The summer of 2021 will forever be etched in our fan memories. Why ? Because the flirtation between July and August will have offered us almost at the same time the NBA Finals, the Free Agency, the Olympic Games, the Draft and the Summer League. Are you serious? Oh yeah. The scars of this crazy period are still there, a year later, so much so that we decided, over a few days, to remind you of some of these still present memories. 2021 intravenously. Today ? We come back to the ceremony of the Draft 2021, a vintage not really the most infamous.
For the replay of this ceremony alongside TrashTalk, it’s right HERE!
When all the other papers ” It was a year ago “ reflect a form of uniqueness, this transpires the time loop. We can do it again in a year, then in two, and then in three. The NBA Draft is a cyclical event. However, in depth, it is absolutely not. Sixty players are called up by Adam Silver and Mark Tatum. Sixty personalities. Sixty potentials. One is never like the other. It is even the basis of human nature to cultivate our differences to climb the ladder in society. Well, we’re derailing a bit towards philosophy, so we’ll stop before missing the exit ramp towards our dear Draft 2021. It’s July 29, 2021. Before even starting, the evening ahead is already a successful evening. A year prior, the 2020 Draft ceremony took place via Zoom, with prospects called in from the family lounge. This year, NBA finds the Barclays Center and all the magic that accompanies it. What do the mock drafts say? Few uncertainties around the 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice, which will be respectively Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green and Evan Mobley. Only one Frenchman is in the small papers of the GMs: Juhann Begarin, full back dragster, good testosterone from Paris Basket. However, it will only fall to 45th position in this cuvée. The highlights of the ceremony? First, the trade of Russell Westbrook in Los Angeles, in exchange for Kuzma, Harrell, Caldwell-Pope and the 22nd choice of this draft. Deuzio, the tribute to Terrence Clarke, great hope of Boston who died in a car accident, three months before the event that should have changed his life. Great moment of emotion.
NBA drafts…..Terrence Clarke 🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/eDoJAloExi
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) July 30, 2021
A year later, what conclusion can be drawn from the first steps of this 2021 vintage in the NBA? The franchises that selected in the top 10 were, for the most part, not mistaken. The Cade Cunningham – Scottie Barnes – Evan Mobley triplet was screwed over for the Rookie of the Year trophy, finally returned to the only Canadian of the lot. The 2nd choice, Jalen Green, showed excellent things at the end of the season. We do not remember his old shooting percentages – nor his dunk contest – which are only the fertilizer of a young shoot. The statistical production is there, it’s up to him to refine it until he becomes the player he should be for Houston: a leader. Further down, at 6th and 8th position, Josh Giddey and Franz Wagner round out this panel of future greats nicely. A tone below, Jalen Suggs (5th), Jonathan Kuminga (7th) and Davion Mitchell (9th) remain good rookies. They all have good qualities to develop, even if Kuminga’s future – given his situation in the franchise and the role he is called upon to occupy – seems much more golden than that of his two counterparts. And then, at only 19 banks, the guy is already an NBA champion: a nice illustration of the expression: “born a chick in a chicken coop”. You never heard that? Possible yeah, in the meantime, some pretty names even appear outside the top 10: Chris Duarte (13th), Alperen Sengun (16th), Tre Mann (18th) or Aaron Wiggins (55th). It is still too early to add a qualifier to this Draft 2021, but in a world where hasty conclusions are welcomed, we would probably have spoken of a cuvée “very complete”. We say to ourselves in 20 years to count the Hall of Famers.
A classic evening, on the spot, not really the most fun/intoxicating. There was this beautiful tribute to the late Terrence Clarke, the confirmation of the Westbrook trade – already in stores for a while – and then much more. The best moment of this draft was clearly the months of competition that followed.