, but all of the shooting indicators are there (3PA, FT%, form), and he defends really well with length and quickness for his size.  He would be a great fit on a potential playoff team drafting in the late lottery like the Warriors or Grizzlies.  Jaden Springer did not put up big counting stats at Tennessee, largely due to a slow pace and spreading of touches, but he still led them in scoring and had impressive shooting splits.  He doesn't turn 19 until September, and also does a really good job creating separation off the dribble with a unique and shifty movement style. Those 2 reasons are why he would be one of my top choices to draft a star outside the top 10.  He also has a high motor and great defensive instincts, meaning that his floor also appears pretty high for someone so young.  Jalen Johnson took a lot of criticism for opting out of the rest of Duke's season midway through, but I actually think he played pretty well prior to that.  His shot definitely has a ways to go, but his block and steal rates were very encouraging and he moves very well for his size.  The smaller sample size (only 13 games) is a bit concerning, as well as the worries about his work ethic/character.  But ultimately, I think it's very difficult to tell much about a player's personality or habits, especially when agents are trying to hype everyone up before the draft.  Keon Johnson was a college teammate of Springer but struggled a lot more on the offensive end.  He's an absolute freak athlete, breaking the combine record for vertical, but if he can't develop his ball handling and shooting more he could easily be just an end of the bench player.  Definitely a boom or bust type.  Kai Jones moves really well for his size (6-11 with a 7-3 wingspan) and has the potential to be similar to Mobley on the defensive end, a rim protector who can also switch and guard a bit on the perimeter.  He needs to improve offensively but he has good form on his shot and shot it pretty well last year.  Apparently he's only been playing basketball since he was 15, which combined with his limited minutes at Texas gives him a lot of room to improve.  

Tier 5:

15. PG/SG Jared Butler

16. SG James Bouknight

17. SF Corey Kispert

18. PF Isaiah Jackson

19. PF/C JT Thor

20. PG Tre Mann

21. PG Sharife Cooper

22. PF Usman Garuba

23. SF Ziare Williams

Gonna start skipping some guys who are less interesting to write about at this point to not make this post too long.  Jared Butler has been one of the most underrated players in this draft cycle for a while.  I can't believe that Davion Mitchell is getting hype as a top 10 prospect while Butler is thought of as a late 1st type of prospect.  Butler is a full 2 years younger than Mitchell, and was the better player in college last year.  Mitchell may be more flashy defensively, but I would argue Butler is almost as good of a defender, mostly because of his fantastic team defense.  Butler reminds me a lot of Tyrese Haliburton as I think he would play really well with a more dominant 2 guard or larger point guard next to him (Harden, Donovan Mitchell, possibly even Ben Simmons).  Like Haliburton, Butler isn't that explosive but does all of the right things on both ends and rarely makes mistakes.  Great fit on a contender.  Bouknight is a pure scorer with the ability to score at all 3 levels.  Like a lot of wing prospects with scoring potential, I think he has been overhyped quite a bit.  Even if he pans out as a great scorer (not a guarantee given his shooting struggles at times), I'm not sure he does enough else to be all that valuable.  One comparison that I saw for him was a less-athletic Zach LaVine, but ultimately that's not that inspiring for his future given that LaVine is much quicker and bouncier and also has had a pretty unprecedented shooting improvement (Bouk might be a better defender at least).  Barring some major improvements, Bouknight might be best as a bench scorer/6th man type.  I absolutely love JT Thor.  Like a lot of players, I think his young age has hurt his reputation in the media as he didn't contribute in college as much of many of these other guys.  However, you won't find many other 6-10 players with 7-3 wingspans who move as well as Thor does, and that definitely showed up defensively at Auburn.  He also has shown flashes of ball handling and solid shooting potential with a 74.1 FT% at Auburn.  He's definitely one of the most raw players in the draft and should take a while to contribute in the NBA.  All-star potential is definitely there though.  Tre Mann is a flashy guard from Florida who has a lot of shake and ability to create space off the dribble.  It's pretty easy to see how he will fit into an NBA offense, as he has the ability to create his own shot at multiple locations on the floor while also having passing chops and pretty good size.  I'm not sure if he'll be a PG or SG in the NBA (does it really matter?) but ultimately he can play either and is really fun to watch.  Sharife Cooper has an impressive combination of scoring and passing despite his small size.  He averaged more than 20 PPG and more than 8 APG in 12 games at Auburn but also turned it over a ton and shot very poorly from 3 (22.8% with ugly form).  He is also perhaps the worst defender in this draft class.  In some ways Cooper could be compared to Trae Young as a dominant college scorer and passer, but Cooper is extremely old for his class (already 20!) and was a lot worse than Young in college in pretty much every way, especially as a shooter.  This brings up an interesting discussion about "lite" versions of players.  A "lite" version of Lebron or KD is obviously going to be a good NBA player still, but a "lite" version of Trae Young may not even be able to stay in the league because Young relies so much on his transcendent offensively ability to make up for his atrocious defense.  If Cooper ends up being similar to Young, but just a "good" offensive player while remaining a terrible defender, he likely won't stick around in the league.  So basically, drafting Cooper high means that you're really buying his offensive ability to the point that he can run a good NBA offense or at least be a secondary initiator.  This is definitely possible, but not at all likely in my opinion, given that he needs a lot of work and isn't even that young.  I won't speak that much on Garuba, as I haven't watched him all that much, but in general I'm not a big fan of defense-first Euro guys, especially ones like Garuba who's offense has SO far to go.  His defense is fantastic, but 6-8 players who can't shoot rarely stick in the NBA.  Frank Ntilikina was praised fairly similarly for his defense in Europe, and look how that's turned out.

