With the NBA Draft approaching at the end of July, the teams at the top of the order will be debating how one pick could change the future of their franchise. For better or worse. Here’s a closer look at who those front offices could be targeting.
Cade Cunningham
A natural athlete despite his 6’8” frame, Cunningham projects to be a matchup nightmare on both ends of the floor. At Oklahoma State he showed the makings of an NBA starter from day one, averaging 20.2 points a game per SCACCHoops. Too powerful for college frontcourts and too quick, too flexible for college backcourts, Cunningham was dominant at this level. How he transitions to the NBA, and his landing spot, will determine if he has the same superstar trajectory as Ben Simmons and Luka Doncic, his fellow ‘point forwards’.
Capable of creating shots for himself as an improved jump-shooter with a 40% ratio from three-point range, Cunningham will be top of many draft boards. For the likes of the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, teams with massive draft capital in the middle of rebuilding, Cunningham represents a potential superstar to build their franchises around.
Evan Mobley
Watching the tape on Evan Mobley evokes flashes of Chris Bosh in his prime. The USC seven-footer has a fluid, natural ability to create shots off the dribble, a devastating combination of size and flexibility on the inside. Slight in frame, but a bulldog on defense, no big man drafted in the top five had more combined blocks and steals than Mobley since the drafting of Anthony Davis in 2012. Adding size and strength as part of an NBA weight program could make Mobley one of the most dangerous big men in the league on both sides of the ball.
The Orlando Magic will like what their scouts have seen from Mobley after the NBA reported they were trading Nikola Vucevic. He would form a brick wall defense alongside Jonathan Isaac. Keep an eye on Detroit, too – the Pistons got a strong rookie season out of Isaiah Stewart, but Mobley is a rare do-it-all talent in the paint and could be the fixture of a new era up north.
Jalen Suggs
Suggs has been called ‘the most NBA-ready player in the draft’ and for good reason. The Gonzaga star excels at both ends, an athletic point guard with excellent on-court vision and lethal in transition. Lightning-fast turning the corner on screens, Suggs is also a disruptive defender who could instantly upgrade any NBA frontcourt. He has a decent floater in his arsenal that evokes the likes of Trae Young, who has weaponized the undefendable shot in the NBA this season, although he shot sub-30% on catch-and-shoots and will need conditioning from deep.
Could the Chicago Bulls be in play on Suggs? The Bulls have been outsiders to make the Eastern Conference playoffs with the sportsbooks at SBO for years, while Suggs could also be a candidate for the basement-dwelling Houston Rockets out West. Looking towards the future by bringing in a young versatile option for John Wall to mentor, Suggs could help the Rockets rebuild their stock at the sportsbooks after the departure of James Harden.
Jalen Green
Forgoing college to play professional ball in the G League, Green is an explosive, slashing two-guard with massive upside. He creates his own offense, usually in iso-heavy schemes where he can count on his jump-shooting in addition to his creativity above the rim. While not yet an accomplished provider for teammates, Green has all the makings of an elite scorer in the NBA, and can draw on his experience facing former NBA players in the G League last season. He would make an excellent pick for a team like the Pistons or Rockets who desperately need scoring.
Meanwhile, discussions have surely taken place in the front offices of the Golden State Warriors about the possibility of Green landing in their laps in the Timberwolves’ pick conveys to them at fourth overall. With Klay Thompson projecting to miss the beginning of the season after two years out with injury, the Warriors would love someone like Green, who strikes fear into opposing defenses and would pull attention away from Steph Curry.
But no matter the landing spot, these four young players have the potential to become All-Stars, in the process altering their new franchises’ long-term trajectory.
