Photo Credits: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
With the NBA Draft less than 24 hours away, months and months of draft homework and intel are about to be flushed away — the real deal is finally here.
Having that said, people’s answers to various prospects have been polarizing to say the deal. Here’s how you settle things, the Big Board.
This Big Board is the first and only iteration up on Bricktown Beat. This Big Board is based on how it is believed a “2021 redraft” may look a couple of years down the line. This Big Board is not based on where it is believed prospects will be selected in the draft, or where their potential ranks them. This is a matter of making the hot-pressing takes on prospects.
Here’s a list of first-round graded prospects:
| No. | Name | College | Position | Ht. | Wt. | Age |
| 1 | Cade Cunningham | Oklahoma State | PG/SG | 6’8” | 220 | 19 |
| 2 | Jalen Green | G-League Ignite | PG/SG | 6’6 | 180 | 19 |
| 3 | Evan Mobley | USC | C | 7’0 | 215 | 19 |
| 4 | Jonathan Kuminga | G-League Ignite | SF | 6’8 | 210 | 18 |
| 5 | Scottie Barnes | Florida State | SF | 6’8 | 230 | 19 |
| 6 | James Bouknight | UConn | SG | 6’5 | 210 | 20 |
| 7 | Jalen Suggs | Gonzaga | PG | 6’5 | 205 | 19 |
| 8 | Davion Mitchell | Baylor | SG | 6’0 | 202 | 22 |
| 9 | Alperen Sengun | Turkey | C | 6’10 | 240 | 18 |
| 10 | Keon Johnson | Tennessee | SG | 6’4 | 185 | 19 |
| 11 | Josh Giddey | Australia | PG/SF | 6’8 | 205 | 18 |
| 12 | Usman Garuba | Real Madrid | C | 6’8 | 229 | 19 |
| 13 | Moses Moody | Arkansas | SG | 6’5 | 211 | 19 |
| 14 | Sharife Cooper | Auburn | PG | 6’3 | 180 | 19 |
| 15 | Trey Murphy III | Virginia | SF | 6’9 | 206 | 21 |
| 16 | JT Thor | Auburn | PF | 6’10 | 203 | 19 |
| 17 | Isaiah Todd | G-League Ignite | PF | 6’9 | 210 | 19 |
| 18 | Cam Thomas | LSU | PG | 6’4 | 210 | 19 |
| 19 | Nah’shon “Bones” Hyland | VCU | PG | 6’2 | 169 | 20 |
| 20 | Kai Jones | Texas | PF/C | 6’10 | 221 | 20 |
| 21 | Ziare Williams | Stanford | SF | 6’8 | 188 | 19 |
| 22 | Corey Kispert | Gonzaga | SF | 6’6 | 224 | 22 |
| 23 | Chris Duarte | Oregon | SG | 6’6 | 190 | 24 |
| 24 | Tre Mann | Florida | PG/SG | 6’4 | 178 | 20 |
| 25 | Isaiah Jackson | Kentucky | C | 6’10 | 206 | 19 |
| 26 | Jared Butler | Baylor | PG/SG | 6’3 | 193 | 20 |
| 27 | Franz Wagner | Michigan | SG/SF | 6’9 | 220 | 19 |
| 28 | Jaden Springer | Tennessee | PG/SG | 6’3 | 202 | 18 |
| 29 | Jalen Johhson | Duke | SF | 6’8 | 210 | 19 |
| 30 | Filip Petrusev | Adriatic League | PF/C | 6’11 | 225 | 21 |
| 31 | Charles Bassey | Western Kentucky | PF/C | 6’9 | 230 | 20 |
| 32 | Kessler Edwards | Pepperdine | SF | 6’8 | 200 | 22 |
| 33 | Juhann Begarin | Paris Basketball | PG | 6’5 | 185 | 18 |
| 34 | Vrenz Bleijenbergh | Antwerp Intl. | PG/SF | 6’11 | 210 | 21 |
| 35 | Ayo Dosunmo | Illinois | PG | 6’5 | 194 | 21 |
| 36 | Daishen Nix | G-League Ignite | PG | 6’5 | 195 | 19 |
| 37 | Josh Christopher | Arizona State | SG/SF | 6’5 | 215 | 19 |
Biggest Risers/Steals
Isaiah Todd leads the pack as a steal climbing the board from a presumptive late-twenties to early-second-round candidate to a steady mid-first at pick no. 17. A notch above Todd in the board comes with another lengthy four in Auburn’s JT Thor. Thor has been in the mix as a first-round candidate for most of the draft process though his name, just like Todd’s, is wavering near second-round territory. Sharife Cooper sneaks into a lottery grade at selection no. 14 as a product of the guard’s explosive play as a ball-handler and passer.
Major risers outside of consensus first-rounders kick back up with Adriatic League MVP Filip Petrusev. Petrusev, if brought over, has shown signs to be a proficient stretch big off the bench. Charles Bassey also sneaks under the radar as a sharpshooting big.
Juhann Begarin steals the show as this year’s “Paul Reed” pick, better known as your late-second round darling. Begarin is a top of the line athlete in his class, and at 18-years-old — he has a bright future ahead of him. The 6-foot-5 combo guard has dabbled in a bit of everything overseas, and I liken his game as a higher-flying, less-crafty Theo Maledon, though he’s still extremely gifted lasering in passes. Just like many though, he’ll need to transfigure his spotty shot-creating into a full-time gig.
Jonathan Kuminga at pick no. 4 is a tad unconventional to most, but as I view it — Kuminga should be able to reach his potential shooting. The rest of his game sorts itself out.
Draft Slides/Busts
The most glaring “slide” on the list found his way to pick no. 27 in Franz Wagner. Wagner, age 19, was a gifted defender for Michigan, but his sharpshooting abilities are far from a done deal like many project. Wagner slips in as a solid bench contributor in my eyes as a corner sitter and switchable defender, but nothing of lottery value.
Small forwards Jalen Johnson and Ziare Williams are the most polarizing picks in the draft in my eyes — they are graded as such. Jalen Johnson has the mold of point forward with a good passing game, but he is so raw that his projection is almost contingent upon who selects him. Johnson will be a solid project, but I think a lack of a legitimate blow-by or three would kill him if not produced. Ziare Williams gets a better grade from me as his quickness boosts his value on both sides, but he too needs to get the wrinkles out of his shooting inconsistencies.
Jalen Suggs sliding to seven is a take that may be blown out of proportion. The separation between seven and five is minimal on this list, and pick four is fairly close as well. Suggs pans out to be an elite-level passing Marcus Smart for me. A guy who can explode on the offensive end, but not on a night-to-night basis. The one thing he can lean upon though is his passing, and he’s arguably the best one in the class.
All thirty-seven of these men are anticipated to be selected in tonight’s sixty-player NBA Draft. The Draft will begin at 7 pm CST.