Cleveland Cavaliers: Final Top 5 mock draft for the 2021 NBA Draft

For most of the draft cycle for this class, there was a clear “Top 5″ of prospects. Over the past couple of months the last player in that group, Jonathan Kuminga, was pried out of his spot and sent packing down the draft board. Instead Florida State forward Scottie Barnes has climbed into his spot as the presumptive fifth pick; can he climb even higher?

Assuming not, he would be a fascinating fit on this Orlando Magic roster. At 6’9″ Barnes has the body of a power forward, and with a huge wingpsan (7’3”) he can defend bigs. Yet he played point guard in college, enveloping opposing ball-handlers as his primary assignment. He has quick hands, excellent lateral agility and should be able to guard any player of any size on the perimeter.

Offensively there are most question marks. He has a strong handle and is a good and willing passer, but he’s not an elite table-setter. He was a downright bad shooter and doesn’t project to suddenly turn into a knockdown guy.

Can a team deploy him at center? It’s possible, but he isn’t a strong rim protector or rebounder, and while a good athlete he isn’t going to sky high to catch lobs. He will more likely need to be at the 3 or 4 defensively, which means he will need to play with a spacing big of some sort.

Barnes is an elite competitor but also a willing communicator, calling out plays on defense and being a vocal leader in the locker room. Those intangibles are important, if hard to quantify. Barnes is a difficult player to build around, but he does some things so well that it’s worth trying to figure it out.

If not him: Jonathan Kuminga