2021 NBA Draft: 5 of the biggest draft night winners and losers

Russell Westbrook was dealt</a> to the Los Angeles Lakers to team up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.</p> <p>Then came the NBA draft itself, and while seeing <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cunnica01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Cade Cunningham</a>, <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/greenja05.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Jalen Green</a> and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mobleev01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Evan Mobley</a> go in the top three offered little surprise, the Toronto Raptors made the night a whole lot more interesting through its decision to take Scottie Barnes over Jalen Suggs.</p> <p>Guys rose higher than expected, others fell lower than they probably should have done, and there was a flurry of trades as the night went on.</p> <h2>The 2021 NBA Draft had plenty of winners, from teams to individual players, but among the successes were also some noticeable failures.</h2> <p>There are always winners and losers on draft night, but in one of the deepest drafts in recent memory, the positives and negatives of each team’s actions were exasperated more than usual.</p> <p>The true successes and failures of the draft won’t be clear until years into the future. But here are five noticeable winners and losers from immediately after the NBA Draft…</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The winners </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_433606" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-433606" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1331398323.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1331398323.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1331398323-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">NBA draft (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft Night Winners</h2> <h3>Orlando Magic</h3> <p>After a disappointing draft lottery for the Orlando Magic, which saw the team’s own pick land fifth, the draft itself turned out about as well as it could have done with Suggs falling outside of the top four.</p> <p>The Magic might already have a bundle of young guards on the roster with Cole Anthony, R.J. Hampton, Markelle Fultz and more, but what the team desperately needs is someone to build around. Suggs has the potential to be that guy.</p> <p>He possesses a fantastic, all-around skillset with very few weaknesses in comparison to other guards of his age. He can create for himself and his teammates, shoot from three, is supremely athletic and can defend well too.</p> <p>Whether or not he can get to an All-Star level will be determined by how much he can do offensively. If the 20-year-old can add to his shot-making abilities by hitting regularly off the dribble and from deep, the sky truly is the limit for the point guard.</p> <p>The Magic might have found a player to build a team around. And on top of the Suggs pick, the team landed another guy that can contribute in a number of ways in Franz Wagner. Like Suggs, he projects as a good 3-point shooter, something which the team has desperately lacked in recent years.</p> <p>His ceiling might not be as high as the guys taken after him, but his floor is not as low. He fills an important role on the roster as someone that can defend multiple positions and contribute to winning basketball.</p> <p>The future suddenly looks a whole lot brighter in Orlando.</p> <h3>Stephen Silas</h3> <p>Starting a new job is always tough whatever the profession, but especially in leadership roles. For Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas, that process proved even more difficult than most.</p> <p>The Rockets traded away former MVP Russell Westbrook, and one of the best players of all time in James Harden, and got very little back. Silas spent the whole year coaching a weird mix of veteran role players, raw young players and injury-prone former All-Stars. It was no surprise, then, to see the team finish with the worst record in the NBA.</p> <p>Sending Harden to the Brooklyn Nets should have given the team a platform to start anew. But a litany of Brooklyn picks and a handful of role players was an abysmal return for one of the greatest scorers the game has ever seen.</p> <div class="related-categoryright"><div class="related-main-title">More from <span class="related-name">NBA Draft</span></div><ul><li> <a class="related-link" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/16/bronny-james-path-nba/" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="related-category-shortcode">Bronny James is going to blaze his own trail into the NBA</a> </li><li> <a class="related-link" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/07/22/2023-nba-draft-scoot-henderson/" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="related-category-shortcode">2023 NBA Draft: Can Scoot Henderson be the next great NBA guard?