• Changing RCF's index page, please click on "Forums" to access the forums.

2021 NBA Draft Safari

Do Not Sell My Personal Information
I feel like we talk about the top guys a lot.....these numbers will shift slightly with athletic testing.....as there is a marker in this calculation that considers age and athletic profile (currently it is set to a generic value for all) but these are the above median players for projected second round picks this year. I'll update as boards clarify a bit.....but these were players projected outside the top 30 of the last consensus.

Ooooooof. It is a terrible year to have traded our 2nd. A lot of talented guys in this pool. Some will go back to school but would have been nice to add a depth piece out of this group.

Screen-Shot-2021-05-17-at-10-04-20-AM.png


Sorry if I repeat myself a lot but I just like to refresh.....above median pool has a big jump in VORP outcomes. So all of these have a better than average chance at being one of the 10 best VORP guys from this class.

EDIT: This includes around the top 70 guys. I'll eventually get to top 100-110.....but if anyone does see someone they are curious about, I can add them or let you know they are entered but below the cutline.
 
Last edited:
I'mWithDan said:
I feel like we talk about the top guys a lot.....these numbers will shift slightly with athletic testing.....as there is a marker in this calculation that considers age and athletic profile (currently it is set to a generic value for all) but these are the above median players for projected second round picks this year. I'll update as boards clarify a bit.....but these were players projected outside the top 30 of the last consensus.

Ooooooof. It is a terrible year to have traded our 2nd. A lot of talented guys in this pool. Some will go back to school but would have been nice to add a depth piece out of this group.

Screen-Shot-2021-05-17-at-9-31-11-AM.png


Sorry if I repeat myself a lot but a just like to refresh.....above median pool has a big jump in VORP outcomes. So all of these have a better than average chance at being one of the 10 best VORP guys from this class.

EDIT: This includes around the top 70 guys. I'll eventually get to top 100-110.....but if anyone does see someone they are curious about, I can add them or let you know they are entered but below the cutline.
Click to expand...

What numbers are you using for N'Faly Dante? Really small sample size with him, skewed upward by a random 10/10 shooting game against Florida A&M. And I think Josiah-Jordan James and Donta Scott are returning to school for another year.

Other than that, my draft rater agrees on a lot of these guys. McBride has the most promising projection...he's younger and bouncier than WVU's last PG prospect, Jevon Carter, who (joking aside) has developed into a pretty useful player for the Suns.

Justin Champagnie, Mathurin, Garza, Robinson-Earl, and Abmas are the other guys on this list who project to be above-average NBA players. Julian Champagnie, Hurt, and Bacot are well within the margin of error of that cutoff. Hyland, Zegarowski, and Kinsey are a bit further down.

Other guys who may be interesting based on my draft rater: Pippen, Liddell, Grimes, Carr, Mayer, Jaquez, Herb Jones, Queta, Moses Wright, Isaiah Mobley, Timme, Huff, Duke, and Shannon. Also happy to drop numbers for any international guys you want to add.
 
Nathan S said:
-Sengun's team (Besiktas) has clinched a playoff spot in the Turkish league with a few games left to go in the regular season. He was a bit off last week as they returned from a covid pause, but should have enough time to get back to 100% for the playoffs.

-Giddey's team (Adelaide) is a couple games out of the playoffs, but with 12 games left to go in the regular season he'll be in action at least until early June. His stock is trending up, and there's plenty of time for scouts to go and see him live.

-Garuba's team (Real Madrid) kicks off the Euroleague playoffs with a series against Anadolu Efes. After seeing his playing time dwindle to single digits around midseason, Garuba has come alive in the last few weeks. He has a great opportunity to build on that momentum in high-profile playoff games where he'll be matchup up against former 1st-round pick Chris Singleton. He'll also feature in the Spanish league playoffs later on.

-Prkacin's team (Cibona) plays their penultimate Adriatic League game today, and the stakes are high as they hope to avoid relegation. Later on, he'll feature in the lower-level Croatian League playoffs, where his team is among the favorites. His play is also trending up.

-Bleijenbergh's team (Antwerp) is sitting at #3 in the Belgian League; the playoffs begin late next month. The 6'10" point forward emerged as a starter a few months ago, but his stock has plateaued since then.

-Diop's team (Gran Canaria) is on the playoff bubble with 6 games left to play in the tough Spanish League. An energy guy big, he appears to have secured a rotation spot with his solid play in the last couple games, and will hope to keep building his stock.

-Procida's team (Cantu) desperately needs a win next week to avoid relegation in Italy. They'll hope shooting specialist Procida can provide clutch buckets. His play has been trending back down after a stretch of solid play put him on the radar a few months ago.

-Jokubaitis's team (Zalgiris) is the favorite to win the Lithuanian League playoffs, which begin next month. A roleplayer PG, he had a fantastic start to the season several months ago but couldn't keep it up.

-Petrusev's team (Mega) plays their final Adriatic League game next week; as they're out of the playoff race, it's inconsequential. Later they'll participate in the lower-level Serbian League playoffs. He's an even better scorer than he was last season for Gonzaga, but his defense remains a question mark.

