Re-Drafting the 2021 Through 2025 NBA Draft Classes
The NBA is currently chock full of young, high-upside talent. We gathered here to separate the best from the rest.
The mission was simple: Imagine every NBA team's roster was wiped clean, and the 2021 through 2025 draft classes comprised the entire pool of available players. With that in mind, who would you most want to build a roster around moving forward?
B/R NBA analysts Dan Favale, Grant Hughes and Joey Akeley and editors Jay Dunbar and Bryan Toporek joined forces to answer that question.
Before we get underway, let's lay out the ground rules:
- Only players from the 2021 through 2025 draft classes were eligible to be selected. Undrafted free agents from those years were also eligible.
- Contracts were not factored in, but injuries were.
- Teams are ordered by the worst record from 2021-22 through 2025-26.
The Washington Wizards drew the No. 1 overall pick. Any guesses who they took?
1. Washington Wizards: Victor Wembanyama
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Victor Wembanyama was the clear choice at No. 1 in this five-year redraft. He'd be the clear choice in any NBA re-draft that's forward-looking.ย
The 22-year-old already might be the league's best player. He's entering the 2026-27 season as both the favorite to win Most Valuable Player and the commanding favorite to repeat as Defensive Player of the Year.
Wemby averaged 25.0 points, 11.1 rebounds and a league-leading 3.1 blocks per game last season and became the first unanimous DPOY in NBA history. The 7'4" center might only be scratching the surface of his potential, too.
As long as Wemby stays healthy, he might be the most legitimate challenger to Michael Jordan's GOAT throne since LeBron James.
โAkeley
2. Charlotte Hornets: Cooper Flagg
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The Charlotte Hornets thought long and hard about taking Cade Cunningham, who's currently the more accomplished playmaker and scorer. We ultimately decided to go in the higher-upside direction.
Cooper Flagg profiles as someone who can become his team's best offensive and defensive player. Outside of Victor Wembanyama traveling by wormhole to planet Earth, we haven't seen sustained dominance of that kind since Peak Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Worry warts will stress over the jumper and half-court initiation. That's fair. But Flagg will not exit his teenage era until late December. What we are seeing now isn't even close to his final form.ย
By the way: What we've already seen is pretty damn good.
The defensive impact and playmaking will pop once he's in his ideal role. And the fact that he's already shown he can finish with above-board efficiency at the rim despite dogpoop spacing should terrify the rest of the league, because the Hypothetical Hornets plan to surround him with a ton of shooting.
โFavale
3. Utah Jazz: Cade Cunningham
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Considering that Cunningham's already a top-10-ish player in the league, he has an argument to go No. 2 in this exercise over Flagg, even if the latter's ultimate ceiling is higher.
The Detroit Pistons linchpin is coming off his second straight top-10 MVP finish and first All-NBA first-team nod in a year when he shared more of the scoring load but continued to dominate and even evolve as a distributor.ย
Despite all that, one can't help but think there's another gear left for the 24-year-old.ย
The jumbo playmaker slightly improved his turnover problem while leading the Pistons to 60 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last year. However, he averaged an unsightly 5.6 turnovers per game in the playoffs.
If he learns how to better protect the ball and keeps up the defensive level that counted him among seven qualified guards who posted at least a 1.0 defensive box plus-minus and 3.0 defensive win shares last season, he'll find that gear.
โDunbar
4. Detroit Pistons: Dylan Harper
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I would have considered Dylan Harper as high as No. 2.ย
Yes, an NBA Finals performance that saw the rookie become the second-most impactful player on his team is doing some heavy lifting here. But Harper's remarkable play against the New York Knicks was really just a continuation of the form he showed all year.
Few first-year players have ever passed the eye test as easily as Harper, whose handle, shiftiness, finishing craft and defensive mobility invite comparisons that feel ridiculous. Is he going to be a physically stronger version of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? What if James Harden was more athletic and could guard the other team's best scorer?
Pretty fun stuff.
Cunningham is the only player in this draft I'd feel more comfortable with as a first-option shot creator on offense, and he has five years of experience learning the job. With him off the board, Harper was the only choice.
