The unpredictable 2021 NBA Draft is finally here.
The top of this year’s draft may follow the chalk — there was a clear top four on most teams’ draft boards — but it is thrown wide open after that, and people around the league expect a flurry of trades (we have already seen a couple with the Nets and Suns, and Cavaliers and Timberwolves all striking deals based around guards). This could be the wildest draft in years, and in it there are players who can change the fortunes of teams. There is a lot on the line.
This 2021 NBA Draft Tracker will have it all, a breakdown of every pick, every trade — complete with an analysis of how that player fits (or doesn’t) with his new surroundings.
FIRST ROUND
No. 1 Detroit Pistons:Cade Cunningham, 6’8″ point guard, Oklahoma State. The consensus top pick in this class, he has an all-around game — a tall primary ball handler who can run the offense and set up others, or take over a game scoring. He is a fluid athlete that naturally plays at different speeds. He’s an improving shooter (43.8% from 3 last season) and the potential to be an elite defender. He is the kind of playmaking guard the Pistons need to go with their young core and the only real question is if he can be a No. 1 scoring option in the NBA. If so, Cunningham profiles as an All-NBA level player.
No. 2 Houston Rockets:
2021 NBA Draft pick-by-pick tracker with analysis of selections, trades originally appeared on NBCSports.com