{"id":1392523,"date":"2021-07-30T00:25:23","date_gmt":"2021-07-30T04:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1392523"},"modified":"2021-07-30T00:25:24","modified_gmt":"2021-07-30T04:25:24","slug":"nba-draft-2021-winners-and-losers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nba-draft-2021-winners-and-losers\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Draft 2021: Winners and Losers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>We won\u2019t be able to truly determine who the real winners and losers are from the 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/tag\/nba-draft\/\">NBA draft<\/a> until 2026 or later. However, that shouldn't stop us from making some snap decisions on who did great, who blew it, <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/infamous-nba-draft-bust-darko-milicic-argued-better-than-lebron-james\/\">who will become busts<\/a>, and who is <a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/what-happened-to-the-top-5-picks-from-the-2003-nba-draft\/\">headed to the Hall of Fame<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few way-too-early pronouncements as to the winners and losers of the 2021 NBA draft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-winner-houston-rockets\"><strong>WINNER: Houston Rockets <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1250\" height=\"833\" src=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/2021-NBA-Draft.jpg?w=1024&#038;h=682&#038;strip=all&#038;quality=89\" alt=\"NBA commissioner Adam Silver announces a pick by the Houston Rockets during the 2021 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on July 29, 2021 in New York City.\" class=\"wp-image-1392525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/2021-NBA-Draft.jpg 1250w, https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/2021-NBA-Draft.jpg?w=300&amp;h=200 300w, https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/2021-NBA-Draft.jpg?w=768&amp;h=512 768w, https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/2021-NBA-Draft.jpg?w=1024&amp;h=682 1024w, https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/2021-NBA-Draft.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800 1200w, https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/2021-NBA-Draft.jpg?w=90&amp;h=60 90w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1250px) 100vw, 1250px\" \/><figcaption>NBA commissioner Adam Silver announces a pick by the Houston Rockets during the 2021 NBA Draft |  Photo by Arturo Holmes\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Houston Rockets needed a win after dealing with the James Harden situation to start the year. They got that win in the first round of the draft. The team took Jalen Green No. 2, who could easily become the biggest star of this NBA draft class. Then, the best all-around international player,<strong> <\/strong><a  href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/alperen-sengun-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-2021-nba-draft-prospect\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alperen Sengun<\/a>, fell to them at pick No. 16. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Later, they took another international star, Usman Garuba, who\u2019s played well at Real Madrid and is currently with the Spain National Team at the Olympics. Houston\u2019s next pick, Josh Christopher from Arizona State, is more of a project, but, overall, the Rockets got a significant haul in round one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-loser-sacramento-kings-davion-mitchell-pick-no-9\"><strong>LOSER: Sacramento Kings \u2013 Davion Mitchell, Pick No. 9 <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Welcome to Sacramento, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hoopculture13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@hoopculture13<\/a>! \ud83d\udc51 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/CVEdoJ1z5S\">pic.twitter.com\/CVEdoJ1z5S<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SacramentoKings\/status\/1420913602622640130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 30, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Mitchell is an undersized (6-foot-1), short-armed (6-4 wingspan), older (22) guard who had a great last season at Baylor. However, even though he dominated the teenagers he played against in his fourth year in college, there are some terrible signs around his offensive potential in the NBA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He is a career 65.7% free throw shooter and his 44.7% 3-point mark last season was a complete aberration. Combine these question marks with the fact that the Kings already have De\u2019Aaron Fox and <a  href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/most-nba-gms-think-the-sacramento-kings-got-the-steal-of-the-draft\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tyrese Haliburton<\/a>, and the perennially bad Kings just drafted a backup guard ninth overall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-winner-josh-giddey-pick-no-6-oklahoma-city-thunder\"><strong>WINNER: Josh Giddey, Pick No. 6 \u2013 Oklahoma City Thunder<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">dreamt of this moment all my life. LETS WORK <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/okcthunder?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@okcthunder<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Om2axc65Z2\">pic.twitter.com\/Om2axc65Z2<\/a><\/p>&mdash; josh giddey (@joshgiddey) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshgiddey\/status\/1420945730647244801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 30, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Australian point-forward is a solid prospect who was projected in the back half of the Lottery. The Thunder apparently didn\u2019t get the memo and took him sixth overall, right after the \u201cBig Five,\u201d who pretty much went to plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Giddey wins not only because of the unexpectedly high draft slot but also because he goes to the rebuilding Thunder. This means the pressure on the Aussie will be minimal, and he\u2019ll likely get to play alongside another dynamic guard in <a  href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/shai-gilgeous-alexander-signed-with-converse-to-build-his-own-lane\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a>. Also, with all the picks OKC has in the next few drafts, he\u2019ll have a lot of young teammates to grow with soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-loser-san-antonio-spurs-joshua-primo-pick-no-12\"><strong>LOSER: San Antonio Spurs \u2013 Joshua Primo, Pick No. 12<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Spurs made a mockery of mock drafts, taking Alabama&#39;s Joshua Primo at No. 12. Youngest player in the draft.