It's nearly impossible to nail the NBA Draft, and many teams would like a second chance. The 2021 draft class is one of the most loaded ones in recent memory, with elite top-end talent and a slew of impactful role players.
Let's go back in time and re-draft the 2020 lottery, knowing what we know today and projecting the rest of these players' careers. The focus of this re-draft is more about the players' careers than the teams drafting them. Also, for simplicity purposes, any draft day trades will be reflected in this re-draft order. Without any further ado, here's my 2021 re-draft.
More FanSided NBA re-drafts: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024
Cade Cunningham was the consensus No. 1 pick back in 2021, and four years later, that remains true. In many ways, Cade had his true breakout last season, making his All-NBA and All-Star team while leading the Detroit Pistons to their first playoff appearance since 2019. Nevertheless, Cunningham has always produced at an elite level, averaging 22.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists for his career.
Last season, Cade showed what he can do with a competent roster. Even still, they wouldn't be close to a No. 6 seed without him. The Oklahoma State product is undoubtedly one of the best all-around guards. He is a skilled playmaker, defender, and finisher with an improving jump shot.
Cade has a legit MVP upside and could be the best player on a championship team. He's the only player you can say that about in this class.
Many people thought the Houston Rockets should have drafted Evan Mobley with the No. 2 pick back in 2021. Now, they have a chance to correct this mistake. Mobley has been an elite-level defender since entering the league, and he was awarded Defensive Player of the Year last season. He has a rare blend of rim protection and versatility.
The USC product also has a growing offensive game, averaging a career 18.5 points while netting 37 percent of his 3-pointers on 3.2 attempts per game. He was awarded his first All-Star and All-NBA selections as a result. Mobley isn't a true offensive hub, but he also has impressive passing chops, averaging 2.9 assists for his career. Overall, there aren't many better second options around the league than Mobley, and he's a clear choice here at No. 2.
The Rockets found a gem when they traded up to get Alperen Şengün with the No. 16 pick. Şengün was the best player on a Rockets team that finished as the second seed last season. The 6-foot-11 big man is a legit offensive hub, averaging 4.1 assists for his career, including 4.9 last season. With Fred VanVleet's injury, Şengün will have more playmaking responsibilities than ever.
In addition to a rare blend of size and passing, Şengün is a crafty interior scorer and elite rebounder. He is a one-time All-Star with upside to be a perennial All-NBA player. It's unclear if Şengün is a true No. 1 option, but he's an awesome player regardless. For the purposes of this re-draft, it's interesting to wonder, but it would look like if Şengün and Mobley swapped places.
Franz Wagner is another elite complementary star. The do-it-all 6-foot-10 forward is a fantastic finisher, high-level secondary creator, and versatile defender. Wanger has averaged 19.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists for his career.
While Paolo Banchero is the Orlando Magic's best player, there are few better second options than Franz. With an improved roster highlighted by Desmond Bane's elite 3-point shooting, Wagner could be poised for his first All-Star team, something he would have likely earned if he were healthy last season.
Ironically, Franz ends up with the Toronto Raptors, and Scottie ends up with the Magic in this re-draft. Swapping these two young stars is an interesting thought exercise. Admittedly, star wings are pretty similar, and I think they're closer than many people believe. Ultimately, Franz gets the edge as the more gifted scorer and malleable player.
Regardless, Scottie also has an impressive all-around skill set. He is an elite and versatile defender who is capable of handling significant playmaking duties. Barnes has posted career averages of 17.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5 assists. While he is likely more of a second option, Barnes is an incredible and fairly underrated player.
We arrive at our third straight do-it-all jumbo wing, Jalen Johnson. Fun draft class, right? It's interesting yet somewhat terrifying to imagine Johnson on a loaded Oklahoma City Thunder squad. The 6-foot-9 forward is an elite finisher, especially in transition. He is also a versatile defender, impactful rebounder, and high-level secondary playmaker.
It took until his third season for Johnson to have a breakout year. Nevertheless, in the past two seasons, he's averaged 17.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. As long as Johnson stays healthy, he could earn his first-ever All-Star selection. Undoubtedly, the Atlanta Hawks found a gem with Johnson as the 20th pick, and he's an ideal co-star next to Trae Young.
The Golden State Warriors are one of the teams that regret their original selection. In 2021, they selected Jonathan Kuminga, a fine player who still has upside, yet one who simply doesn't fit in the Warriors' system. However, this re-draft gives the Warriors an opportunity to rectify this mistake, and Trey Murphy III is a picture-perfect fit for their system.