โHughes
5. Portland Trail Blazers: Scottie Barnes
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Are you surprised to see Scottie Barnes come off the board at No. 5 overall in this re-draft? If so, did you watch the Toronto Raptors last year?
Barnes secured the second All-Star nod of his career and his first All-Defensive team selection by averaging 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals while shooting a career-best 50.7 percent from the field. He's one of only four players to average at least 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists in each of the past three seasons, joining Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokiฤ and Luka Donฤiฤ.
Barnes is a career 30.1 percent three-point shooter, which is the main flaw in his game that makes him an iffy building block. But if the Portland Trail Blazers surrounded him with enough shooting, the 6'8" forward could be a whirling dervish of torment for opponents.
Barnes turned 25 at the beginning of August, which means he should just now be entering his prime. If he ever develops a long-range jumper, he'll be a fixture in All-NBA conversations moving forward. But even if he doesn't, it's still worth taking a stab on a two-way, high-upside wing like him at this spot.
โToporek
6. Brooklyn Nets: Jalen Johnson
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Last year, I took Jalen Johnson at No. 11, one spot ahead of Paolo Banchero. Dan, my fellow drafter, called it an "inexplicably poor decision" and added the following: "Rolling with Jalen Johnson over Paolo Banchero is the genre of take you post on X to generate rage-bait revenue that you don't actually believe."
From that point forward, Johnson averaged 22.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game while shooting 47.3 percent overall and 34.5 percent from deep en route to his first All-Star and All-NBA nods. Over that same stretch, Banchero averaged 22.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists while shooting 45.9 percent overall and 31.6 percent from three.
How do you like them apples, Dan?
With Trae Young sidelined by an early-season MCL sprain, the Atlanta Hawks turned to Johnson as their offensive fulcrum and never looked back. He played so well in that role that the Hawks wound up dumping Young for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, which was hardly viewed as a knock-your-socks-off return at the time.
Johnson took a step back defensively as he absorbed a larger offensive role, but that's a natural byproduct of emerging as a nightly triple-double threat. The bet here is that Johnson, who doesn't turn 25 until mid-December, still has another level he can reach now that he gets a full offseason to prepare for being a focal point.
โToporek
7. San Antonio Spurs: Jalen Williams
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There weren't any other two-way wings with an All-NBA nod and a championship ring left in the draft pool, so the Jalen Williams pick pretty much made itself.
If you believe Williams' injury-ravaged 2025-26 campaign is a signal of future durability issues, perhaps you think a little harder about taking him over the likes of Evan Mobley or even real-life teammate Chet Holmgren, the next two picks off the board. I'm personally more convinced that the real Williams is the guy who emerged as one of the most complete stars in the league two seasons ago.
In 2024-25, Williams answered the questions about his fitness to run an offense without SGA on the floor. Earlier that same season, he anchored OKC's league-best defense as a back-line stopper with elite rim-protection numbers. Those two jobs are about as far apart on the skill-set spectrum as possible, and he excelled at both.
Maybe J-Dub isn't quite good enough to be the best player on a championship team, but those types of players were taken off the board a long time ago.
โHughes
8. New Orleans Pelicans: Evan Mobley
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It's complicated, OK?ย
On the positive side, Evan Mobley is a one-time Defensive Player of the Year with clear room to improve on offense, even after putting up back-to-back 18-point-per-game seasons atย top-35 efficiency. He also earned a top-10 MVP finish and a second-team All-NBA nod in 2024-25 and flashed better playmaking chops at times last year.
But at this point of his career, it's fair to wonder if the 25-year-old will ever make that offensive jump.ย
Mobley took a step back as a shooter and generally seemed to stagnate in several areas last season. Maybe that's just what happens when you're competing for touches in an offense with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. But in many ways, that won't cut it for a guy with a top-13 cap hit, especially in this age of NBA roster building.
Still, the Cavs kept him out of potential deals for Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason. The hope here is that he can finally become the 25-and-10 guy whom fans envision.
โDunbar
9. Indiana Pacers: Chet Holmgren
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Though the stench of the 2026 Western Conference Finals has followed Chet Holmgren into the offseason, it is neither fetid nor permanent enough to recalibrate how we should feel about him.ย
Stretch bigs with traces of a floor game who will routinely contend for Defensive Player of the Year honors are good! Hot take, I know.
