2021 NBA Draft: 5 of the biggest draft night winners and losers

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NBA draft (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images) /

NBA Draft Night Winners

Orlando Magic

After a disappointing draft lottery for the Orlando Magic, which saw the team’s own pick land fifth, the draft itself turned out about as well as it could have done with Suggs falling outside of the top four.

The Magic might already have a bundle of young guards on the roster with Cole Anthony, R.J. Hampton, Markelle Fultz and more, but what the team desperately needs is someone to build around. Suggs has the potential to be that guy.

He possesses a fantastic, all-around skillset with very few weaknesses in comparison to other guards of his age. He can create for himself and his teammates, shoot from three, is supremely athletic and can defend well too.

Whether or not he can get to an All-Star level will be determined by how much he can do offensively. If the 20-year-old can add to his shot-making abilities by hitting regularly off the dribble and from deep, the sky truly is the limit for the point guard.

The Magic might have found a player to build a team around. And on top of the Suggs pick, the team landed another guy that can contribute in a number of ways in Franz Wagner. Like Suggs, he projects as a good 3-point shooter, something which the team has desperately lacked in recent years.

His ceiling might not be as high as the guys taken after him, but his floor is not as low. He fills an important role on the roster as someone that can defend multiple positions and contribute to winning basketball.

The future suddenly looks a whole lot brighter in Orlando.

Stephen Silas

Starting a new job is always tough whatever the profession, but especially in leadership roles. For Houston Rockets head coach Stephen Silas, that process proved even more difficult than most.

The Rockets traded away former MVP Russell Westbrook, and one of the best players of all time in James Harden, and got very little back. Silas spent the whole year coaching a weird mix of veteran role players, raw young players and injury-prone former All-Stars. It was no surprise, then, to see the team finish with the worst record in the NBA.

Sending Harden to the Brooklyn Nets should have given the team a platform to start anew. But a litany of Brooklyn picks and a handful of role players was an abysmal return for one of the greatest scorers the game has ever seen.

Ziaire Williams

Whenever a team moves up in the NBA Draft, it is usually to make sure of selecting a player they are extremely fond of and believe can benefit the team in the years to come.

The Grizzlies clearly wanted to move up in this draft and took back two hefty contracts in Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe to do so. It was a big price to pay to move up seven spots, and naturally, there was a lot of attention on who this was for.

As it turns out, and to the surprise of many, that man was Ziaire Williams. The 19-year-old wing has a ton of upside but had a rough time at Stanford. He shot just 37.4 percent from the floor in his freshman year and made only 29.1 percent of his threes. He battled injury during that time, while personal circumstances and COVID restrictions also contributed to a difficult season.

He was a top recruit coming out of high school and flashes potential as a defensive wing that can create his own shot. The best version of Williams is a very good player indeed, but the concern is that there is enough to worry about in his game that he might never get there, or even near that.

But despite the concerns, Memphis saw enough to risk the 10th pick on him. That should give Williams enormous confidence, knowing the team will give him the time he needs to develop on a roster with other talented players alongside him. It really is a great situation for him to land in.

For the Grizzlies, who are intent on getting the right pieces around Ja Morant, it was an incredibly bold move. Time will tell if it was the right one to make.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs have been looking for a way forward since LeBron James left the franchise for a second time. Darius Garland and Collin Sexton have both shown enough to be positive about, despite their performances not yet translating to winning basketball, while Isaac Okoro and Jarrett Allen both contribute with their respective defensive skillsets.

But Mobley, who was taken third overall, is the player that can bring it all together. Out of everyone in this draft, Mobley has the highest defensive potential and has the skillset to become the best player out of this entire class.

He can become the type of two-way talent that gets you into a position to contend for championships if the right pieces are around him. He has to make strides offensively and needs to get stronger to battle with the bigger forwards and centers in the league but his unique combination of size and speed makes him a future All-Defense candidate.

Not only is he the kind of guy to build around, but out of everyone at the top of the Draft he fits best with what Cleveland already has. He can slot in at the power forward or center spot and can form an intimidating defensive frontcourt with Allen and Okoro. He also helps the backcourt with his capacity to play the pick and roll and can space the floor with his shooting potential.

This has to go down as the pick of the draft and gives Cavs fans a lot to look forward to.

LaMelo Ball

The younger Ball brother won last year’s Draft by getting into a situation where he could thrive, and he won in this year’s draft too. The Charlotte Hornets reaffirmed its commitment to building a better team and getting players that fit around Ball to become a contender in the future.

James Bouknight got a lot of hype heading into the Draft and flew up in mocks. He did not go quite as high as some expected, but in Charlotte, he and Ball can benefit from each other’s games. Bouknight’s tendency to make smart cuts to the basket partnered with Ball’s passing can make the team even better, even if it will require some tough backcourt decisions given how many guards are now on the roster.

His jump shot also showed progress during his workouts, and if he can become a reliable 3-point shooter next to Ball it can space the floor for the young, dynamic point guard to make those dangerous drives to the basket we saw last year.

And the team managed to land another player suited to Ball’s game in Kai Jones at 19. While still incredibly raw, he is another alley-oop and fast-break threat because of his size and athleticism and is a typical low floor, high ceiling player.

Jones also hinted that he might become a 3-point shooting threat in the future with some of his college play. It makes complete sense to take a risk with this pick at 19, and the Hornets’ activity in this Draft should give Ball a lot of confidence that the team is behind him all the way.

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