Eighteen years ago, four players now in the Hall of Fame or likely on their way to it were selected with the top five picks in the NBA Draft, a quintet of selections that would impact the league in decades to come.
This evening has not yet been reproduced. But on Thursday night, history could repeat itself at Barclays Center with a draft top that scouts, executives and analysts say could rival the selections of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
“I really think it’s the deepest overall draft since doing this [in 2003]Longtime ESPN Draft and College Basketball analyst Jay Bilas told Zoom. “Look, have LeBron [James] in a draft was certainly better, Zion [Williamson] Made it more interesting that year, but none of the drafts I can remember since 2003 have combined the power at the top and the depth of really good talent like this.
Bilas believes the top four from Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs are all # 1 caliber, an idea another noted project analyst Fran Fraschilla has supported. Two NBA scouts agreed the draft peak is the best they’ve seen in years. Among the top six – which include wings Scottie Barnes and Jonathan Kuminga – there are four or five future All-Stars, according to one.
“Every [exposure] camp we went to, every time I saw these guys we would always push each other, ”Cunningham said. “It was kind of an unwritten rule: we always made sure to protect each other at AAU tournaments.”
The players at the top of the draft spoke as much about their character as their basketball skills. They all played for Team USA basketball together, winning gold medals at the 2017 and 2019 FIBA World Cups.
“We’re the guys in the lead and the guys you want in your locker room,” Suggs said. “We definitely have a chance to compete with this class of 2003 which was so legendary. “
It’s led by Cunningham, a 6-foot-8 forward who led Oklahoma State to its first NCAA tournament in four years, shot 40 percent from deep and averaged 20.1 points, 6 , 2 rebounds and 3.5 assists. The future face of the Pistons should be followed by shooter Jalen Green. The ultra-confident Californian 6-6 has taken the G-League’s lucrative new route and is an offensive maestro, a three-tier scorer that the scouts consider the prospect most ready to score in the draft.
In Mobley, there is the first player to be named Pac-12 Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, a 7-footer designed for modern NBA play. with its absurdly long 7-4 wingspan, perimeter skills and a keen sense of rim protection. Suggs, a star high school quarterback, led Gonzaga to the national championship game in his freshman year focusing solely on basketball.
“At the top you have at least four guys that one day you can imagine being 100% NBA players,” Fraschilla said.
Mobley and Suggs both suggested that they should be considered the first choice. The 6-4 Suggs highlighted how high his potential is, as he only started putting all of his energy into basketball.
“I would say that the [teams] who lets me go and takes another perspective, she will come back, ”said the gifted and fiercely competitive playmaker. “It will be to their detriment.
Scheduled to go in the top three, Mobley considers himself a “generational player” at the next level who has never been seen before. When asked about the top of the loaded draft, an NBA scout said he thought Mobley was the least likely to be a disappointment.
“He’s the one guy I’m sure will only get better. His work ethic, his skill level, his timing [are unrivaled], and he doesn’t have the same kind of warts the other guys have, ”the scout said. “You can never question its competitiveness. It’s there every night.
Arguments could be made for the four, as in 2003 after James. For example, Bosh on Wade was not a bad choice, even though Wade had the best career. The only real mistake that year was that the Pistons beat Serbian Darko Milicic against Anthony.
As Bilas noted, this project is not necessarily very heavy. It has a bit of everything. Older guys who can make an immediate impact, like Baylor point guard Davion Mitchell, possibly a top 10 selection, and Oregon winger Chris Duarte (mid-teen). Impressive international imports, such as Australian playmaker Josh Giddey, 18-year-old Turkish Super League MVP Alperen Sengun, and tough and versatile Spain defender Usman Garuba.
There will be real value in the mid-1920s accomplished prospects available in the form of Associated Press All-American first team Ayo Dosunmu of Illinois and scoring machine Cameron Thomas of LSU.
Add to that the usual madness of trades and teams changing choices – big names like 76ers Ben Simmons and Wizards Bradley Beal could be on the move – and Thursday night at the Barclays Center promises to be a night of draft that will be remembered for years to come.