Holmgren needs to weed out the layers of passivity in his offensive armory, particularly when it comes to uncorking threes. It'd be nice if he were stronger and more physical, too.ย
At just 24, we can't rule out either from happening. Improvement is the expectation, not the exception.ย
Even as he stands, though, he's a building-block fever dream. Not only can he play both the 4 and the 5, but his offensive game is extremely plug-and-play, allowing the Indiana Pacers to flesh out the rest of the core however the heck they want.
Passing this up for a crack at intriguing but less-accomplished players like Amen Thompson, Franz Wagner, Brandon Miller, VJ Edgecombe and Kon Knueppel doesn't sit right.
โFavale
10. Sacramento Kings: Franz Wagner
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Franz Wagner was the best all-around player left on the board at No. 10. He can score in the paint effortlessly with his 6'10" size and defend several positions.ย
Wagner's Cleaning the Glass net rating has been at least plus-5.3 in all five seasons of his career, which is why he's more valuable than his teammate, Paolo Banchero.ย
The main red flag with Wagner is his three-point shot. He's a career 32.4 percent shooter from downtown for his career, which makes it difficult to envision him ever being a title-contending team's offensive engine.ย
Better shooters went in the next few picks, including Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. But they have other limitations that could keep them from matching Wagner's impact.
โAkeley
11. Houston Rockets: Brandon Miller
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This was a close call between Amen Thompson and Brandon Miller, two of the top four picks from the 2023 draft.ย ย
Thompson averaged a career-high 18.3 points last year despite having defenders play off him because of his struggles from beyond the arc. In all, Thompson made just 25 of his 116 three-point attempts (21.6 percent).ย
Miller, meanwhile, averaged 20.2 points and shot a career-best 38.3 percent from three last season. He's not at Thompson's level defensively, but he's already pretty good on the less glamorous end and still has room to get better.ย
The Rockets are surely thrilled with what they've gotten from Thompson since drafting him. But if they had to start their team from scratch, they should value Miller's shooting ability over Thompson's superior ancillary skills.
โAkeley
12. Orlando Magic: Amen Thompson
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Achieving dominance amid wholesale limitations isn't easy. Amen Thompson is doing it anyway.
Thompson's complete lack of a jumper doesn't prevent him from being undeniable on offense. His first step is nuclear enough to reach the basket from a dead stop against virtually any defense, and few can keep pace with him in transition.ย
Thompson's experience playing away from the ball and navigating tight half-court spaces to cut or hang out in the dunker's spot will serve him well when the Orlando Magic put a primary initiator alongside him. It's not like he's all athletic pop and no coordination, either. His Eurostep is devastating.
Even if Thompson doesn't have another level or three to reach on offense, his force-of-nature drives and all-world defense are enough to render him a tantalizing franchise starting point.ย
Plus, not to be that dude or anything, but building around someone with a questionable or nonexistent jumper is right up Orlando's alley. Florida's familiarity with these restrictions is enough to give Thompson the stamp of approval over Kon Knnuepel, VJ Edgecombe and Austin Reaves in my book.
โFavale
13. Toronto Raptors: Stephon Castle
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Stephon Castle is clearly a championship-level roster piece at 21 years oldโthe Spurs' recent NBA Finals loss notwithstanding. His defense, raw athleticism and offensive initiation (top-10 assist percentage) provide a floor that would fit into most any NBA roster.
He's the Spurs' on-ball stopper who draws the opponent's best player on any given night, and he's got some Russell Westbrook in him when it comes to attacking the rim. There's just a sheer ruthlessness to it all.
That overall package pushed the pick in Castle's direction over the likes of lights-out shooter Kon Knueppel.
If he can continue to work on a three-ball that's been his biggest hang-up (33.2 percent in 2025-26, up from 28.5 in his Rookie of the Year-winning campaign), he could eventually put his name among Spurs greats of yore.
โDunbar
14. Chicago Bulls: VJ Edgecombe
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I won't lie, some of this pick was motivated by a desire to see how rattled it would make Bryan, our resident Sixers aficionado. We're only talking like 10 percent, though.
