2021 NBA Re-Draft: Does Austin Reaves Crack the Top 5?
Austin Reaves is having the kind of season that forces the Los Angeles Lakers to ask uncomfortable questions. He's also tearing it up enough for us to pose a tough-to-tackle question of our own: Could he crack the top five of a 2021 re-draft?
This inquiry cannot be taken lightly. The 2021 rookie class was loaded.
Still, Reaves has earned the consideration. The undrafted phenom already accomplished enough prior to this season to ensure he'd be a lottery pick in any do-over. Now, he's taking yet another leap.
Standard re-drafting rules apply. Everything that has happened through the first four-plus seasons of this class' tenure is up for consideration. But remember: We are also re-drafting players based on who we want for the rest of their careers. That will, at times, allow for—or necessitate—some forward-looking projections and gut feelings.
1. Detroit Pistons: Evan Mobley
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Original Pick: Cade Cunningham
Evan Mobley's Original Draft Position: No. 3
Evan Mobley has entered rarefied air as someone who can be his team's most valuable offensive and defensive player.
Make no mistake, there's room for him to grow on offense. That's what is so scary. He has shown he can be more efficient from three, and the improvement he's made with his handle, playing through contact and as a live-dribble passer is franchise-altering.
Winning Defensive Player of the Year speaks for itself. Finishing 10th on the MVP ballot last year for the Eastern Conference's best team says even more.
2. Houston Rockets: Cade Cunningham
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Original Pick: Jalen Green
Cade Cunningham's Original Draft Position: No. 1
We have entered either-or waters at the top of the 2021 draft class. You will not receive much pushback if you argue for Cade Cunningham over Evan Mobley at No. 1. The former finished seventh on the 2025 MVP ballot, after all.
Cunningham's development as a scorer, transition-pusher and defender entrenches him as one of the NBA's most promising cornerstones. Dynamic size like his verges on generational.
The turnovers can still pile up, and he's never posted an above-average shooting percentage. A lot of that can be explained away by the context of his supporting cast. That he's become as dependable as he is gives him a floor of second or third overall.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers: Alperen Şengün
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Original Pick: Evan Mobley
Alperen Şengün's Original Draft Position: No. 16
Don't look now, but the Houston Rockets have the NBA's best offense while running everything through Alperen Şengün.
Taking and making more threes and free throws this season is a huge part of the 23-year-old's appeal. He deserves even more credit for his sweeping orchestration. In transition, above the break, on the block, out of drives—his on-ball gravity and vision are creating opportunities for everyone around him.
Bake in the defensive strides made under head coach Ime Udoka, and Şengün is one of three players with a first-overall case.
4. Toronto Raptors: Scottie Barnes
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Original Pick: Scottie Barnes
Scottie Barnes' Original Draft Position: No. 4
Figuring out where to slot Scottie Barnes is no easier nearly a half-decade later. The tools are tantalizing—at both ends of the floor. The efficiency, by and large, leaves much to be desired.
Spiffier shooting splits this season help assuage concern. More importantly, he's baking in more play-finishing rather than over-indulging on self-created looks.
The shift hasn't hurt his counting-stats potential. He's averaging 20 points and five assists and looks very much like someone who can one day get to 25 and seven, respectively, while operating within the flow of a larger ecosystem.
Sticking him any higher doesn't fly given the track record of everyone in front of him. If his current performance becomes the new normal, his ability to blow up defensive possessions when away from the ball could vault him into the No. 1 conversation.
5. Orlando Magic: Franz Wagner
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Original Pick: Jalen Suggs
Franz Wagner's Original Draft Position: No. 8
Franz Wagner has never needed an efficient three-ball to wreak havoc on the offensive end. His meld of on-ball shiftiness and physicality is tough to guard even when throwing the kitchen sink at him.
Both his defense and secondary playmaking remain underappreciated. Putting him at No. 5 comes across as borderline foolish when he's canning more than 40 percent of his treys.
