Too-Early 2021 NBA Mock Draft: Will Cade Cunningham go No. 1?

Ziaire Williams may be the player that has the most boom/bust potential of any of the projected lottery picks.

At first, Williams will have to rely on his athleticism to carve out a place in the NBA. He will immediately be a force on defense given his measurements and body type, and has a knack for invading passing lanes to cause disruption. But it will be his offensive game that will need the polishing. While he is a high-flyer and good finisher around the basket, Williams is inconsistent as an outside shooter and has a bit of an issue with turnovers. He may be seen as more of a project than immediate contributor, which is why he is nearing the back end of our top-10.

The Hawks are a big wild card for the 2020-21 season given that they have some draft capital and loads of money to spend. For the sake of this exercise, we predict that Atlanta misses the playoffs but allows them to add perhaps the missing piece to their rebuild.

Scottie Barnes should provide good value for one of the teams on the back end of the 2021 lottery.

Barnes is one of the many wings in next year’s draft class, but he has one of the most NBA-ready bodies of the bunch. He is 6’8″ and weighs a solid (for now) 215 pounds and has a wing span of well over seven feet. He is a jack of all trades in that he is able to do a bit of everything, though he does not particularly excel at any of them. Barnes needs to improve his shooting percentages across the board, but is an efficient passer and has great court vision. He plays with a high energy that, combined with his size, can enable him to carve out a spot in the league.

The future of the San Antonio Spurs is up in the air, and the power structure could look very different in the coming years. If they have some semblance of the Spurs of old, Barnes might fit the mold perfectly as a player with plenty of upside and potential.