Barnes, Kuminga headline list of forwards in NBA draft

Published Jul. 26, 2021 10:21 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Scottie Barnes and Jonathan Kuminga offer plenty of versatility to headline the class of forwards in Thursday’s NBA draft.

Both have the size and length to tussle inside or contribute on the perimeter, making them potential top-five selections ahead of Michigan's Franz Wagner as a potential lottery pick.

Here’s a look at some of those top prospects:

BARNES

Barnes could become an elite defender and playmaking ballhandler as he prepares for the draft days before his 20th birthday.

STRENGTHS: The sophomore didn’t need to score at Florida State to make a

“Being able to have that playmaking IQ on the court, having that vision, makes me so unique on the floor where I can see different things, see different reads, that naturally other people can’t see,” Barnes said.

CONCERNS: Barnes is an unselfish player who was a complimentary double-figure scorer in the Seminoles’ balanced attack, but he made just 11 of 40 3-pointers (27.5%) and 62% of his free throws.

KUMINGA

The 18-year-old Kuminga joins shooting guard Jalen Green in taking a preps-to-pros route to the draft.

STRENGTHS: The 6-6, 210-pound Kuminga was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and had become one of the nation’s top college prospects before opting to play for G League Ignite, which offers

CONCERNS: The shooting touch and overall offensive polish is still developing. He shot just 38.7% with Ignite and made 16 of 65 3-pointers (24.6%) along with shooting 62.5% at the foul line.

WAGNER

The 19-year-old

STRENGTHS: The 6-9, 220-pound Wagner brings perimeter

CONCERNS: Wagner has yet to show the ability to consistently hit the 3. He shot just 31.1% as a freshman and improved only slightly to 34.3% last year, including 2 for 16 in four NCAA Tournament games. The reason for optimism is he better than 83% from the line in each of his two college seasons, an indication that his shooting stroke is good enough to stretch his range.

OTHERS TO WATCH

— JOSH GIDDEY: The 18-year-old Australian is a lottery prospect with perimeter size (6-8, 200) and

“I think in the NBA because the court is so much more spaced and spread out, it's going to allow me to get into the paint and make a few more reads,” Giddey said, “whether that's scoring ... myself or hitting teammates.”

— COREY KISPERT: The 6-7, 223-pound senior was a first-team Associated Press All-American who shot 44% from 3-point range last year. The 22-year-old, who helped Gonzaga carry an unbeaten record to the national-title game, is a first-round prospect

— JALEN JOHNSON: The 6-9, 210-pound freshman from Duke arrived as a top recruit with a better than 7-foot wingspan, and he's a first-round prospect with

“The fact that people are saying I'm a bad-character kid over essentially a decision I made, a 19-year-old kid made, is kind of crazy at the end of the day,” Johnson said, adding: “I'm just excited to get into the league and kind of just shine a better light on my name.”

— ZIAIRE WILLIAMS: The 6-8, 185-pound Williams, 19, is a one-and-done entry who was the highest-ranked recruit in Stanford history. He could use some added strength after averaging just 10.7 points on 37% shooting, but

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