Tier 6:

24. PG Myles McBride

25. PG Davion Mitchell

26. SG Chris Duarte

27. C Neemias Queta

28. SF Trey Murphy III

29. PF Herb Jones

30. SG Cam Thomas

31. PG Jason Preston

32. SG Josh Christopher

33. C Filip Petrusev

34. SG Justin Champaignie (love the bros, his bro may have been even higher)

35. SF Kessler Edwards

36. SG Terrance Shannon Jr.

37. PF Matthew Hurt

McBride is a pretty complete PG prospect out of West Virginia.  He has really long arms (6-9 wingspan) and is one of the best perimeter defenders in the draft.  He shoots it really well, and while he doesn't have much star or primary creator potential, I think in a few years he'll be a great fit on almost any contender.  Mitchell is a similar defense first PG who has somehow been getting top 10 prospect hype.  He's super quick and explosive, especially off the dribble, but I don't see much offensive potential here given that he's 22 and doesn't quite have the handle or shooting needed on offense at the PG position.  Even defensively, I'm not sure how much of an impact he can make at only 6-1 with a 6-4/6-5 wingspan.  He's a solid option as a late 1st round pick, but I can't imagine why any team would draft him in the lottery.  I love Queta as an interior defender and rebounder who might eventually be able to learn to shoot from the perimeter.  He made a lot of strides at Utah St and would be a great fit as a backup center for a contender like the Suns.  A lot of rumors have been that Chris Duarte will go to the Warriors at pick #14, but I would be very skeptical of taking a 24 year old like Duarte in the lottery.  He's a good bet to make an NBA rotation as a bench piece who can defend and create his own shot, but I would want someone who can be more than just that, especially in a draft as deep as this.  I love his fit as an immediate NBA impact pick, but the history of taking prospects who are this old is not very good.  Herb Jones broke out during his final year at Alabama, and is one of the best defenders in the draft.  He excels as a team defender: drawing charges, directing his teammates and making the smart play all of the time.  He can also guard pretty much all 5 positions which gives him awesome versatility as a switchable wing or small ball 4.  His shot finally improved during his last year for the Tide, and if he can keep this up in the NBA he could become an elite defensive piece with the ability to stretch the floor and finish near the rim on the other end.  Jason Preston went from a high school prospect with no D-1 offers to a potential NBA draft pick in just a few years.  Part of that was due to a late growth spurt, but it's hard to imagine how scouts missed the incredible vision that Preston has.  He averaged 7.4 assists in his last 2 years at Ohio, and led them to an NCAA tournament win last year.  His playstyle is a bit like a smaller LaMelo Ball, as he loves threading the needle and making passes that other players wouldn't even see.  I'm not sure if his shooting will hold up or if he has NBA level athleticism, but someone with this type of creator ability can't slide past the early 2nd.  I'm very excited to see him play out of the pick and roll in the NBA with an elite roll man and some outside shooting.  Justin Champaignie is probably not as good of a prospect as his twin brother Julian (who decided to go back to college), but still has rotation potential as a gritty wing who is a great defender and rebounder (11.1 RPG as a guard!) with a developing shot.  It will be fun to watch Justin and Julian compete in the NBA in the future.