-Cazalon also plays for Mega. He's a young combo guard with great physical tools, but he's been struggling to score lately.

-Hukporti's team (Nevezis) is in a delicate position at the bottom of the 10-team Lithuanian League table. A last place finish would mean relegation, but they're only a couple games back from the #8 spot, which would qualify them for the playoffs. Hukporti is a solid athlete for a 7-footer and can hit some 3's, but he's struggled with turnovers all season.
Click to expand...

Update on this:

-Sengun's team (Besiktas) will face #1 seed Efes in the Turkish league semifinals. They're heavy underdogs (just 40/1 to win the championship), but he'll get some more good playoff experience regardless of the result.

-Giddey's team (Adelaide) finds its playoff hopes fading. They'll probably need to win all of their remaining 5 games to have a chance. Giddey just played one of his worst games of the season, with 4 points on 2/11 shooting.

-Garuba's team (Real Madrid) was eliminated from the Euroleague playoffs, but they still have the Spanish League playoffs coming up. They'll very likely have the #1 seed.

-Prkacin's team (Cibona) is in the semifinals of the Croatian League playoffs, which begin tomorrow. He's been in a slump his last few games.

-Bleijenbergh's team (Antwerp) is in the Belgian League playoffs, which begin in a couple days. He's had some big games lately, and a championship push could put him on the first round radar.

-Diop's team (Gran Canaria) is one of four teams virtually tied for the last playoff spot in the Spanish League. Maybe he can provide a spark off the bench in one of their two crucial remaining games.

-Procida's team (Cantu) has been relegated, and their season is over.

-Jokubaitis's team (Zalgiris) has advanced to the Lithuanian League semifinals. They've overwhelmingly expected to win the championship. He earned his first start in months a couple days ago, and produced a respectable 10 points, 4 boards, and 4 assists. He's been steady but unspectacular.

-Petrusev's team (Mega) begins the Serbian League playoffs next week. They'll attempt to stand in the way of Crvena zvezda, which has won 5 straight Serbian League championships.

-Cazalon is Petrusev's teammate on Mega. He's a very different kind of prospect, young and raw with excellent physical tools. These playoffs are a great opportunity for him.

-Hukporti's team (Nevezis) has been relegated, and their season is over. He finished on a high with 16 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in their final game, but it may not be enough to get him drafted.
 
The whole draft lottery is such a joke.ugh, I hate the NBA.
 
JDailey23 said:
The whole draft lottery is such a joke.ugh, I hate the NBA.
Click to expand...
hey at least they have a snowballs chance of getting a good player gifted to them with some lottery luck instead of having to be in fact the worst team in the league to get one. Kevin Love "I'm back for a game" sucked but at least OKC scrubs beat the Clippers scrubs
 
My first time watching this and I have to say... I love his IQ and the way he sees the game as he's breaking down his own film. I like ALOT that he's as hypercritical of himself as he is.

He talks about the offense doing its work early so the defense isnt dictating what they can do, he speaks with a LeBron like awareness of not just what all his teammates can do in realtime as watching this tape, but he also mentions what he knows the defenders are capable of and recalls the defenders by name.

I wanted Schmitz to address speed/burst somehow with him and see what his take is on it. There is not a faceup here where Cade doesnt triple threat, jab jab jab in order to try to get the defender leaning and then defenders are still in front of him, and I wanted to see what he thought about that or how he would talk about if he was capable of getting it and going more or quicker, but alas.

My biggest grip with him is an inability to GO by someone, inability to burst past or over defenders. Two Celtics were similar to this in Tatum and Pierce, where they size up and triple threat ALOT before attacking but both of them had physical advantages that allowed them to get space... Tatum taller, longer and a step quicker once he makes up his mind and Pierce was such a solid/healthy dude who once he got a defender on his fat ass, you were just at his mercy.

But listening to him break down his own film with humility and a realistic eye and having reign man like recollection and awareness of all 9 other guys out there is the most impressive Cade thing I've seen in a few months.

 
RchfldCavRaised said:
My first time watching this and I have to say... I love his IQ and the way he sees the game as he's breaking down his own film. I like ALOT that he's as hypercritical of himself as he is.

He talks about the offense doing its work early so the defense isnt dictating what they can do, he speaks with a LeBron like awareness of not just what all his teammates can do in realtime as watching this tape, but he also mentions what he knows the defenders are capable of and recalls the defenders by name.

I wanted Schmitz to address speed/burst somehow with him and see what his take is on it. There is not a faceup here where Cade doesnt triple threat, jab jab jab in order to try to get the defender leaning and then defenders are still in front of him, and I wanted to see what he thought about that or how he would talk about if he was capable of getting it and going more or quicker, but alas.

My biggest grip with him is an inability to GO by someone, inability to burst past or over defenders. Two Celtics were similar to this in Tatum and Pierce, where they size up and triple threat ALOT before attacking but both of them had physical advantages that allowed them to get space... Tatum taller, longer and a step quicker once he makes up his mind and Pierce was such a solid/healthy dude who once he got a defender on his fat ass, you were just at his mercy.

