2021 NBA Draft: Mock 2.0, star power, trades, big risers

2021 NBA Draft Mock 2.0: New York Knicks trade up to select Davion Mitchell

I don’t think many people expect the New York Knicks to keep all 4 of their picks this year, and they make a bold move here by trading up to 15 with the Washington Wizards to select Baylor guard Davion Mitchell.

Mitchell is typically mocked around picks 9-12 but I’ve seen him mocked even lower than 15. New York didn’t think he’d still be there, and they say enough is enough and end up trading both of their first-rounders to go out and get him.

Trading up for someone like Davion Mitchell is an exciting move. Not only are you getting a terrific prospect, the Knicks are getting a perfect fit for Tom Thibodeau. 

NBA Draft – Davion Mitchell NBA player comparisons

• Donovan Mitchell’s burst, athletic finishing
• Marcus Smart
• Eric Bledsoe

Davion Mitchell is one of the most well-known prospects because of the NCAA tournament. He was a leader for the Baylor team that knocked off undefeated Gonzaga and won the National Championship.

Mitchell is smaller for an NBA guard – he stands 6’2 with a 6’5 wingspan. That smaller size does not stop him from getting to the rim.

Mitchell has an elite first step and burst. His ability to immediately space doesn’t stop there. Mitchell has a nice bag of crossovers and hesitations – His patient dribbling coupled with his elite changing of speeds is a force.

At 22-years-old, Mitchell can be that starting point guard for the Knicks. His passing isn’t other-worldly, but he makes smart reads. Not only that, Mitchell always looks comfortable making whip passes while under pressure – a must for point guards in today’s NBA.

Where Mitchell is most famous is his defense. Maybe the best perimeter defender in the draft, Mitchell has the holy trinity of quickness, strength, and defensive awareness to one day be an All-Defensive Team type of perimeter defender.

He has the ability to match the speed of the quickest guards while being able to handle the strength of bigger wings. He brings a locked-in energy on defense every night.

Really, the biggest question marks for Mitchell are around his offense.

I think Mitchell will continue to be great at attacking the rim (Something Thibodeau needs in his point guard) but the 3-level scoring may not be the most efficient right away

Mitchell made a drastic jump in his 3-point shooting, going from 31% in his first 2 seasons to an eye-opening 45% this year. The 45% 3-point shooting paired with his 64.1% free throw shooting is… a puzzle. I think his 2021 3-point shooting is somewhere between improvement and an outlier.

Even with the age, this is a really exciting player to draft and develop. He very much looked like the better player when he and Jalen Suggs went toe-to-toe in the National Championship. He’s going to be great in the league.

I don’t expect Mitchell to be a dominant scorer right away, but his defense is ready to go.

The Knicks get not only an immediate lockdown perimeter defender, they get their potential point guard for the future.