NBA Draft: Mock 3.0 – NY Knicks load up on offense
By Adam Kester
F. Orlando Magic. Jonathan Kuminga. 5. player. 38.
2021 NBA Draft Mock 3.0: Orlando Magic select Jonathan Kuminga
The Orlando Magic got their rebuild into full swing when they traded Nikola Vucevic midseason to the Chicago Bulls. Orlando’s roster is a jigsaw puzzle of young players who are really playing to prove that they can be a true starter in the team’s future core.
Jonathan Kuminga comes in as a relatively raw prospect but one who has sky-high potential, and it’s worth taking a chance on for the Orlando Magic.
Kuminga has great size and feel for the game, he’s just going to take some time to polish.
The Magic essentially just made their rebuild “official” this past season, so they can be patient with a prospect like Kuminga.
Of all the players on the board, Kuminga would likely have the most consensus for being the correct pick. This team needs scorers, especially on the wing, and Jonathan Kuminga gets them a potential franchise player.
Oklahoma City Thunder. Scottie Barnes. 6. player. 149. . F
2021 NBA Draft Mock 3.0: Oklahoma City Thunder select Scottie Barnes
bSPARQ athleticism ratings for the 2021 class of wings. @fsuhoops wing Scottie Barnes (@ScottBarnes561) checks in 99.7th percentile, the 4th-most athletic wing in our database, which goes back to 2000. pic.twitter.com/CvhlIEFMs0
— NBAthlete (@NBAthletedotcom) June 24, 2021
Yeah, Scottie Barnes is a freak athlete. The Thunder have some interesting pieces on their roster already. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort cemented into the core, this team has room to really maneuver the rest of their roster and their large load of future draft picks.
Scottie Barnes is a long, powerful athlete who is going to be hard for many to project in the NBA. He has fantastic mobility for his size and uses his physical frame to be a dominant and versatile defender. His size, defense, and passing (Barnes played point guard in college) have drawn frequent Draymond Green comparisons.
In terms of being a go-to guy, there are question marks about Barnes’ shooting and overall scoring ability.
The fact of the matter is, he doesn’t need to be a go-to scorer to leave his mark on games.
He can fit into a nice complementary role on a Thunder roster where he should be getting immediate playing time. His scoring is still a huge project, but don’t let that fool you, he can make an impact as a rookie.
A potential pairing of Scottie Barnes and Alexej Pokusevski should have Thunder fans excited for the future.