The majority of the logic here: VJ Edgecombe showed more shooting prowess than most imagined was possible in his rookie season, and he married that surprising ability with the rugged competitiveness, athleticism and defensive potential we knew were part of his makeup.
Like Harper, Edgecombe used the postseason to prove his fitness for duty in high-stakes situations. Though his numbers weren't eye-popping, he was completely unfazed by the moment. That says a lot about a player's potential, which is a key part of the reasoning behind this pick.
Kon Knueppel went one slot later in real life and in our re-draft. His rookie year was historic from a shooting perspective and objectively better than Edgecombe's. Taking VJ here is a bet that he has a higher ceiling, though.
โHughes
15. Dallas Mavericks: Kon Knueppel
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Was I silently seething that Grant sniped me on VJ Edgecombe, whom I briefly considered at the 5-6 turn? Yes. Was I thrilled to land Kon Knueppel here? Also yes.
Unsurprisingly, Cooper Flagg was long gone by the time the Dallas Mavericks were on the clock in this re-draft. They had to settle for one of his Duke teammates instead, one who nearly bested him in the Rookie of the Year race.
Prior to last season, no player in NBA history hit more three-pointers as a rookie than Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (206) in 2022-23. In his debut NBA campaign, Knueppel drilled 273 triples at a 42.5 percent clip. The gap between him and Murray is wider than the distance between Murray and 26th-place Kirk Hinrich (144).
Knueppel's long-range shooting was the main selling point for him here, as he wasn't strictly a catch-and-shoot merchant. He also drilled 1.8 pull-up three-pointers per game while shooting 43.0 percent on such looks.
Knueppel's surprising off-the-dribble chops might have helped convince the Charlotte Hornets to move on from LaMelo Ball this offseason and feature him as more of a focal point next season. The Mavericks should be more than happy to get in on the ground floor of the Knueppel Express here.
โToporek
16. Atlanta Hawks: Paolo Banchero
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As the wise prophet Taylor Swift once said: I can fix him (no really I can).
Paolo Banchero often shows flashes of why the Orlando Magic took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft and why he was the runaway Rookie of the Year that season. Then he takes an ill-advised shot or commits a careless turnover that makes you question why you watch basketball in the first place.
Perhaps being separated from fellow mediocre three-point shooter Franz Wagner could help Banchero flourish in a new environment. He reportedly didn't see eye-to-eye with former Orlando Magic head coach Jahmal Mosley, either, so we might see a new-and-improved version of Banchero under new head coach Sean Sweeney this coming season.
"I feel like I can be a guy who averages 25 [points], eight [rebounds] and seven [assists]," Banchero told Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports at Las Vegas Summer League in mid-July. "I feel like that's pretty attainable for me."
Since Jalen Johnson was long gone by this point in the re-draft, Banchero might be the Atlanta Hawks' best chance of finding a jumbo-playmaker facsimile. If he can improve his efficiency under Sweeneyโparticularly from long rangeโhe might wind up being the steal of this re-draft.
โToporek
17. Memphis Grizzlies: Austin Reaves
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The most precious commodity in the NBA is a player who can run a quality offenseโone who commands extra defensive attention as an individual threat and can both score against that pressure on his own and punish it by setting up teammates left unattended.
Austin Reaves is the last guy on the board who fits that description, even if he's only had a few extended opportunities to prove it.
Last year, Reaves averaged 23.3 points and 5.5 assists per game on a true shooting percentage 10 points above the league average. His off-the-dribble craft forced defenders to foul him often, and the Los Angeles Lakers' offense put up 120.8 points per 100 possessions (an 87th-percentile figure) when Reaves was on the floor without Luka Donฤic and LeBron James.
Reaves is older than most of the players still available in this re-draft and may have already topped out. But it's tough to imagine any of the younger options on the board ever reaching his level as a shot creator.
โHughes
18. Philadelphia 76ers: Alperen ลengรผn
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It was surprising to see Alperen ลengรผn last this long after he was a clear top-10 pick in this exercise last year, especially after a second consecutive All-Star season in which he averaged 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and a career-high 6.2 assists per game.
His fall likely had something to do with his inability to carry the Rockets past the Lakers in the playoffs this past spring in Kevin Durant's absence. That, and the fact that you won't hear his name in All-Defensive conversations anytime soon.