Tier 7:

38. SG Ayo Dosunmu

39. SG Austin Reaves

40. SF BJ Boston

41. C Jay Huff

42. SG Joshua Primo

43. C Day'Ron Sharpe

44. SG Joel Ayayi

45. SF Isaiah Livers 

46. C Charles Bassey

47. SG Joe Wieskamp

48. SG Nah'Shon Hyland

49. SF/PF Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

50. SG DeJon Jarreau

51. PF Isaiah Todd

52. PG Daishen Nix

53. SG Quentin Grimes

54. SF Scottie Lewis

55. SF Aaron Henry

56. PF Luka Garza

57. PF Santi Aldama

This is a really big tier that probably should be split into two tiers, but ultimately almost all of these guys are just a stab at a quality bench piece with a little bit of hope for something more.  Austin Reaves is one of my favorite players to watch, as he isn't explosive at all but has fantastic vision, deceleration and foul drawing ability.  He's super shifty on drives to the rim and has a pretty advanced scoring package even if he hasn't shot it all that well from three yet.  Reaves is the rare second round pick with real NBA creation potential, even if there's a solid chance his lack of elite athleticism holds him back at the next level.  Jay Huff might be the only elite shot-blocker in this draft class who also can stretch it out and shoot threes pretty efficiently.  He shot 38.6% from three on 166 attempts in his four years in college while also putting up elite per possession block numbers.  I always thought he should be getting more minutes at UVA, and Tony Bennett finally started to rely on him more over his last two years.  It might be difficult for Huff to defend on the perimeter, but he actually moves pretty well for 7-1 and will be really useful in keeping opposing bigs out of the lane on the offensive end.  I would love to see Huff in a Brook Lopez type role where he can defend the rim and also stretch the floor on offense.  Would be a great fit on contenders like the Bucks, Suns or Lakers.  Primo is the youngest player in the draft class as he doesn't turn 19 until December.  His shot is advanced for his age and it's easy to see how he could fit into in NBA defense once he matures physically.  He also has potential to become more than just a 3 and D guy as there are flashes of shotmaking and playmaking ability.  Although I think he's a great pick in the early to mid 2nd round, I don't think he would fit well on a contender as he'll likely need at least a year or two in the G-League, and possibly more NBA development years after that before he can be a positive contributor.  Isaiah Livers played a major role for a Michigan team that struggled in the tournament without him.  He has a fantastic shooting profile, shooting really well from three and the free throw line in all of his last three years as a Wolverine.  He's a physical defender and could fill a wing or small ball 4 role in the NBA.  There's pretty much no potential for creation ability with Livers but this might even be a positive in the mid to late 2nd round.  Lots of contending teams are looking for players who can space the floor and play defense while not taking touches away from their stars.  Livers is exactly that.  Wieskamp is one of the best shooters in the draft and he pairs that skill with pretty good athleticism and length on defense.  He could fill a Duncan Robinson type role as I see a lot of similarities between the two.  Robinson has stuck in the league because he is an elite shooter who can't be played off the floor on defense.  Wieskamp is quite switchable at a similar size to Robinson and has a similarly high awareness on defense.  Jarreau is another favorite of mine, and I actually wrote a little bit about him two years ago in my big board post, but he ended up staying in college for two more years and having a fantastic season last year for Houston.  He's always been a really flashy offensive player, with great footwork, tons of ability to create separation and long arms that help him utilize his passing vision.  This past year, he took another step forward on defense.   He became a lock down defender and won AAC defensive player of the year.  He might have some character concerns (bit someone once in college) but is a really tough player who seems to have a high work ethic.  I really hope he gets a chance in the NBA as he is really fun to watch and could make an immediate impact to an NBA bench.  Luka Garza is one of the best college players of all time, but his game doesn't fit well in the NBA at all.  He relies mostly on post ups and will get attacked constantly in the pick and roll as he will be one of the slowest players in the NBA.  Despite these problems, I definitely think he's still worth taking a chance on in the late second.  He improved his three point shooting a lot while in college and could become a threat to stretch the floor.  If he loses some weight he might become more agile on the perimeter.  20, 30 or 40 years ago, Garza might have been a top 5 pick, but with how the NBA has shifted away from slower post players in recent years, he might not get more than a cup of coffee in the league.