Overall streakiness from the perimeter holds him back. His volume from deep isn't especially high for a wing, and he has yet to prop up an above-average three-point clip for an entire season.
6. Oklahoma City Thunder: Austin Reaves
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Original Pick: Josh Giddey
Austin Reaves' Original Draft Position: Undrafted
Austin Reaves rockets into the top five if we're basing this re-draft on the 2025-26 campaign alone. We're not.
And yet, he's soooo close.
Reaves' on-ball guile is not predicated on being the No. 2 or No. 3 option. He has legitimate poise in the lane, punctuated by changes of pace and direction.
Defenses are flummoxed by his on-a-whim floaters, and he's getting better at facilitating out of doubles, traps, collapses, etc.
It is not a stretch to wonder whether he can be the engine powering an entire team. Over the past three years, when he's on the floor without any stars, the Los Angeles Lakers have pumped in 116.8 points per 100 possessions. That's the rough equivalent of a top-10 offense during this span.
7. Golden State Warriors: Jalen Johnson
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Original Pick: Jonathan Kuminga
Jalen Johnson's Original Draft Position: No. 20
Jalen Johnson's "Does a lot of everything" portfolio fuels top-seven placement that might represent his floor.
The driving and finishing are divine. He has more mid-range touch than advertised. His handle and vision have even reached the point where the half-court offense can be run through him for stretches at a time.
Checkered availability in years past and a cold streak from three to start 2025-26 are just about the only concerns. Well, that, and this year's on-off splits.
8. Orlando Magic: Trey Murphy
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Original Pick: Franz Wagner
Trey Murphy's Original Draft Position: No. 17
Billed as a high-volume flame-thrower from long range, Trey Murphy is so much more.
He has the coordination to rain jumpers off the dribble and keeps defenses on tilt inside the arc with pump-and-drives and timely cuts. Even though his efficiency has waned to start this year, defenses gravitate towards him in transition and when he's coming around a ball screen.
It says a lot about him—and, frankly, the New Orleans Pelicans overall—that the half-court offense has looked so much better when he's in the game, onset struggles and all.
9. Sacramento Kings: Jalen Suggs
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Original Pick: Davion Mitchell
Jalen Suggs' Original Draft Position: No. 5
All-world defense is Jalen Suggs' claim to fame. Prior to last year's knee injury, though, he added more reliable shooting, driving and head-up live-dribble playmaking to his game.
Limited minutes have looked so-so on Suggs to start this season. The last year or so contributes to his slide. Keeping him firmly inside the top 10 is a bet on his eventual return to full form—at which time he could challenge for a spot in the top six.
10. Memphis Grizzlies (via New Orleans): Josh Giddey
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Original Pick: Ziaire Williams
Josh Giddey's Original Draft Position: No. 6
Josh Giddey has apparently transformed into a full-throttle scorer. Not only is he taking and making more threes than ever, but he's leveled up his aggression around the basket. He has never embraced and finished through contact this well. It is the single biggest difference in his game.
Calls for him to make this February's All-Star Game are nevertheless premature. While he has shown he can drive an offense in transition, consistently breaking down defenses in the half-court still isn't a strong suit.
There is also an element of "How will this carry over into the playoffs?" at work here. The same can be said about Trey Murphy or Jalen Johnson, but their offensive skill sets are inherently plug-and-play, and neither is as inherently limiting on the defensive end.
11. Charlotte Hornets: Jonathan Kuminga
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Original Pick: James Bouknight
Jonathan Kuminga's Original Draft Position: No. 7
Jonathan Kuminga has always teased fringe stardom with his arsenal of on-ball moves and force. That part of his game persists. This year, though, he's flashing a scalable body of work.
More of what he does comes within the flow of the Golden State Warriors offense. Hitting his threes goes a long way, but he's also nowhere near as one-track-minded on his drives. Even his effort on the glass is up.
