2021 NBA Mock Draft: Jalen Suggs goes No. 2 behind Cade Cunningham in Eye on College Basketball projections

This was an easy one for me. Selecting for the team with the top pick I selected the top player. Cunningham’s a talented 6-foot-7 prospect who can operate as lead guard and initiate your offense as a table-setter. — Boone

I’m going Suggs because I think he has the highest upside here. He has All-Star upside. Rockets would immediately find themselves in an upward trajectory with him on the roster. — Norlander

A near-perfect modern big prospect. He can guard in space, he can rim-protect. Then on the offensive end he can pick and pop, he can play-make. I think eventually he’s going to be a real stretch-the-floor big. — Parrish

Pumped that Green fell to me at No. 4. He’s No. 2 on my board. One of the most NBA-ready scorers in this draft and the potential to be a true No. 1 scoring option. — Boone

Tremendous defender, really good length, nice wingspan. The issue is the shooting, but honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if we look up in five years if he’s a 35% 3-point shooter. I love his floor. He’s going to be a top-20 level defender in the NBA by the end of his first contract. — Norlander

The Thunder are in a total rebuild so they can afford to take big swings. Kuminga is arguably the biggest swing you can take. A prospect with tremendous upside; big, strong, athletic, explosive in transition, great defensive potential. — Parrish

Golden State’s likely going to want to add a player who can contribute early if it decides to hang on to this pick. Davion Mitchell, 22, fits the profile of a potential Warriors fit as he’s an elite on-ball defender and talented creator who has years of college experience under his belt. — Boone

He’s high on my draft board. Complete big board selection. He had an up and down season at Stanford for many reasons. … his athleticism, ability to create as a long wing, really high-level athlete, very smart player. He’ll be a little bit of a project but I love his developmental potential and NBA ceiling. — Norlander

Natural scorer, great athlete, moves incredibly well without the ball. He shot a poor percentage from 3 in college, and that’s the knock. Can he be a reliable shooter? By all accounts, you get him into a gym and he makes the shots. I’m told he’s done a lot to alleviate concerns about his 3-point shot. And if you don’t have concerns about his 3-point shot then I think he’s a top-10 pick in this draft. — Parrish

While there might be more intriguing prospects available at No. 10, there are none who profile as perfect fits the way Kispert does in New Orleans. He’s the best shooter in the draft who hit 44% from 3-point range last season and finds a landing spot on a Pelicans team that was fifth-worst in the NBA last season in team 3-point shooting percentage. — Boone

Extremely good athlete out of Tennessee who set the vertical leap record at the Combine. The Hornets are already fun with LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, I think adding Keon Johnson to the mix would make them a top-three League Pass alert team. — Norlander

The Spurs don’t have much in their frontcourt, so Isaiah Jackson helps them check that box. Top-shelf athlete, elite shot-blocker, rim-protector. He can rim-run, catch lobs. He’s still limited offensively, so that’s a concern. The defensive fundamentals, for as great as he can be on that end of the court, aren’t quite where you’d like them to be. But there’s just a lot of natural stuff to work with here [for San Antonio]. — Parrish

Wagner’s a 6-9 combo forward who looks like a prototypical 3-and-D add. He can defend multiple positions, shoots it at a high level and should be a high-level role player in the NBA. — Boone

He’s not an A-level anything as an NBA player. But he’s a B-minus to B-plus in everything. I think once you’re in this spot in the draft, you just want to find someone who can be a net positive, and if he can be someone off the bench who clicks, that’s a wonderful fit. — Norlander

Moses Moody is a good-sized guard who was the leading scorer and second-leading rebounder for Arkansas — and one of the biggest reasons the Razorbacks made the Elite Eight for the first time since 1995. — Parrish

Giddey is a 6-8 wing who in the NBL served as a lead guard and led the league in assists, and he enters the draft as the most creative passer. While it’s hard to envision a scenario where he’s a true No. 1 initiator it’s also hard to see how his vision and ability to generate offense won’t in time elevate him to a prominent offensive role for years to come. — Boone