Tier 8:

58. SF Vrenz Bleijenbergh

59. SG John Petty

60. PF Raiquan Gray

61. SG Juhann Begarin 

62. SF Matt Mitchell

63. PG Marcus Zegarowski

64. SG Derrick Alston Jr.

65. SG David Johnson

66. PG McKinley Wright IV

67. PF Greg Brown III

68. PF Aamir Simms

69. PG Jaquori McLaughlin

70. SF/PF Sam Hauser

71. SG Marcus Garrett

72. PG JaVonte Smart

73. SG DJ Steward

74. SG David Duke

75. C Ibou Badji

This is where this draft starts to get a little bit weak. It seems like a lot more draftable players withdrew their name this year than in past years (possibly due to the new NCAA likeness rules).  Petty is an elite shooter off the catch and off the dribble.  He could be great as a bench scorer if he can step up the effort on defense.  Raiquan Gray is 6-8, 260 lbs with a really high motor and is probably even stronger than he looks, which is why he's a force on defense.  He's also shown some ball handling ability and an improved shot this past year.  He'll probably be more of a defensive specialist at the next level, but the improvement in offensive skills shows some potential for more.  Greg Brown is a high flying forward who was a top 10 recruit out of high school.  He is very explosive, one of the bounciest players in the draft, and moves really well for his size.  However, he's also one of the least skilled players in the draft.  His shot actually wasn't too bad at Texas, but somehow he averaged only 0.4 assists to 2.3 turnovers, a staggeringly low AST/TO ratio of 0.17.  I'm not sure I've ever seen a player who is so clueless with the ball, and his highlight plays did not make up for the much higher amount of bonehead plays.  There's some potential here if he can figure it out, but typically I'm not a big fan of explosive athletes who lack NBA skills.  McLaughlin led UCSB to the NCAA tournament last year (and almost to an upset over Creighton in the 1st round), and was massively improved over his time at Oregon St.  His struggles early in college are definitely worrying, but his numbers last year were fantastic in all facets (41% from three, 16 PPG with 5.2 assists to 2.0 turnovers with a fantastic steal rate).  He is also tall and long for the point guard position (6-4).  Overall, there's lots of positives here but I worry that it took him 5 years in college to find this elite level of play.  Marcus Garrett has several NBA level skills at the shooting guard position, such as solid ball handling, great perimeter defense and awesome slashing ability.  The main question is whether he'll be able to shoot, as it's very difficult to give NBA minutes to a 2 guard who can't shoot.  There were some encouraging signs last season (34.8% from three, 80.8% from the FT line), but his first few years in college still left his career numbers at 30.2% and 63.5%, respectively.  Garrett doesn't have to light the world on fire as a shooter in the NBA, but he has to at least become a threat from three for his other skills to be valuable.

5 Potential risers to watch for next year's draft: Max Abmas (would've had him top 25 this year), Ron Harper Jr., Julian Champaignie, Matthew Mayer, Jordan Hall