We have to see a larger sample of this Kuminga before declaring it a status quo. If his current performance holds, his position outside the top 10 will not.
12. San Antonio Spurs: Herb Jones
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Original Pick: Joshua Primo
Herb Jones' Original Draft Position: No. 35
Depending on the night, Herb Jones may not typify the vaunted three-and-D archetype. His overall offensive impact retains its wild-card status.
This season alone is proof. Jones is downing his threes, but shooting under 35 percent inside the arc.
Still, the defense is exhaustive. And the strides he has made as both a shooter and ball-mover cannot be overlooked. When healthy, he is a two-way player—and has been for some time.
13. Indiana Pacers: Quentin Grimes
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Original Pick: Chris Duarte
Quentin Grimes' Original Draft Position: No. 25
Quentin Grimes is quashing any doubt that last year's meteoric rise with the Philadelphia 76ers was a one-hit blip.
Sure, he's not banging in from-scratch jumpers at outrageous clips. That's part of his appeal. He's playing off Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, and continuing to leave his offensive mark in a high-volume role—all while covering a difficult range of defensive assignments across the 1, 2 and even 3 spots.
14. Golden State Warriors: Aaron Wiggins
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Original Pick: Moses Moody
Aaron Wiggins' Original Draft Position: No. 55
Wings who ae 6'6" and play with "11 out of 10" intensity, can shoot threes, get to and finish at the rim and hold their own on defense are among the league's most sought-after complementary talents. It just so happens this almost perfectly describes Aaron Wiggins.
The 26-year-old can freelance a little too much on offense, but he gets better at reading the room each year. Don't let his modest court time fool you, either. He would be a 30-minutes-per-game guy if he played anywhere other than Oklahoma City (or Houston).
15. Washington Wizards: Jalen Green
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Original Pick: Corey Kispert
Jalen Green's Original Draft Position: No. 2
Averaging over 20 points per game through your first four seasons isn't easy. Nobody can take that way from Jalen Green. But the more time passes, the more it becomes clear he exists in an awkward vacuum: not efficient enough on the ball to warrant focal point status, yet not nearly efficient enough when displaced from it to scale down to sidekick duty.
The 23-year-old has posted a better-than-league-average clip on unassisted shot attempts just once, according to BBall Index. His shooting percentage on spot-ups has peaked in the 60th percentile—and placed in the 0th percentile last year. His assist-to-usage ratio has never ascended past the 27th percentile. And through his tenure with the Houston Rockets, they posted a better net rating during his on-court time only once.
Maybe things will be different once he recovers from his hamstring injury and debuts for the Phoenix Suns. Until—or rather, unless—those changes take effect, it's hard to take him over other players who are cleaner across-the-board fits.
16. Houston Rockets (via Oklahoma City): Cam Thomas
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Original Pick: Alperen Şengün
Cam Thomas' Original Draft Position: No. 27
Cam Thomas falls squarely into the Jalen Green bucket: a high-volume scorer whose value fluctuates wildly from person to person.
The square-one shot-creation and -making is legitimate. His efficiency isn't show-stopping, but it's more than adequate relative to his usage. The dearth of rim pressure isn't ideal, but he draws shooting fouls anyway.
Ultimately, this is yet another case of a talented on-ball scorer who doesn't have the passing chops (improvement and all) to facilitate for others, the size to play at the wing spots, or above all, the type of game you trust can be scaled down to a smaller role.
17. New Orleans Pelicans (via Memphis): Ayo Dosunmu
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Original Pick: Trey Murphy
Ayo Dosunmu's Original Draft Position: No. 38
Ayo Dosunmu has seemingly added more to his offensive arsenal every year, culminating in what we see now: a semi-dependable shooter, ceaseless driver, good finisher and someone capable of running the offense off-ball screens in a pinch.
Granted, everything he does on offense is almost purely complementary. Everything he does on defense is a separate matter. At 6'6", he continues to be someone who can tussle with star point guards while also logging more-than-occasional reps versus bigger forwards.