</a> </li><li> <a class="related-link" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/07/06/2023-nba-draft-victor-wembanyama/" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="related-category-shortcode">2023 NBA Draft: 8 teams competing for Victor Wembanyama</a> </li><li> <a class="related-link" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/29/second-round-2022-nba-draft/" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="related-category-shortcode">Ranking the top 5 second-round picks from the 2022 NBA Draft</a> </li><li> <a class="related-link" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/06/27/walker-kessler-minnesota-timberwolves/" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="related-category-shortcode">How does Walker Kessler fit with the Minnesota Timberwolves?</a> </li></ul></div> <p>The future of the franchise hinged on the 2021 NBA draft. There was a very real chance the team could have had to swap its pick this year but thankfully it landed in the top four on lottery night, which was made all the more important given a lot of the future acquired picks are heavily protected.</p> <p>Silas finally has something to work with. Jalen Green is the perfect pick and roll partner for Christian Wood and has arguably the highest offensive upside in the draft, given his unique ability to score the ball from all over the court.</p> <p>Moreover, the team was able to trade for Alperen Sengun at the 16th spot. His low post game is a bit of a throwback to years gone by, but if he can extend his shooting range and be somewhat reliable defensively then he could certainly forge a successful career in the NBA.</p> <p>And taking Usman Garuba, one of the best defensive players in the Draft, along with another scoring guard in Josh Christopher, means Silas has a ton of young options for next season and beyond. There might be a long road ahead, but at least he finally has the tools to build something.</p> <h3>Ziaire Williams</h3> <p>Whenever a team moves up in the NBA Draft, it is usually to make sure of selecting a player they are extremely fond of and believe can benefit the team in the years to come.</p> <p>The Grizzlies clearly wanted to move up in this draft and <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/26/nba-trades-nba-draft-pelicans-grizzlies/">took back two hefty contracts</a> in Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe to do so. It was a big price to pay to move up seven spots, and naturally, there was a lot of attention on who this was for.</p> <p>As it turns out, and to the surprise of many, that man was Ziaire Williams. The 19-year-old wing has a ton of upside but had a rough time at Stanford. He shot just 37.4 percent from the floor in his freshman year and made only 29.1 percent of his threes. He battled injury during that time, while personal circumstances and COVID restrictions also contributed to a difficult season.</p> <p>He was a top recruit coming out of high school and flashes potential as a defensive wing that can create his own shot. The best version of Williams is a very good player indeed, but the concern is that there is enough to worry about in his game that he might never get there, or even near that.</p> <p>But despite the concerns, Memphis saw enough to risk the 10th pick on him. That should give Williams enormous confidence, knowing the team will give him the time he needs to develop on a roster with other talented players alongside him. It really is a great situation for him to land in.</p> <p>For the Grizzlies, who are intent on getting the right pieces around Ja Morant, it was an incredibly bold move. Time will tell if it was the right one to make.</p> <h3>Cleveland Cavaliers</h3> <p>The Cavs have been looking for a way forward since LeBron James left the franchise for a second time. Darius Garland and Collin Sexton have both shown enough to be positive about, despite their performances not yet translating to winning basketball, while Isaac Okoro and Jarrett Allen both contribute with their respective defensive skillsets.</p> <p>But Mobley, who was taken third overall, is the player that can bring it all together. Out of everyone in this draft, Mobley has the highest defensive potential and has the skillset to become the best player out of this entire class.</p> <p>He can become the type of two-way talent that gets you into a position to contend for championships if the right pieces are around him. He has to make strides offensively and needs to get stronger to battle with the bigger forwards and centers in the league but his unique combination of size and speed makes him a future All-Defense candidate.</p> <p>Not only is he the kind of guy to build around, but out of everyone at the top of the Draft he fits best with what Cleveland already has. He can slot in at the power forward or center spot and can form an intimidating defensive frontcourt with Allen and Okoro. He also helps the backcourt with his capacity to play the pick and roll and can space the floor with his shooting potential.</p> <p>This has to go down as the pick of the draft and gives Cavs fans a lot to look forward to.