One of the best defenders in this draft. Quality passer. High IQ player. Doesn’t make a lot of bad decisions. I see his game, his stature, everything he brings to the table and I’d be surprised if he’s not one of the best 17 players in this draft. — Norlander

Another big swing for Oklahoma City in Jalen Johnson. Started tremendously at Duke, but then they couldn’t win with him, then his playing time got limited, then he quit. But he’s still a great athlete, forward with good size, shot 44.4% from 3-point range, albeit in a limited sample. If you’re OKC and you want to take someone who you think can become something special, Jalen Johnson’s someone I would consider here. — Parrish

The Knicks might deem it necessary to upgrade at the guard spot this offseason and if they do, they’d get a good one in Jaden Springer. A true combo guard out of Tennessee, he hit 43.5% of his 3-pointers last season and has a knack for scoring the bucket to go with his bulldog defensive mindset. Fits what this new Knicks front office looks for in prospects and fits a need, too. — Boone

Shooter, shooter, shooter, shooter, shooter. Cam Thomas out of LSU: Shooting guard. He’s not a combo, he’s not a lead, he’s not a wing — he’s a shooting guard. He’s good at making tough shots, his range is deep. The idea of him playing next to Trae Young in Atlanta is very entertaining. — Norlander

Sengun is a traditional big more than a modern big. Great in the low post, can catch at the elbow, score, play-make, pass. Incredible rebounding instincts. Statistically, Sengun was incredible as an 18-year-old in Turkey, and was the Turkish League MVP as an 18-year-old. From a production standpoint, he’s historically great for an international prospect. — Parrish

Chris Duarte is the oldest prospect in this year’s draft and, luckily for the Lakers, he might also be the most NBA-ready prospect, too. He hit 42.4% from 3 at Oregon last season and can make shots at every level. Adding that to his big frame and defensive chops should make him a high-level role player early in his NBA career. — Boone

Classic example of a guy with a lot of tantalizing upside in Kai Jones. Awesome rim-runner, quality defender, can shoot it decent enough. I think he’s got solid potential and the Rockets, in this spot, I like it. Seems to be a good fit. –Norlander

Guard with size who shoots at a high level from 3. He helped himself probably as much as anybody last season by returning as a sophomore. Not an explosive athlete but he has a lot of stuff to his game, a stepback, range. If you’re looking for guards with size who can make perimeter shots I think at this point in the draft it’s a sensible option. — Parrish

The numbers Garuba’s put up for Real Madrid don’t flash but scouts love his defensive versatility and mobility for his 6-8 frame. Moves his feet well and can defend post to perimeter. Has the type of skill set that would allow him to potentially thrive in closing lineups for the Clippers, something they desperately need in their frontcourt. — Boone

Greg Brown had some up and down spurts at Texas. Easily one of the top five or six athletes in this draft, though. Can finish through contact, good shot-blocker, fairly disciplined. Take a chance and see if he hits if you’re the Nuggets. In terms of upside he’s a first-round talent. — Norlander

If you’re in Brooklyn’s situation, I’d lean towards taking someone who can help — and I think Jared Butler can help. He can play as a rookie for a contender. On or off the ball he’s a reliable, proven guard who can shoot it. — Parrish

We saw what “Bones” Hyland’s game is centered around when, at the combine, he came in and provided instant offense in scrimmage settings. He knocked down shots, got to the cup and scored at will, showing off so much he didn’t compete the next day because his stock was so red-hot. A team looking to add a microwave scorer would do well to look his way in the mid-to-late first round. — Boone

Herb Jones has great measurements, finalist for Defensive Player of the Year last season at Alabama. He’s someone who can guard multiple positions and late first round value here because defensively he’s there. If he commits to expanding the offensive repertoire, yeah, there’s a lot to like about him here. — Norlander

Trey Murphy has proven over multiple years to be a knockdown shooter. He’s a 6-9 reliable shooter. He doesn’t do much else on the offensive end right now. But at that size, that’s valuable, and especially when he’s not a liability on defense. Murphy played for Tony Bennett, he can guard, fights through screens, stays in his stance. I don’t know that he’s an All-Defensive player in the NBA but he can play on that end. When you find me someone at that size who can shoot the way he does and guards well at his position, I want that guy.” — Parrish