18. Oklahoma City Thunder: Deuce McBride
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Original Pick: Tre Mann
Deuce McBride's Original Draft Position: No. 36
Smaller guards who have zero business initiating the offense are liable to become afterthoughts. Deuce McBride is among the exceptions.
The point-of-attack defense is all-encompassing—so blanketing it opens up opportunities for everyone behind him to take chances. Mikal Bridges should probably give him a cut of his recent extension.
McBride's offense is reined in by design. Drives and pull-up jumpers are secondary to spot-up threes, which he's proven he will hit at a high enough clip to reliably stretch the floor.
19. Charlotte Hornets (via New York): Santi Aldama
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Original Pick: Kai Jones
Santi Aldama's Original Draft Position: No. 30
A seven-footer with the floor game of a wing, Santi Aldama passes the eye test with flying colors. His efficiency as a floor-spacer is a separate matter. The volume is modest, and he's shooting an OK-not-great 34.4 percent from distance for his career.
The range of things Aldama can attempt to do on offense preserves his top-20 case. So, too, does his ability to pepper in reps as the lone big—though, he'd rank higher if there weren't so many matchups in which it feels like he needs to operate as a pure 4.
20. Atlanta Hawks: Sam Hauser
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Original Pick: Jalen Johnson
Sam Hauser's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
Sam Hauser can really sling it from deep. Like, reaaaaaally sling it.
Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard and Norman Powell are the only other players shooting over 42 percent from distance since 2021-22 on at least 1,000 total attempts.
This brand of marksmanship might be worth a higher flier. But Hauser doesn't deliver much else in higher doses.
21. Los Angeles Clippers (via New York): Davion Mitchell
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Original Pick: Keon Johnson
Davion Mitchell's Original Draft Position: No. 9
If you want to bend your brain, try thinking about where Davion Mitchell would be re-drafted when looking exclusively at his time with the Miami Heat. The three-point shooting and efficiency on drives is unbelievable.
Distrust in this offensive utility holding serve drags him outside the top 20. If it sticks the rest of the year, along with his suffocating on-ball defense, then yours truly will need to re-draft this re-draft.
22. Indiana Pacers (via L.A. Lakers): Moses Moody
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Original Pick: Isaiah Jackson
Moses Moody's Original Draft Position: No. 14
There are nights on which Moses Moody looks like a three-and-D-and-more fever dream who should be getting more minutes. And then there are nights in which he vanishes on offense and looks overmatched at the defensive end.
Three-and-D fliers will never go out of style. At 23 years old, Moody can also get better—more consistent.
His 45-plus-percent clip from beyond the arc to open this season is a good start. But it's tough to view him in the same vein as everyone ahead of him, the vast majority of whom have held larger roles for longer periods of time.
23. Houston Rockets: Cory Kispert
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Original Pick: Usman Garuba
Corey Kispert's Original Draft Position: No. 21
Corey Kispert is a re-draft diamond in the rough when his threes are falling. Right now, they aren't falling. And with the exception of one or two seasons, they've never fallen at a truly memorable rate.
Still, at 6'7", Kispert has demonstrated the ability to finish closer to the basket on drives and off motion. The movement itself is an asset to the offense—and would leave a bigger dent in an offense with a more established floor general.
24. Houston Rockets: Justin Champagnie
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Original Pick: Josh Christopher
Justin Champagnie's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
Justin Champagnie barely playing this season is a testament to the Washington Wizards' wing depth—and the sort of under-the-radar development that should have fans of other teams trade-machining their hearts out.
During his first two seasons in the nation's capital, Champagnie routinely guarded four positions, including one of the two toughest perimeter assignments, while providing a dab of help-side protection at the rim. He also just drilled nearly 42 percent of his spot-up threes last year.