Still, the 24-year-old is a No. 2 scoring option at worst, and he has the passing chops from the center spot to evoke the nickname Baby Jokiฤ. He also wasn't bad in that Lakers series, averaging roughly 20-10-5 across the six games.
Last year's playoffs could prove a true roadblock rather than a speed bump. Maybe the lack of Alphanessโข sticks, and ลengรผn tops out as a No. 2 or 3 option on a good team. But given the various flaws of the tier we're wading through, this felt like an easy pick.
โDunbar
19. Miami Heat: Trey Murphy III
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If you aren't going to build your franchise around a primary playmaker or defensive anchor, you better zero in on someone with super-mega-ultra gravity who doesn't torpedo your defense and can play alongside anyone, anywhere, in any kind of system.
Speaking of infinite scalability, the Miami Heat have zero regrets about taking Trey Murphy III here.
The 26-year-old is older than many of the other options left on the board, but he provides incomparable flexibility. Equally important, he checks more boxes than your typical complementary scorer. Murphy is not Sam Hauser, to say the least.
Murphy can put the ball on the deck, will hit some threes off the dribble and is an underrated finisher at the rim. He has also shown he can maintain in-the-green efficiency while playing on the most directionless and incoherent of rosters. (Shout-out, Real-Life Pelicans.)ย
Make no bones about it, Jalen Duren, Ace Bailey, Reed Sheppard, Walker Kessler and more all received consideration at No. 19. But I strongly prefer the certainty and malleability afforded by Murphy.
โFavale
20. Los Angeles Lakers: Jalen Duren
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Jalen Duren's lack of offensive skill outside the paint came under the microscope during the 2026 playoffs. But let's not downplay how valuable he is.ย
Even though the Detroit Pistons rarely ran plays for him, Duren averaged a career-high 19.5 points per game last season. He has a knack for scoring in the paint, whether it's via putbacks, floaters, dunks or other ways.ย
Though he's not a dominant shot-blocker, he's a very good defender as well.ย
According to Dunks and Threes' EPM, Duren was the 11th-best player in the NBA last season. Even if he isn't quite that impactful, getting him 20th in this re-draft is good value.
โAkeley
21. Golden State Warriors: Ausar Thompson
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Ausar Thompson is the best defensive player in the NBA in the under-7'4" division. Despite his offensive limitations (he's a career 20.4 career shooter from three), he was the most impactful player left in this re-draft.ย
However, it's fair to question whether a team should use its first pick on a defensive specialist when starting from scratch.ย
Keyonte George was also under consideration, but he's such a poor defender that Thompson is more valuable overall.ย
The key to making this pick work would be surrounding Thompson with shooters. The Warriors' goal would be to have Thompson play a Draymond Green-like role on offense while wreaking havoc on defense.
โAkeley
22. Los Angeles Clippers: Reed Sheppard
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I can already hear the haters typing exasperated and derogatory responses to Reed Sheppard going at No. 22. I will make no apologies, so expect none.
Although I wish the 22-year-old would show more ability to puncture the paint and handle physicality while on-ball, I'm not about to place limitations on someone with two years of NBA experience. Sheppard has proven to be a useful spacer, passing-lane crasher and an occasional on-ball option despite a relatively undefined role and clear lack of confidence from his current head coach, Ime Udoka.
Yes, the bad possessions are really bad, turnovers and all. But the peeks into his highest-percentile outcomes are alluring. They hint at someone who can stretch defenses, hit from-scratch jumpers and run a (basic) half-court offense. And for as much as he'll get picked on defensively, he still busts up possessions with steals and blocks.
On that note, here's where I list every player to have as many steals (157), blocks (71) and made threes (275) as Sheppard tallied through their first two seasons: Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton andโฆthat's it.
Did I feel a little uneasy about betting on him over Ace Bailey and Ajay Mitchell, specifically? Absolutely. Just not nearly enough not to do it.