Murphy is a lights-out shooter with impressive size (6-foot-8). He notably netted 38.3 percent of his 3-point shots. The Virginia product is also a high-level connective playmaker, a self-creator, and an impactful wing defender. He averaged a career high of 21.2 points last season. Overall, Murphy's combination of the impressive career he's had and the opportunity to build off this gives him a nice boost from his original selection of 17.
Our first undrafted player earning a spot on this re-draft is Austin Reaves. The 6-foot-5 guard has enjoyed a nice career with the Los Angeles Lakers so far. Reaves is a crafty three-level scorer with playmaking chops. Last season, Reaves averaged 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. This showed that Reaves is a true complementary star.
Reaves' blend of shooting, creation, and playmaking makes him a seamless fit on any team. It's interesting to think of a world where he ends up in Orlando, a team that has lacked the exact skill set Reaves offers.
Jalen Suggs and Reaves are fairly close in my eyes. While Reaves' shot creation, shooting, and availability give him an edge, Suggs is a high-level contributor in his own right. The Gonzaga product is one of the NBA's best perimeter defenders. He is an elite on-ball stopper who is also disruptive off the ball, as evidenced by his 1.9 career stocks.
Offensively, Suggs is a quality connective playmaker. As a career 32.9 percent 3-point shooter, Suggs will need to display more shooting consistency to take his game to another level. Nonetheless, Suggs has done more than enough to retain a lottery spot four years later.
Another of the NBA's most impactful defenders is Herb Jones. The 6-foot-8 wing is capable of shutting down stars and truly guarding all five positions. Jones held opponents to a 44 percent shooting in his last full healthy season in 2023-24. He also racked up 2.2 stocks, which led to an All-Defensive first-team selection.
The Alabama product is also a high-level spot-up shooter and connective passer. Jones did shoot just 30.6 percent from beyond the arc last year, but this was only in 30, and he shot 41.8 percent from the 3-point range the year before. Ultimately, the New Orleans Pelicans found a gem with Jones in the second round, and he's the type of player every team would love to have.
Now we get into the more controversial section of this draft, kicking things off with Jalen Green. Some will argue Green should be higher. While others will say Green should be in the lottery at all. The 6-foot-4 guard is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in this class, and that's why he was the No. 2 pick.
Green is a gifted yet highly inefficient and inconsistent isolation scorer, averaging 20.2 points on 42.2 percent shooting for his career. Additionally, Green doesn't contribute much outside of scoring. Per Cleaning the Glass, Green has never ranked higher than the 27th percentile for assist to usage rate and has been below the 10th percentile for points allowed per 100 for back-to-back seasons.
His lackluster playoffs brought into question how he'd contribute to a true elite team. Ultimately, Green is more of a complementary star or maybe even a sixth man than a true star despite his scoring gifts.
Josh Giddey is another tricky evaluation. The 6-foot-8 guard has a rare blend of size and playmaking, averaging 6.1 assists for his career. He is also a gifted finisher and has the tools to be a good defender. Still, Giddey hasn't proven to be a good defender yet, and there are real questions about his jump shot, as a career 33 percent 3-point shooter.
In his lone playoff run with the Thunder, Giddey's lack of shooting caused him to be played off the court. It remains difficult to project Giddey's role on an elite team, but his talent is undeniable. Giddey was the lone restricted free agent to secure a long-term contract, which has to count for something. Ironically, the San Antonio Spurs end up with another Josh in this re-draft.
Jonathan Kuminga has had a rocky career with the Warriors, but that doesn't mean he's not a talented player who still has plenty of upside at 23. After not playing much in the first two seasons, Kuminga has averaged 15.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists over the past two seasons. The 6-foot-8 forward is a bull in a china shop who is a gifted scorer around the rim.
Kuminga has all the tools to be a true two-way force, but hasn't totally put it together on defense. Plus, he is an aloof playmaker with no outside jumper and shaky shot selections. While he's not a perfect player, Kuminga will at the very least be a solid energy guy off in a bench role, and he has legit upside.
Cam Thomas rounds out our re-draft and is the final player from the controversial restricted free agent class. Thomas is a gifted three-level scorer averaging 15.1 points for his career, including 22.9 points over the past two seasons. It's interesting to think about what Thomas' microwave scoring abilities would look like on a Warriors squad.
Regardless, the 6-foot-2 guard is a subpar playmaker and defender. Perhaps reaches another level as an all-around player, but for now, he projects to be an elite sixth man. There's nothing wrong with that, and he'll likely have a long career. Nevertheless, this somewhat limits Thomas' spot on the list.