But listening to him break down his own film with humility and a realistic eye and having reign man like recollection and awareness of all 9 other guys out there is the most impressive Cade thing I've seen in a few months.

Click to expand...

This is actually why Cade has moved up my board over the last month and I’d be comfortable taking him at 2 or 3. I worry about his burst on the wing as well. However, his bbIQ is very apparent in the interviews I’ve watched. Couple that with his ball handling for his size and his shooting...not hard seeing him make an impact even if he doesn’t reach stardom.

1. Mobley
2. Cade
3. Green (2 on my big board but 3 for Cavs)
4. Kuminga
5. Barnes
6. Suggs

After that, it gets muddled for me.
 
pr26 said:
This is actually why Cade has moved up my board over the last month and I’d be comfortable taking him at 2 or 3. I worry about his burst on the wing as well. However, his bbIQ is very apparent in the interviews I’ve watched. Couple that with his ball handling for his size and his shooting...not hard seeing him make an impact even if he doesn’t reach stardom.

1. Mobley
2. Cade
3. Green (2 on my big board but 3 for Cavs)
4. Kuminga
5. Barnes
6. Suggs

After that, it gets muddled for me.
Click to expand...


I'm watching Kuminga's video now. He's slowly showing cracks starting with his measurements and then this video compared to Cade's.

I know he's got a language barrier and he probably sees the game better than he's expressing here, but Cade is gaining on him in my rankings of the top 6
 
RchfldCavRaised said:
I'm watching Kuminga's video now. He's slowly showing cracks starting with his measurements and then this video compared to Cade's.

I know he's got a language barrier and he probably sees the game better than he's expressing here, but Cade is gaining on him in my rankings of the top 6
Click to expand...

To me, Kuminga has a higher ceiling than Cade but a lower floor. You could talk me into either of them...but I’m leaning Cade simply because this franchise probably can’t afford for this pick to not pan out.

Interested to see how Kuminga measures and if he shows any improvement on that jumper in team workouts. If Barnes comes into work outs with an improved jumper, I bet he jumps into the top 5 with 6 being his floor.
 
I did the sim and wanted feedback on one scenario.

If we got pick #3, would you trade down for #6 and 10 (if the Magic's picks end up there)?

Essentially trading one of Green/Suggs/Kuminga for Barnes AND Sengun for example or Barnes AND Kispert.
 
Or how about #2 for 5 and 6 (OKC gets both of these in some simulations).

Trading Mobley for Kuminga and Barnes?
 
I watching both their videos, I don't see stardom for either. Cade simply isn't athletic enough. He basically is a skill guy that will score some points. Kuminga is like a more athletic Barnes or another one I have used J.Tatum type of upside. I don't think he is highly skilled, but will develop a nice overall game that would compliment many different types of players. Compared to Mobley and Green though............puhleez.
 
fncavsfan said:
I did the sim and wanted feedback on one scenario.

If we got pick #3, would you trade down for #6 and 10 (if the Magic's picks end up there)?

Essentially trading one of Green/Suggs/Kuminga for Barnes AND Sengun for example or Barnes AND Kispert.
Click to expand...
fncavsfan said:
Or how about #2 for 5 and 6 (OKC gets both of these in some simulations).

Trading Mobley for Kuminga and Barnes?
Click to expand...

I would trade #3 for #6 and #10......assuming Mobley and Cade are both gone.....I think there is a lot more value in two of the top 10 vs. one of the top 3, just relative to the Cavs.

But there are really few realistic scenarios where I'm trading Mobley, who I assume will be #2. It would have to be for more than #5 and #6.
 
MirORich said:
I know this is a non committal take to have and of course I do have some preferences, but ultimately I could not be that disappointed coming out of the draft with any one of Mobley, Cade, Kuminga, Suggs, Green, or Barnes. Even though it's a high statistical unlikely event, its not hard to visualize any of the 6 of them as all stars by the time they're 24 or even All NBA players by the time they're 26.

Which is a crazy reminder that even if we pick in the top3-4 and feel that excitement that we've missed getting shut out of the top4 the past 3 years, all of these guys will still take time to be true franchise players. Patience, with them as individuals and with the team in general will still be required.

None of them are going to walk in from day one and have a LeBron impact or even a Luka impact in year one.
Click to expand...

This is where I'm at too. I'll be excited for next year if we end up with any of Mobley, Cade, Green, Suggs, Kuminga, Barnes, Wagner, Sengun, Giddey (and I have a soft spot for Jalen Johnson too going back a few years).

Excited for different reasons with each one of those guys, but it's not like other years where I was dreading the prospects of ending up with a Wiseman or a Raddish or a Coby White.

Just weirdly content. Let's see who we end up with and what options it leads to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Video

Episode 3-15: "Cavs Survive and Advance"

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Spotify

Episode 3:15: Cavs Survive and Advance
Top