5 hours. Sixty picks. An annoying number of second round trades. The 2021 NBA Draft is complete, and the sky is the limit for every team and player at this point. Things got off to a wild start with some trades including Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers being announced even before the draft began.
In the end, though, this night is all about prospects and the teams that hope to develop them into the stars of the NBA's future. Let's round up some of the winners and losers on the first big night of the off-season.
WINNER: Cade Cunningham Fired About the Pistons
The last time the Pistons were voted No. 1 in a draft was 1970, and they picked a good in the Hall of Famer Bob Lanier. It remains to be seen whether Cade Cunningham will reach that level, but he was the most respected prospect in the draft and joined a Pistons team with lots of young talent to aid in their rebuilding. And it looks like Cunningham already has himself dear to the Detroit community.
Not only did Jonathan Kuminga, one of the best upside prospects in the draft, fall to the Warriors at No. 7, but they were also able to secure a player who would help them win an instant at No. 14 Moses Moody. needed. If the idea was to build for the future when returning to championship competition, they couldn't have done much better than their two picks. Cuminga immediately becomes an interesting asset to add to a business package if the next Superstar becomes available. Personally, I had Moody as a top-10 talent and Cuminga at No. 6, so Golden State ranked him where he did.
Loser: Mitchell Looks Good on Kings
I have no problem with the Kings taking the boiler product, Davian Mitchell, to No. 9, but his reaction to being prepared by Sacramento was, let's say, a little tepid. Mitchell remarked constantly about his surprise at being picked by the Kings, and was mysteriously unclear when asked if he had worked for Sacramento prior to the draft.
It's probably nothing but the beginning of how strange the relationship between Kings and Mitchell is. When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards, they also missed out on a good run, except for his alleged interest in King's guard Buddy Heald. Just a strange night for the kings all around.
WINNER: Ziyar Williams of Memphis Has High Ceilings
Williams was a top recruit coming out of high school, but a disastrous year at Stanford led to a lot of drafts slipping on the board. 10 before the draft, and he found his man in the 6-8 wing who can grow into a formidable scorer and playmaker if he reaches his ceiling. Williams was probably the biggest surprise of the draft at the time... and then...
Winner: Spurs surprise many by choosing Joshua Primos
There are surprise picks, and then there are picks that are completely off board. Many mock drafts didn't even have Alabama's Josh Primo in the first round, and which he had in his late 20s. The San Antonio Spurs stunned the world by taking him to No. 12, there are still plenty of highly respected prospects on the board. Primo was the youngest player in the draft, so the Spurs clearly feel their development team can help him become a star on the road. What a night out for the Primo family.
Loser: Jalen Johnson's long wait after short season
On the other side of the coin was Johnson, who was considered a lottery talent going into the draft, but dropped the Hawks to No. 20 after a season in which he left Duke after just 13 games. It may be the best thing for Johnson's pro career, but he'll have plenty of players ahead of him on the Hawks team ready to take another big step into the Eastern Conference. Minutes can be hard to come by.
Winner: Rocket Ready to Explode
The Rockets may have lost James Harden last season, but he gave a Houston fan a ground of hope on Thursday. He started by taking Jalan Green, a potential franchise scorer and playmaker, at No. 2, then added high-upside prospects Alprene Sengun, Usman Garuba and Josh Christopher. All four of those young players have a tremendous turnaround, and are perfect for a team that is just starting to rebuild.
Winner: Butler Jazz . feels good for
The Jazz traded their first-round pick, then traded further down in the draft, but they ended up with an absolute gem at Jared Butler, a prospect that could have been much higher had it not been for some medical issues. . Butler was rated highly on some draft boards as a teenager, so for the Jazz to get him—and not have to pay him first-round money—is a big win.
The Knicks ended with some exciting prospects, including Quentin Grimes, Miles McBride and Jericho Sims, but it was strange to see them trade both their first-round picks (numbers 19 and 21) to such a deep and talented draft. They are full in terms of cap space and can make some moves during the off-season, but they can look back and regret not taking a chance on a prospect at No. 19 or 21.
Winner: Hornets deals net them potential stars
Charlotte was rumored to be interested in Texas center Kai Jones, but No. 11 was probably too much for her to take on. Luckily for the Hornets, scoring guard James Bookknight was available there, so they swooped in—they then traded Jones to the Knicks to bring him to No. 19. They met two needs and found two very good prospects in the process, so it's a win. He has Mason Plumley now too, in case that does something for you.
Loser: Ayo Dosunmu slips to second round
Dosunmu was an extremely productive player at Illinois and has a skill set that should translate to the NBA, so it was a bit surprising to see him fall all the way to the second round. He actually fits in quite well with the Chicago Bulls, but now he must earn a roster spot and skip the first-round money guarantee.
WINNER: Georgios Kalitzakis gets the call
The last pick in the draft is always the winner. Congratulations to Kalitzakis, who has one of the best names of any possibility. We'll see if he suits up for the Milwaukee Bucks, but he can always say he was an NBA draft pick.