</p> <h3>LaMelo Ball</h3> <p>The younger Ball brother won last year’s Draft by getting into a situation where he could thrive, and he won in this year’s draft too. The Charlotte Hornets reaffirmed its commitment to building a better team and getting players that fit around Ball to become a contender in the future.</p> <p>James Bouknight got a lot of hype heading into the Draft and flew up in mocks. He did not go quite as high as some expected, but in Charlotte, he and Ball can benefit from each other’s games. Bouknight’s tendency to make smart cuts to the basket partnered with Ball’s passing can make the team even better, even if it will require some tough backcourt decisions given how many guards are now on the roster.</p> <p>His jump shot also showed progress during his workouts, and if he can become a reliable 3-point shooter next to Ball it can space the floor for the young, dynamic point guard to make those dangerous drives to the basket we saw last year.</p> <p>And the team managed to land another player suited to Ball’s game in Kai Jones at 19. While still incredibly raw, he is another alley-oop and fast-break threat because of his size and athleticism and is a typical low floor, high ceiling player.</p> <p>Jones also hinted that he might become a 3-point shooting threat in the future with some of his college play. It makes complete sense to take a risk with this pick at 19, and the Hornets’ activity in this Draft should give Ball a lot of confidence that the team is behind him all the way.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The losers </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_428401" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img class="size-full wp-image-428401" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1293381762.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1293381762.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1293381762-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA draft (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h2>NBA Draft Night Losers</h2> <h3>San Antonio Spurs</h3> <p>Perhaps the biggest shock of the NBA draft was seeing Joshua Primo out of Alabama go 12th to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have built a reputation of making intelligent draft picks, but in recent years that has taken a bit of a hit.</p> <p>Primo was largely predicted to be a late first-round pick. He averaged 8.1 points per game in his only college season and while his 3-point shooting ability is not in doubt, whether he can really make the step up to the NBA is.</p> <p>He has to become a better shot creator and ball-handler to warrant going in the lottery and did not really show enough in college to suggest he is going to be more than a role player.</p> <p>But Primo can of course use this as motivation. The 12th pick has been among the most criticized in this draft, and he has the opportunity to prove a ton of people wrong. He can contribute, but given the Spurs already have a lot of non-star wings and with the exit of DeMar DeRozan looking likely, this was a Draft for San Antonio to take a risk on a higher upside player.</p> <p>Alperen Sengun would have made sense, and Moses Moody or Corey Kispert would have been better wing options at 12. It would be surprising if the Spurs did not at least try to move up from the 12th spot in this Draft and simply could not make it happen, but this team desperately needs a player to plan the future around.</p> <h3>Steph Curry</h3> <p>The Golden State Warriors have been in a very unusual spot the past couple of seasons. Steve Kerr’s team ended up with the second pick in last year’s Draft following a disastrous injury-hit season and took a high upside but raw big man in James Wiseman over LaMelo Ball, then ended up with two lottery picks this year thanks to the D’Angelo Russell trade.</p> <p>That is despite still harboring hopes of another title push when Klay Thompson returns and with Steph Curry still at the peak of his powers. The team has been in a position to take young talent for the future, while also trying to win now.</p> <p>Many thought the two lottery picks would form part of a trade for someone that could help the team better contend for a title next season. Instead, it ended up with another extremely raw but high upside player in Jonathan Kuminga who will need a lot of time to develop on the court, and another player that needs to grow his offensive game in Moody.