25. New York Knicks (via L.A. Clippers): Sandro Mamukelashvili
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Original Pick: Quentin Grimes
Sandro Mamukelashvili's Original Draft Position: No. 54
Sandro Mamukelashvili is the player who people think Jay Huff is (on offense): a floor-spacing 5 capable of passing on the move, with a little bit of a mean streak, who actually deserves more playing time.
The defensive experience is spotty. Mamukelashvili isn't tall enough to deter shots at the rim or control the glass. He can get by at the 4, but that dilutes his offensive mystique. The need to have a disruptive forward alongside him (i.e. Scottie Barnes) is about the primary factor nudging him outside the top 20.
26. Denver Nuggets: Jose Alvarado
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Original Pick: Bones Hyland
Jose Alvarado's Original Draft Position: Undrafted
What Jose Alvarado lacks in size and conventional playmaking acumen, he makes up for with a no-quit defensive motor, try-hard fight on the glass and stripped-you-in-the-backcourt nose for the ball.
Oh, and let's not forget about the genesis of the Grand Theft Alvarado moniker: The inbound steals.
Alvarado has a stronger case for climbing the ladder when his threes are falling. Even then, though, a notoriously modest-minutes workload makes it tough to justify much more than top-21-to-26 investment.
27. Brooklyn Nets: Day'Ron Sharpe
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Original Pick: Cam Thomas
Day'Ron Sharpe's Original Draft Position: No. 29
Day'Ron Sharpe has proven to be a shorter-burst force whenever he's healthy. His defense is something rival teams will almost always feel.
Opponents are shooting much worse around the rim this season when he's on the floor, and he's got the lateral coordination to line up versus more mobile bigs (such as Evan Mobley). He also works to erase passing lanes like a wing.
Most of his offensive impact comes around the basket, but he will bust out one- and two-dribble moves in the center of the floor on the catch. If his past weren't dotted with so many injuries, he might have the sample to warrant higher placement.
28. Philadelphia 76ers: Tre Mann
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Original Pick: Jaden Springer
Tre Mann's Original Draft Position: No. 18
Does Tre Mann get a re-draft bump because his off-the-dribble shiftiness and oversized shorts bear resemblance to Allen Iverson? Who's to say, really?
Combo guards who can smoke defenders off the dribble while keeping defenses on tilt away from the ball still have a place in #ThisLeague. For as much as Mann is streaky, he is elusive and forever one make away from a could-be heater.
Efficiency and availability must be taken into account. Both work against Mann. But the aesthetics of his game are worth a dice roll this late.
29. Brooklyn Nets (via Phoenix): Neemias Queta
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Original Pick: Day'Ron Sharpe
Neemias Queta's Original Draft Position: No. 39
Neemias Queta's re-draft ceiling is noticeably higher than No. 29.
At his absolute peak, he is a locked-in on-ball defender who can blow up plays around the basket on his away-from-the-ball rotations. At the other end, he will screen, catch-and-finish, sprinkle in some shots outside the restricted and dominate the glass.
Inconsistency dogs him more than anything. His positioning is all over the place. His presence on the defensive glass travels through peaks and valleys. And he's liable to foul like it's Summer League.
With a starting role in Boston seemingly on lock, Queta's case is yet another one that'll be fascinating to track throughout the season. He will benefit greatly, in particular, if he finds and sustains more of a middle-ground impact.
30. Memphis Grizzlies (via Utah): Isaiah Jackson
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Original Pick: Santi Aldama
Isaiah Jackson's Original Draft Position: No. 22
Isaiah Jackson's return from a torn right Achilles is not going off without a hitch, but he's starting to warm up.
His activity at both ends of the floor is increasing. Though he doesn't seem as explosive, he remains someone you can rely on to run the floor—including with the ball in his hands. He looks stronger and is still finding crevices away from the ball to slither through in the half-court.
Whether he can cover the same kind of ground on defense remains an open question. If he can, and if his minutes can be materially increased over time, the case to move him up gets stronger—even amid shorthanded guard play around him.
Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
