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Draft Order
2021 NBA Mock Draft: Final Mock 2 Rounds
Round 1 Picks 16-30
Chris Ransom follow @DraftUtopia Last Updated: July 29, 2021.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Jaden Springer, PG, Tennessee 
- Oklahoma City got this pick from Boston in the trade that sent Kemba Walker and 16 to Oklahoma City for Al Horford. Oklahoma City was the first NBA team to put together a starting five which featured three guards in the starting lineup. That's exactly why I feel like Tennessee point guard Jaden Springer or Baylor point guard Jared Butler will be in play here at 16. I'm leaning towards Springer here.
- The 6-4 204 lb Jaden Springer had 12.5 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, 2.9 assists per game, 1.2 steals per game, a 46.7% field goal percentage, a 81% free throw percentage, and a 43.5% three point percentage in 2020-2021 in his freshman season at Tennessee.
- Jaden Springer had a career high 30 points in a regular season win against Georgia. Johnson also had 7 rebounds against Vanderbilt. Springer also had 7 assists against LSU.
- I posted a film cut of Tennessee point guard Jaredn Springer VS Kentucky. There are times where Springer brought more to the table than teammate Keon Johnson who is a projected top 10 pick. He could end up averaging 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in a game if he reaches his ceiling.
New Orleans Pelicans: Jared Butler, PG, Baylor 
- New Orleans has a great starting five featuring Lonzo Ball at point guard, Nickell Alexander-Walker at shooting guard, Brandon Ingram at small forward, Zion Williamson at power forward, and Jonas Valanciunas at center. I'm giving New Orleans the best player on the board over need here at 17.
- The 6-3 195 lb Jared Butler had 16.7 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, 4.8 assists per game, 1 steal per game, a 47.1% field goal percentage, a 78% free throw percentage, and a 41.6% three point percentage this past season in his junior season at Baylor which was one of the best three point percentages.
- I posted a film cut of Baylor point guard Jared Butler VS Gonzaga. This was the National Championship where Baylor played Gonzaga.
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Oklahoma City Thunder: Ziare Williams, SF, Stanford
- Oklahoma City gets a starting small forward to compliment their other two first round picks power forward Scottie Barnes and point guard Jaden Springer with this pick.
- The 6-8 185 lb Ziare Williams had 10.7 points per game, 4.6 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game, a 37.4% field goal percentage, a 79.6% free throw percentage, and a 29.1% three point percentage this past season in his freshman year at Stanford.
- I posted a film cut of Stanford small forward Ziare Williams VS Colorado. Ziare showed he could take over for Stanford despite a loss to Colorado.
Denver Nuggets: Isaiah Jackson, PF, Kentucky 
- New York has a good starting five featuring point guard Derrick Rose, shooting guard R.J. Barrett, small forward Reggie Bullock, and power forward Julius Randle. Center is the one weakness.
- Centers Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel are decent. Isaiah Jackson gives you a third big to compliment those centers as he can play both power forward and center.
Atlanta Hawks: Cameron Thomas, SG, LSU 
- The Atlanta Hawks have a good starting five with Trae Young at point guard, Kevin Huerter at shooting guard, De'Andre Hunter at small forward, John Collins at power forward, and Clint Capela at center. Adding someone like Cameron Thomas gives Atlanta a guard for depth.
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New York Knicks: Chris Duarte, SG, Oregon
- Drafting Chris Duarte allows the New York Knicks to move R.J. Barrett over to small forward. This allows the New York Knicks to improve at two different positions since Reggie Bullock has a 69 rating despite averaging 10.9 points per game as a small forward. Duarte made over half of his field goals and 42.4 percent of his three point shots despite being 24-years-old.
Los Angeles Lakers: Jason Preston, PG, Ohio 
- The Los Angeles Lakers have Dennis Schroder at point guard, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at shooting guard, LeBron James at small forward, Anthony Davis at power forward, and Marc Gasol at center.
- The Lakers could get a shooting guard like Cameron Thomas out of LSU here which would be an upgrade over what the team currently has at shooting guard. However, there are reports that Dennis Schroder will get moved. Also, the Lakers worked out Ohio Bobcats point guard Jason Preston who averaged 15.7 points per game, 7.3 rebounds per game, and 7.3 assists per game.
- The 6-4 187 lb Jason Preston had a career high 28 points in one game at Ohio. He also had a career high 12 asssits in one game at Ohio. His career high for rebounds in one game is 11 rebounds. He's got the ceiling to be a player who gets 28, 12, and 11 despite only recording one triple double this season against Ball State.
Houston Rockets: Kai Jones, PF, Texas 
- Houston grabs their starting power forward here. Some believe Kai Jones is a lottery pick. Houston takes their chances with the Texas Longhorns power forward at 23.
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Houston Rockets: Day'Ron Sharpe, C, North Carolina
- Houston grabs the only starting center with a first round grade. Day'Ron Sharpe is the only center with a first round grade still on the board.
Los Angeles Clippers: Tre Mann, PG, Florida 
- Los Angeles gets their replacement for Reggie Jackson here. Florida point guard Tre Mann showed the upside of a first round pick during his sophomore season at Florida. Mann scores around 16 points per game.
Denver Nuggets: Usman Garuba, PF, Real Madrid 
- Denver will have a starting five with Monte Morris at point guard, Jamal Murray at shooting guard, Michael Porter Jr. at small forward, Aaron Gordon at power forward, and Nikola Jokic at center. Usman Garuba from Real Madrid is the top power forward available for the Denver Nuggets this late in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Brooklyn Nets: Isaiah Todd, PF, Ignite (NBA G-League) 
- Brooklyn had a really good starting five with Kyrie Irving at point guard, James Harden at shooitng guard, Kevin Durant at small forward, Blake Griffin at power forward, and DeAndre Jordan at center. Blake Griffin is a Free Agent and Brooklyn drafts Isaiah Todd from the NBA G-League as his replacement.
Philadelphia 76ers: Sharife Cooper, PG, Auburn 
- Philadelphia gets a replacement to Ben Simmons at point guard here. Sharife Cooper is the best point guard on the board.
- Cooper averages 20.2 points per game. He's a clear upgrade over Ben Simmons.
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Brooklyn Nets: Ayo Dosunmu, PG, Illinois
- Phoenix has Chris Paul returning at point guard, Devin Booker at shooting guard, Mikal Bridges at small forward, Jae Crowder at power forward, and DeAndre Ayton at center. Even though the Suns have their starting five back, Chris Paul does have a player option in his contract. Brooklyn traded Landry Shamet to Phoenix for this pick.
- Ayo Dosunmu averaged 20.1 points per game. He's also versatile enough to play point guard or shooting guard as a combo guard making him a nice fit for the Phoenix Suns.
- Ayo Dosunmu would join Dario Saric, Cameron Johnson, and Jalen Smith as quality depth players for Phoenix. The Suns can use their second round pick on a depth player behind DeAndre Ayton since these three core depth players along with Dosunmu can play backup roles at point guard, shooting guard, small forward, and power forward if everyone returns to Phoenix next season.
Utah Jazz: J.T. Thor, PF, Auburn
- The Utah Jazz grab a power forward to complete their starting five. J.T. Thor is the best player on the board at this point.
