4 – Washington Wizards select: Evan Mobley, C
It’s typically rare for no big men to be drafted in the top three – but times are changing. It’s entirely possible a talent such as Evan Mobley slips to fourth in the order. In this case, the Washington Wizards are feeling blessed.
Mobley is a basketball ‘unicorn’ in every sense of the word. Standing over 7-foot tall and possessing an adept ability to handle the ball and shoot from the 3-point line, Mobley is one of the most interesting prospects in the draft.
He’s a bit thin for his size but his versatility adds a layer to his game that few centers can match. Mobley can change the Wizards’ entire structure and offer a foundational building block for the future.
5 – Oklahoma City Thunder select: Jonathan Kuminga, F
Every once in a while we see a franchise blow it up and commit to a full rebuild. The Oklahoma City Thunder have taken this to a new level – trading away all of their star players over the last few years to load up on an unprecedented number of draft picks. Over the next seven years, the Thunder have the right to 34(!) picks.
Selecting Jonathan Kuminga fifth overall would be a decent start to making use of those picks.
While Kuminga had a shakey 13 games in the G-League, he did just enough to justify being a top-five pick. He averaged 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals for the Ignite team and flashed his ceiling as a point forward.
Slotting Kuminga next to a versatile guard in Shai-Gilgeous Alexander is an exciting way to kick off the Thunders’ rebuild.