The NBA Draft is upon us and I’m back to give my 2nd annual players to watch list. Just like with Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman last year, I want to stay away from the clear cut top 2 picks in this draft which I believe to be Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley. I do believe that both have the potential to be high end stars in the NBA but given their current draft projections, so does everyone else. So we’re going to cover the 3 guys that interest me the most personally.
To do a quick recap of last years post, pre-draft the 3 players I was most interested in were Obi Toppin, Tyrese Haliburton, and LaMelo Ball. Haliburton went on to have a strong rookie year and LaMelo Ball won Rookie of the Year, whereas Toppin struggled with injuries and will look to get things on track in year 2. Two out of three hits isn’t bad though. Alright enough about last year, the 2021 draft class has a few prospects that have high ceiling potential and I’m hype to see who lands where.
Jalen Green: At 6’6 Green meets the size threshold for a potential #1 on a championship team although he will need to put on some weight as his career progresses. His elite athletic traits combined with his high level instincts in transition make him a walking Sportscenter highlight, and I’d bet it won’t take long into Summer League for a Jalen Green highlight to pop up on your phone. An offense that is going to encourage him to push the pace in transition and early offense would mesh well with Green’s skillset. His high level athleticism translated into elite finishing ability at the rim against G League competition, which is notably stronger than the competition at the college level. Green has a DEEP bag, he uses a variety of moves off the dribble to create driving lanes and a living rooms worth of space for the jumper. The step-back jumper is a staple amongst elite wing scorers in the league today and Jalen Green walks into the league with it tucked away in his bag. Green isn’t one dimensional though, he can get points without dominating the ball with good cutting instincts.
Defense may not have been one of the highlights of his game but anyone as athletic as he is potential to be a good defender with strong effort. I would love to see Green land on a team that has a primary ball handler; he should be eased into a larger workload instead of having it thrust on him from day 1.
Jalen Green choosing to spend a year playing with the pros in the G League tells me that he’s taking his pro career seriously and that can’t go unnoticed. Not only did he take the challenge of going to the G League, he excelled. He went relatively unnoticed during this past season because of where he was playing and he only popped into my radar while listening to Chris Vernon a few months ago. With the right coaching and situation I believe Jalen Green could end up being the best player in the 2021 NBA draft. Again, I would love for him to wind up in a situation that isn’t asking him to handle all of the playmaking and scoring responsibilities from day one. Toronto would be the ideal landing spot if I could make the choice myself.
Best Fit: Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, OKC Thunder, Golden State Warriors
Moses Moody: Another 6’6 Guard/Wing, Moody comes with a slightly different skill set than Green. Coming into the league with a good spot up jumper will make him a great fit next to an established #1 scorer. He should be able to contribute to a team day one as a 3 & D wing with the potential to grow into more as he develops. Moses Moody isn’t the most explosive athlete in the gym, however his 7 foot wingspan allows him to fill the athleticism gap with top end wing length. This length allowed him to average nearly 6 total rebounds per game at Arkansas (2 offensive RPG), shoot over defenders, and be a plus defender. On defense Moody is a sticky defender who has the tools and potential to be a big factor for the team that selects him. Moody plays defense with active hands and has the defensive instincts that make him a good team defender. It is rare not to see him crowding the space the space of opposing ball handlers, a sign of someone confident in their defensive ability.
Moody may never be the type of player capable of putting a franchise on his back and carrying them to a championship but I believe he will be the type of player that you can feel confident about on the floor in the deciding minutes of a playoff game. As we just saw in the 2021 NBA Finals, those players can be the difference between holding up the Larry Obrien and catching slander on every form of media for a few days. If I could decide where to put Moses Moody, I would send him to the Golden State Warriors. That would be scary.
Best Fit: Golden State Warriors, New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets
Davion Mitchell: A 6’2 guard coming off of a NCAA National Championship. Mitchell has a good combination of speed and ball control that allow him to create driving lanes and separation for pull up jumpers. Mitchell developed into an above average 3 point shooter (44% on 141 attempts) in his final season at Baylor. His questionable free throw shooting presents a question about his shooting though, did he just have a good year? As we all know free throw percentage can be indicative of shooting potential. Regardless Mitchell has the potential to be a 3 level scorer in the NBA at the guard position, exactly what every single team in the league is looking for. I believe Mitchell can be a player who can thrive with control of the offense for stretches but I would like to see him on a team that has multiple options for ball handlers, he is a playmaker but appears to be a scorer at heart.
On the defensive end Davion Mitchell provides strong defense on the ball but may have a limited ceiling on this end due to being a smaller guard. That being said there is definitely a place in the league for a guard that can excel playing on ball defense against other guards, as we recently saw with Jrue Holiday. I’d like to see Mitchell land somewhere with established wing scorer that can take some of the playmaking responsibilities and allow Mitchell to be a scoring guard.
Best Fit: New Orleans Pelicans, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs
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