โFavaleย ย
23. New York Knicks: Keyonte George
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Even if you want to say Keyonte George's leap to 23.6 points per game last year had a bit of the "well, someone has to score here" vibe, the 22-year-old point guard earned his place in the 20s of this re-draft. He's evolved into a borderline All-Star and someone his team can build around.ย
The Baylor product saw the floor better in his third season, jumping to a career-high 6.1 assists per game (28.4 assist percentage), while his free-throw attempts increased by 60 percent on nearly 90 percent shooting. That's a strong indicator that he was attacking the rim more, and a solid reason why his field-goal percentage jumped from sub-40 to 45.6.ย
Does his defense need work? Sure. He'll have to at least avoid being a turnstile to truly be a long-term building block. But after considering his solid work ethic and the kind of evolution he underwent in 2025-26, it was worth a bet that he'll do just that.
โDunbar
24. Milwaukee Bucks: Ace Bailey
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As a rookie, Ace Bailey showed enough flashes of the self-sufficient scoring game everyone assumed he'd bring from college to the pros. In March, for example, he averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists on a 45.3/40.3/88.0 shooting split across 14 starts. That's impressive and efficient production for a 19-year-old who wasn't playing with much offensive support at the time.
Bucket-getting was a given. The most intriguing part of Bailey's profile emerged as he proved to be a better and more versatile defender than expected while peppering in smart cuts, crashing the boards and generally showing some highly valuable "non-star" characteristics.
Maybe he'll become a first-option offensive weapon who gives opponents nightmares. But even if he doesn't, Bailey could still do a lot of damage as a 6'9" jack-of-all-trades who can make a real difference whether he has the ball or not.
โHughes
25. Phoenix Suns: Donovan Clingan
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NBA teams are always looking for the next great "unicorn" big manโsomeone who can both protect the rim and bomb away from three-point range. Donovan Clingan might be it.
In his second NBA season, Clingan averaged 12.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in only 27.2 minutes per game. After fiddling around with a three-point shot as a rookie, the 7'2", 280-pound behemoth also drilled 84 triples at a 34.1 percent clip. He was one of only nine 7-footers to hit that many treys last season.
Clingan badly struggled against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs during his first taste of playoff action, but as Chet Holmgren can attest, Wembanyama tends to make most big men look mortal. That should prove to be a valuable learning experience for the 22-year-old.
The next step for Clingan is to develop into more of a low-post threat. If he does that, his three-level scoring ability would make him a tough matchup for most non-Wembanyama big men.
โToporek
26. Minnesota Timberwolves: Walker Kessler
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As it turns out, Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka isn't the only one who's Walker Kessler-pilled.
Kessler played only five games this past season before suffering a torn labrum that ended his campaign prematurely. But in those five games, he showed why Pelinka would be incentivized to give up two first-round picks and two first-round swaps to pry him away from the Utah Jazz in restricted free agency.
Kessler has always done a majority of his offensive damage from within 10 feet of the basket. Across his first three seasons, he shot only 11-of-56 from deep and rarely attempted a mid-range jumper. The Jazz encouraged him to start bombing away from deep late in the 2024-25 season, which definitely wasn't a sneaky way to tank, no sir, no way.
That (briefly) appeared to have paid off, though. In his five games last season, Kessler shot 6-of-8 from deep. Add in his 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 30.8 minutes per game, and much like Donovan Clingan, he has some unicorn potential.
โToporek
27. Oklahoma City Thunder: Alex Sarr
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Two seasons into his NBA career, Alex Sarr is still a bit of a mystery. The Washington Wizards haven't played in the kinds of games that would give a real sense of the 2024 No. 2 pick's playoff viability. With that said, we've probably seen enough to have confidence he'll be a three-point threat who can defend the rim.
If Sarr's growth stops there, he'll be a hugely valuable role player who'll probably start for some very good teams. But if some of his other skills continue to develop, he'll have a chance to be something more than that.
There aren't many players Sarr's size who can block shots and hold up against smaller matchups on the perimeter. He's shown glimpses of a downhill driving game on offense, and he cleaned up his shot diet as a sophomore, which improved his scoring efficiency.
His hands are iffy, he may never be a "plus" passer and he still needs to add strength. We're past the point of perfect prospects, though. Sarr's positives are intriguing enough to justify his landing in the first round.
โHughes
28. Cleveland Cavaliers: Ajay Mitchell
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It must be nice to be the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ajay Mitchell, a former second-rounder out of UC-Santa Barbara, is the latest developmental success story to roll off their prospect assembly line.
