With the 2020 NBA draft in the rear view, several draft experts have begun previewing what promises to be a loaded 2021 draft class.
Jonathan Givony of ESPN supplies his top 60 best prospects, noting that the race for pole position among them remains fairly open. In his own top 60 list, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic observes that the draft is heavy in wings, always a position of need in the league. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report comments in his top 30 ranking that NBA scouts believe several prospects in 2021 sport All-Star potential.
Oklahoma State point guard Cade Cunningham, G League Ignite shooting guard Jalen Green and Kentucky shooting guard Brandon Boston Jr. comprise the top three selections of all three draft prognosticators, though the ordering of the rest of their lists is fairly different.
There’s more from around the basketball world:
- Though the fate of the NBA G League’s 2020/21 season has not yet officially been confirmed, a spokesperson for the league informs Jordan Schultz of ESPN (via Twitter) that they are “committed to playing a 2020/21 season.”
- Several of the NBA’s new coaching hires have immediately faced unexpected challenges even before the 2020/21 NBA season kicks off, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. While Stephen Silas grapples with his two Rockets superstars striving for trades out of town, Stan Van Gundy has seen two Pelicans starters get replaced. Meanwhile, new Clippers coach Tyronn Lue and new Sixers coach Doc Rivers will need to integrate significant personnel changes on their rosters.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets that he has been told that some NBA clubs do not intend to field full training camp rosters this season due to potential coronavirus risks.
Idgaf Brandon Boston needs to be a Celtic, and there needs to be a Boston/Tacko 2 pack Jersey combo sale.
Also, the g league is only gonna field a 2021 season.
How good is 76ers new starter Thybulle?
Is he better than Richardson?
What does 76ers lineup look like？
Nothing is changing with Philly until they get a PG. At least LeBron can get away with playing PG, but Simmons will never be even half the player LBJ was in his prime. The Sixers will be fighting Brooklyn for the #5 seed because neither of them are challenging for one of the top 4 spots in the east.
KD, Kyrie, LaVert, Allen, Dinwiddie, Harris, Shamet, Jordan, Green, Johnson, Claxton, and Chandler say otherwise…
I would gladly take that bet that the Nets finish in 4th place or higher next season..!! And it would be winning some EASY MONEY!!
My bad LeVert..lol
If I were a betting man, I’d take that bet. Kevin Durant is 32 years old and coming off a missed season due to injury. He is definitely not done yet, but even Kobe was a shell of himself after missing a full season in his 30s. That is something difficult to recover from when you are young, but it is much harder (but not impossible) in your 30s. And the rest of the team barely squeaked into a weak East playoff field last year. They COULD make the top 4, but I have seen nothing that would even come close to guaranteeing it.
Mmmhhh… KD is a legend one of the greatest & a physically freakish guy… Kobe ain’t close in any department to him, just a good player that was always the second in a winning team, Shaq/Pau were always better than him!
Shaq, I’ll give you. But you think Pau Gasol was better than Kobe?
Of course!
Terrible troll job! Lol
Kobe was 36 when he came back from a season off. Durant will be 32. Most players have declined significantly by the time they are 36 while 32 year olds are often still travelling quite well (yes I’m well aware that LeBron has declined even though he is about to enter his age 36 season).
*has not declined
I realize the age difference, but people keep saying John Wall is done and he is two years younger than Durant. Durant could be fine and could put up 4 straight All Star seasons. Or he could have lost something and end up as an expensive anchor for the Nets payroll. Or anything in between those two extremes. The point is that no one knows how Durant will react because he has never missed a season before. Plus there is the fact that he is coming back to a completely new situation and new teammates as well. Sure he sat on the bench cheering them on last year, but that’s not the same as actually playing with someone. I have my doubts about the Nets and until they prove otherwise, I will continue to have them.
To me the difference between Kobe and Wall, and KD, is that the first two relied on athleticism to be great. KD doesn’t. What makes him great is that he is an elite shooter at 7’0. Sure he needs some athleticism to get to his spots, but his entire game doesn’t count on it.
This is also why I feel Thompson will have a chance to make a full recovery.
Agree.. that would be easy money! NETS are top 4 for sure
You could have had Jordan Bone but he signed elsewhere. D League player who is about to develop into a nice PG.
Given the region, Ignite is a terrible name. They’ll probably become known as the Ashes.