The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to an historic start, spurred in alrge part by the ascension of Evan Mobley. Once just a dependent offensive player, Mobley has unlocked a new level to his game and is much more involved each time down the court for the Cavs.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson deserves some of the credit for Mobley’s offensive gains, but overall it continues a trend for the young big man. He is continuing to grow and add to his game, and one of the best defensive players in the game can now claim a high-impact role on offense as well.
The Cavaliers originally drafted Evan Mobley third overall in the 2021 NBA Draft after the Detroit Pistons drafted Cade Cunningham and the Houston Rockets drafted Jalen Green. Just after Mobley was selected, the Toronto Raptors took Scottie Barnes, who won Rookie of the Year over Mobley and continues to be a foil for him to this day.
Would those players go in the first four picks again if the 2021 Draft was redone right now? Have those four players, once prospects with sky-high ceilings, delivered on their draft position? Which players drafted later in the draft would show up in the Top 10 in a redraft? Let’s look at the first ten picks and highlight who would still be drafted highly, and who would plummet to allow other players to leap into the fray.
Redrafting the 2021 NBA Draft
The rules for our 2021 NBA Redraft are fairly simple. We will walk through and draft one player at a time, taking into account all that they have shown thus far in their development but focusing primarily on what is ahead. Younger players have more upside and will be considered as such.
Not every good player from this draft class can make the list, and there are some misses who fell out of the Top 10. Let’s start at the top and praise the best player in his draft class, Evan Mobley.
1. Evan Mobley, Big
Originally picked: 3rd
Evan Mobley was an All-Defense candidate as a rookie and nearly won Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore. He is the best defensive players in this draft class bar none (with all due apologies to Jalen Suggs and Herb Jones, who are just a hair below) and his versatility in defending the rim, rotating across the paint and switching out onto the perimeter is special.
As mentioned above, Mobley’s growth offensively has cemented his spot as the top player in this class. He is handling the ball more often and passing to set up teammates, and he is hyper-efficient around the rim, taking the right shots and not forcing things. He has taken a huge step forward, and when compared to his peers it’s clear that Mobley is a head above.
2. Scottie Barnes, Forward
Originally picked: 4th
Scottie Barnes also moves up in our redraft, as he has shown tremendous two-way ability for the Toronto Raptors. Last season, Barnes’ averages in all six major box-score categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, 3-pointers) had never been accomplished in the history of the NBA. The two-way impact he is able to have on a basketball court as a point forward on offense and a help defender on defense is astounding.
If Barnes finds a way to cut down on the turnovers and shoot better from the line and beyond the arc, suddenly an All-NBA juggernaut will be suiting up for the Raps.
3. Franz Wagner, Forward
Originally picked: 8th
This summer, many balked at the Orlando Magic handing Franz Wagner a maximum rookie extension based on some impressive, but inconsistent, play from Wagner over his first three seasons. On a team that looked to belong to Paolo Banchero, could the Magic really justify paying a max deal to a supporting player?
Wagner took their concerns and dunked on them as a part of his wild tear to begin the season. Even as Banchero went down with an injury, Wagner has stepped up and become a bona fide star. Wagner is now averaging 23.4 points per game to go with 5.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and a whopping 1.8 steals, and he is shooting a respectable 35.6 percent from deep on increased volume. This is his star turn, and given his positional value he moves up this redraft all the way to No. 3.
4. Alperen Sengun, Big
Originally picked: 16th
At the time of writing, the Houston Rockets are impressively 13-6, staking their claim to be a legitimate threat in the Western Conference. Much of that success is built on their defense, but on offense the centerpiece of it all is center Alperen Sengun, taking yet another step forward in his fourth season and likely en route to an All-Star selection.
Sengun’s offensive bag is deep, with excellent touch around the basket, a deadeye floater and a smooth jumper. He is averaging 18-10-5 with 2.5 combined STOCKs (steals + blocks) and is ranked sixth in the entire NBA in Box Plus-Minus (one spot ahead of Wagner). He’s becoming an offensive engine, and if you don’t have your glasses on you might think you are watching Nikola Jokic.
5. Jalen Johnson, Forward
Originally picked: 20th
Our biggest riser thus far is the player having a breakout season one year after his breakout season. Jalen Johnson has ascended to be the second star for the Atlanta Hawks alongside Trae Young, and the athletic forward is doing so with a wide array of skills. He fell on draft night because of the messy way that he stepped away from his lone season at Duke, but he has steadily improved as a two-way player over the past four seasons. He is putting up 19-10-5 with 2.5 STOCKs himself and has already proven himself worthy of the new contract extension that he inked before the season.
6. Cade Cunningham, Guard
Originally picked: 1st
So far every player we have discussed has risen, but Cade Cunningham slides a bit. He is still a really good player; in fact, each name on this list thus far should be a perennial All-Star. Cunningham is the best shooter of the group, although his percentages continue to lag behind his form. He is averaging career-highs across the board, racking up 23-7-9, but his high turnover numbers and inconsistent defense have him slide back a few spots. He’s becoming still looks like a star, but not the kind of star who can carry a team to contention, and he is less equipped to be the supporting star than someone like Jalen Johnson.
7. Trey Murphy III, Forward
Originally picked: 17th
Now we transition from the stars to the “stars-in-their-role” with a few high-level two-way players. To be clear, both Trey Murphy and Jalen Suggs (about to be drafted at 8) have upside to continue developing into on-ball stars, but they have already proven that they can excel in supporting roles. Murphy’s size and positional versatility give him the slight nod here, as he can defend multuple positions, is a smooth outside shooter and shows flashes of even more.
8. Jalen Suggs, Guard
Originally picked: 5th
It seems wrong that Jalen Suggs could have developed in the ways that he has and yet fall to 8th, but it speaks to the strength of this draft class and how many stars it appears to be producing. Jalen Suggs is one of the very best defensive guards in the league, a terror both on-ball and especially off-ball. He is averaging 1.2 blocks per game as a guard! On offense his skillset has grown, although the 3-point shot continues to be inconsistent and is the biggest barrier to him becoming an elite contributor for the Magic - who absolutely nailed this draft the first time around, landing Wagner and Suggs.
9. Herb Jones, Forward
Originally picked: 35th
Herb Jones is the “elitest” of these high-end role players but without the sliver of star upside. He is a colossal defender, swallowing up opposing guard, wings and forwards with his massive wingspan. He can defend any position on the court and essentially locks them down. On offense his role is much more minute, and his shooting is inconsistent, but he hits enough shots to be defended and allow him to be on the court and wreck opposing offenses.
10. Jonathan Kuminga, Forward
Originally picked: 7th
This last pick was a difficult one, as there is a new tier of players in our redraft with largely unrealized potential. Josh Giddey has had some tremendous moments as a versatile on-ball player, and Jalen Green’s upside is still tremendous - but the bad moments are truly horrendous. In the end it’s Jonathan Kuminga who gets the nod.
One of the best athletes in this draft class, Kuminga has had moments where he blossoms into a 25-point-per-game scorer who is a bullet train in transition and can finish consistently in the halfcourt. Then he disappears, scoring 10 points with four rebounds as other teammates take shots and his minutes wax and wane. The potential is there to be an All-Star forward, but he hasn’t put it together yet on either end of the court.
Also considered: Jalen Green, Moses Moody, Cam Thomas, Josh Giddey, Miles McBride, Aaron Wiggins, Corey Kispert, Santi Aldama