After a regular-season mini-leap that saw him finish fifth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting and an eye-catching postseason, the term "future star" is doggedly following him around this offseason. And for good reason. Given his potential, he had a case to go even higher in this exercise.ย
He most recently caught some national attention in a second-round sweep of the Lakers. The 24-year-old Belgian stepped in for the injured Jalen Williams and averaged 22.5 points and 6.0 assists across four starts, showcasing his crafty offensive arsenal that could portend a true third-year breakout.
This season, he'll get a bump up in OKC's pecking order after Lu Dort's departure and will likely run the second unit. But the true optimal outcome is that he slots in as an eventual All-Star-level starter next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.ย
In addition to his offensive chops, Mitchell has the defensive game to reach that level if he can keep his somewhat concerning injury history from becoming a trend.
โDunbar
29. Denver Nuggets: Collin Murray-Boyles
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Collin Murray-Boyles endeared himself to yours truly with his decision-making out of the short roll and pure, unadulterated defensive dominance. Then, he left me irretrievably smitten with the glimpses into his above-the-break three-point shooting.ย
And finally, he rendered me pleasantly miffed, because I'm still not sure how he shot 68 percent at the rim in the Toronto Raptors' offense.
My primary concern is that Murray-Boyles will always need a primary table-setter to optimize his offensive impact. The thought was sticky enough for me to consider going with someone who guarantees more stretch (Jabari Smith Jr., Cedric Coward) or ball-handling (Andrew Nembhard). Combo wings like Kyshawn George, Peyton Watson, Toumani Camara and Matas Buzelis piqued my curiosity, too.
In the end, I opted for someone in CMB who profiles as more of a defensive anchor, and given his versatility, potentially a defensive system unto himself.ย
If he can scale up the above-the-break three-point shooting (13-of-34 as a rookie) or short-roll and downhill passing, the Denver Nuggets will have a Draymond Green-meets-ground-bound-Aaron Gordon franchise pillar on their hands.ย
โFavale
30. Boston Celtics: Jalen Suggs
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Jalen Suggs is a total gamer. His shooting leaves something to be desired, but he makes up for it with defense and playmaking.ย
Suggs averaged a career-high 5.5 assists per game last year, showing that he's a capable point guard now after spending most of his first three seasons at the 2.ย
Josh Giddey, who was also considered with this pick, has a more traditional point guard skill set.ย
But Suggs has that Jrue Holiday-like defensive mentality that has proved to be title-worthy in Boston.
โAkeley
Round 2
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31. Washington Wizards: Josh Giddey
32. Charlotte Hornets: Jabari Smith Jr.
33. Utah Jazz: Andrew Nembhard
34. Detroit Pistons: Matas Buzelis
35. Portland Trail Blazers: Cason Wallace
36. Brooklyn Nets: Cedric Coward
37. San Antonio Spurs: Zach Edey
38. New Orleans Pelicans: Dyson Daniels
39. Indiana Pacers: Kyshawn George
40. Sacramento Kings: Keegan Murray
41. Houston Rockets: Shaedon Sharpe
42. Orlando Magic: Peyton Watson
43. Toronto Raptors: Toumani Camara
44. Chicago Bulls: Scoot Henderson
45. Dallas Mavericks: Kel'el Ware
46. Atlanta Hawks: Jalen Green
47. Memphis Grizzlies: Egor Dัmin
48. Philadelphia 76ers: Moussa Diabate
49. Miami Heat: Ryan Rollins
50. Los Angeles Lakers: Jeremiah Fears
51. Golden State Warriors: Ayo Dosunmu
52. Los Angeles Clippers: Max Christie
53. New York Knicks: Tari Eason
54. Milwaukee Bucks: Anthony Black
55. Phoenix Suns: Jaime Jaquez Jr.
56. Minnesota Timberwolves: Jared McCain
57. Oklahoma City Thunder: Khaman Maluach
58. Cleveland Cavaliers: Julian Champagnie
59. Denver Nuggets: Tre Johnson
60. Boston Celtics: Neemias Queta
Full Draft
32 of 32Explore the full re-draft below.
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