</p> <div class="recent-posts"> <h4>More from <b>Hoops Habit</b></h4> <ul><li> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/25/3-bold-predictions-brooklyn-nets/">3 bold predictions for the Brooklyn Nets next season </a></li><li> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/24/kevin-durant-nets-saga-no-big-deal/">Kevin Durant’s trade saga is no big deal for the Nets, and history proves it </a></li><li> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/24/san-antonio-spurs-mount-rushmore/">Selecting the San Antonio Spurs’ Mount Rushmore </a></li><li> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/24/tre-jones-vs-joshua-primo-will-start-point-guard-spurs/">Tre Jones vs. Joshua Primo: Who will start at point guard for the Spurs? </a></li><li> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2022/08/23/predicting-chicago-bulls-22-starters/">Predicting the Chicago Bulls’ starting five for the 2022-23 season </a></li></ul> </div> <p>Both do not instantly make the Warriors a better team, and with just a few years left in Curry’s career, there is pressure to get him players that can help him, Thompson and Draymond Green in the short term.</p> <p>Perhaps this is all part of a wider plan to flip Kuminga, Moody, Wiseman and Wiggins in a blockbuster trade, say for a Bradley Beal. But as presently constructed this Draft did not help Curry out at all. Golden State has to decide if it is planning for the future or trying to win now.</p> <h3>New York Knicks (especially the fans)</h3> <p>The New York Knicks chose to trade away the 19th and 21st selections, moving down to 25 to take 3-and-D prospect Quentin Grimes, a player that can shoot well but is currently limited by his inability to create off the dribble.</p> <p>In doing so, New York passed up on higher upside players like Keon Johnson, a freak athlete that could become a menace on the defensive end, and playmaking forward Jalen Johnson out of Duke – as well as Jones and Garuba.</p> <p>These probably won’t turn out to be catastrophic errors, but Knicks fans are right to be disappointed with the outcome of the night. After such a strong last season, it would have been nice to see the team go out and be aggressive with its selections by taking some higher potential players.</p> <p>Reports from various NBA journalists say the Knicks were trying to package the 19 and 21 to move up, which makes a lot of sense, so the intent appears to have been there. Ultimately though this was a night of little excitement, made worse by the fact the fans in the arena had no clue what was happening with the picks and cheered like crazy for players that won’t be pulling on the New York jersey.</p> <h3>Minnesota Timberwolves</h3> <p>The Minnesota Timberwolves barely got a mention on draft night. That’s because the team lost its pick to Golden State as part of the Russell deal, meaning it had to watch on from the sidelines as other teams had their pick of a deep draft class.</p> <p>This could go down as a huge missed opportunity for Minnesota. There is plenty of talent on the roster with Russell, Karl Anthony-Towns and last year’s number one pick Anthony Edwards, but it needs more. Russell has yet to really show why he was worth the trade, and building through the draft is probably the best plan for the Wolves right now.</p> <p>Kuminga is one of the most polarising players in this class, but adding him on the wing and developing him would have made a lot of sense. There were also other prospects on the board like Franz Wagner and Davion Mitchell that could have instantly helped improve its lackluster defense.</p> <p>The pressure is on Minnesota to become a postseason contender again in the next couple of seasons. Acquiring Russell was a move to become a winning team but that just has not happened yet. If Kuminga goes on to become a dominant player then it will be clear that the franchise chose the wrong path, unless Russell, Towns and Edwards can make it work soon.</p> <h3>Sharife Cooper</h3> <p>The young point guard had been touted as a mid to late first-round pick by most, but somehow fell all the way to 48 where he was taken by the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA draft.</p> <p>There is a lot to be worried about with Cooper. He lacks size and strength and did not show a consistent jump shot during his time at Auburn. But what he does have is an ability to create for others with his fine passing and court vision, resulting in an impressive 8.1 assists per game in his freshman season.</p> <p>He also scored 20.2 points per game last year and was regarded as a top 20 high school prospect. Falling all the way into the late first round was a real surprise, and was absolutely too low for him.</p> <p>Cooper will have his work cut out trying to get minutes behind superstar Trae Young, but he can learn a lot from him as a similar-sized guard that also prides himself on his playmaking.</p> <p>This is a great opportunity for him to prove the teams that passed on him wrong, but his start to life in the NBA has become far from straightforward.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="NBA: Playing smoke or fire with superstar trades" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/05/nba-smoke-fire-superstar-trade-rumors/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/30/2021-nba-draft-5-biggest-winners-losers/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/07/05/nba-smoke-fire-superstar-trade-rumors/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> NBA: Playing smoke or fire with superstar trades </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">