<\/p>&mdash; Kevin Scarbinsky (@KevinScarbinsky) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KevinScarbinsky\/status\/1420917733659643925?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 30, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>What? Who? The Spurs took the youngest player in the NBA draft, Joshua Primo, out of Alabama. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged just 8.1 points, 0.8 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game in his freshman season. He also turned the ball over 1.4 times a game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Spurs had many good players still on the board at this point, many of which were either more ready to contribute or have more upside than Primo, who showed up as a second-round pick in most mock drafts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-winner-montverde-academy\"><strong>WINNER: Montverde Academy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes, Moses Moody, and Day&#39;Ron Sharpe all hooped on the same squad at Montverde. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/brhoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@brhoops<\/a><br><br>Tonight, all four of them were first-round picks \ud83d\ude24<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aOU0W6xase\">pic.twitter.com\/aOU0W6xase<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BleacherReport\/status\/1420946918985764865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 30, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Coach Kevin Boyle had to sweat it out until the end of the first round, but his 2019-20 team produced four first-rounders at the end of the day. The Florida-based prep school started its winning night when former player <a  href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/2021-nba-draft-prospect-cade-cunningham-possible-40-million-plus-rookie-contract-not-mad-about-it\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cade Cunningham went No. 1<\/a> to the Detroit Pistons. His teammates Scottie Barnes (No. 4) and Moses Moody (No. 14) went to the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors, respectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, North Carolina big man and former Montverde Eagle Day\u2019Ron Sharpe went No. 29 overall. He may be in the best NBA situation, however, going to Brooklyn to join Harden, Kevin Durant, and <a  href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/kyrie-irving-picked-11-million-fight-he-cant-win\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kyrie Irving<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-loser-franz-wagner-no-8-overall-orlando-magic\"><strong>LOSER: Franz Wagner, No. 8 overall \u2013 Orlando Magic<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Can&#39;t imagine a better place to be. Let&#39;s make some magic happen <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OrlandoMagic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@OrlandoMagic<\/a> \ud83d\udc4a\ud83d\udc4a Check out my <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PaniniAmerica?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@PaniniAmerica<\/a> Instant card now! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WhoDoYouCollect?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WhoDoYouCollect<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/RatedRookie?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#RatedRookie<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oM5h2IOpPP\">pic.twitter.com\/oM5h2IOpPP<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Franz Wagner (@franzboogie) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/franzboogie\/status\/1420948728723255298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 30, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The second-year Michigan star rose of draft boards going from the back-end of the Lottery to a top 10 pick during the draft process. His combination of size, defense, and shooting made him a ready-made contributor for an NBA team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately for Wagner, the Magic aren\u2019t really ready for this type of elite role player. He could have gone to Golden State or Toronto or Memphis and been someone who could help those talented teams win. Instead, he\u2019s in Orlando and may get lost in the sea of disappointing picks there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-winner-zion-williamson\"><strong>WINNER: Zion Williamson<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING: Memphis is finalizing a trade to send Jonas Valanciunas and 2021 Nos. 17 and 51 picks to New Orleans for Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe, 2021 picks Nos. 10 and 40 and a protected 2022 first-round pick via the Lakers, sources tell ESPN.<\/p>&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wojespn\/status\/1419756065625972747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 26, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Williamson\u2019s winning night <a  href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/https-www-sports7-com-kyle-lowry-winner-grizzlies-pelicans-trade\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">started a few days before the draft<\/a>. In one fell swoop, the Pelicans wiped out the mistakes of the 2020 offseason and traded away Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe. They also moved back from No. 10 to No. 17. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The wins for Zion come from getting Jonas Valanciunas, a much better offensive big than Adams, and Trey Murphy III at No. 17. Murphy is a 6-foot-9, NBA-ready 3-and-D wing that can come in and play right away. He can also play off the ball, which is excellent for a team where Williamson and Brandon Ingram dominate the ball. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-loser-knicks-fans-in-brooklyn\"><strong>LOSER: Knicks fans in Brooklyn<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/TylerRickyTynes\/status\/1420927848278155264\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The blue and orange jerseys were poppin\u2019, <a  href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/reggie-miller-explains-problems-with-spike-lee-he-talks-too-damn-much\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spike Lee was clapping<\/a>, and all the New York Knicks fans packing the Barclays Center, just 5.7 miles southeast of The Garden, were ready to see who their new heroes, Worldwide Wes and Leon Rose, were going to select to take the Knicks back to the promised land. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then the Knicks traded back from the No. 19 pick and from No. 21 a few minutes later, killing the excitement in the building. It wasn\u2019t a bad move for the Knicks\u2019 future, but it was tough for Knicks fans, especially for some who seemed not to know that Texas\u2019 Kai Jones and Tennessee\u2019s Keon Johnson weren\u2019t staying in town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-winner-for-now-atlanta-hawks-jalen-johnson-pick-no-20\"><strong>WINNER (FOR NOW): Atlanta Hawks \u2013 Jalen Johnson, Pick No. 20 <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Jalen Johnson was asked who he compares himself to: <br><br>&quot;Jalen Johnson. I&#39;m in the league now, so that&#39;s who I compare myself to. But there&#39;s a lot of guys I looked up to, of course LeBron, Ben Simmons, those bigger play-making guards. But I&#39;m a Jalen Johnson fan now.&quot;<\/p>&mdash; Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChrisKirschner\/status\/1420941206264041472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 30, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Jalen Johnson was considered a top-five pick at the start of the college basketball season. By the 2021 NBA draft, Johnson fell all the way to No. 20 and the Atlanta Hawks. He has some shooting and defensive issues, but that\u2019s not what caused the slide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 6-foot-7 wing quit on Duke halfway through the season. This happened after he switched high schools three times in two years. The Hawks are getting an incredible value talent-wise, but many NBA teams decided they can't trust Johnson to show up for the team. For now, it\u2019s a Hawks win because of the value, but that could change quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>All stats courtesy of <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Sports Reference<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RELATED: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/jalen-suggs-issues-stern-warning-teams-who-pass-him-2021-nba-draft\/\"><strong>Jalen Suggs Issues a Stern Warning to Teams Who Pass on Him in the 2021 NBA Draft<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The NBA draft is just hours old, but it's never too early to declare some winners and losers from the annual pro basketball selection event. The Houston Rockets, Montverde Academy, and Zion Williamson are among the winners and the Sacramento Kings, Franz Wagner, and New York Knicks fans are some losers. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":1392525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4836,4816,4849,4838,14122,86460,4870,4840,4863,4843,4862,4826,4866],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.3 (Yoast SEO v22.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>NBA Draft 2021: Winners and Losers - Sports7<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The NBA draft is just hours old, but it&#039;s never too early to declare some winners and losers from the annual pro basketball selection event.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nba-draft-2021-winners-and-losers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NBA Draft 2021: Winners and Losers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The NBA draft is just hours old, but it&#039;s never too early to declare some winners and losers from the annual pro basketball selection event.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nba-draft-2021-winners-and-losers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sports7\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-07-30T04:25:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-07-30T04:25:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/2021-NBA-Draft.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1250\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"833\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tim Crean\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/2021-NBA-Draft.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@twcrean\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tim Crean\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nba-draft-2021-winners-and-losers\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/nba-draft-2021-winners-and-losers\/\",\"name\":\"NBA Draft 2021: Winners and Losers - 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He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL and soccer landscape, as well as his expertise breaking down sports media, which stems from his many years downloading podcasts before they were even cool and countless hours spent listening to Mike &amp; The Mad Dog and The Dan Patrick Show, among other programs. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie who even played DII lacrosse at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, Tim loves reading about all the latest sports news every day and considers it a dream to write about sports professionally. He's a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York who mistakenly thought, back in the early '90s, that his team would be in the Super Bowl every year. He started following European soccer \u2014 with a Manchester City focus \u2014 in the early 2000s after spending far too much time playing FIFA. 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