National Basketball Association

Top 2021 NBA Draft Prospects Ooze Confidence & Swagger

Published Jul. 29, 2021 6:58 p.m. ET

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By Martin Rogers
FOX Sports Columnist

There are different types of NBA Draft classes but the 2021 version is perhaps best summed up by one word.

Confidence.

Some drafts are dominated by one name and one personality, like when Zion Williamson brought his already-burgeoning fame to the NBA, gilded in the reality that he was already more well-known than many of the league’s established players.

Others can be defined by the battle to figure out what’s hype and what’s not, such as when Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman were selected ahead of LaMelo Ball in 2020, only for it to emerge that Ball was the realest of deals after all.

This year brings a quiet draft in terms of preemptive fame and notoriety, yet no shortage whatsoever when it comes to talent. It’s a loaded class whose leading lights seem to uniformly share a key characteristic – their self-belief is unshakeable.

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They’re not all the same, with key differences in their approach and level of swagger but they all give off the sense that they can do this NBA thing, and do it extremely well.

It starts at the top, or at least, what is expected to be the top.

As the player deemed by many to have the biggest upside, Cade Cunningham could have worked out for any team he wanted to and would have received a red-carpet welcome. He didn’t.

Ahead of the draft, Cunningham went through an on-court session with the Detroit Pistons and the Detroit Pistons only, for a clear and simple reason.

"I wanted to meet with the team that had the No. 1 pick," Cunningham told reporters. "Because I feel like I am the No. 1 pick."

The likelihood is that feeling turns into actuality on Thursday night, with Cunningham heading virtually every mock draft and projected to turn his success with Oklahoma State into a difference-making NBA career. ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier today that the Pistons had already landed on a decision to select Cunningham with the top pick.

The top four seem to have separated themselves a little from the rest of the bunch, and while it would be a surprise if Cunningham doesn’t go first, the next three spots could see some mix-and-matching from the predictions.

Jalen Green is a popular choice at No. 2, which belongs to the Houston Rockets. Cunningham shows his confidence with strong talk and a twinkle in the eye, while Green portrayed his with actions. He chose to skip college and become the first member of the NBA G League Ignite developmental squad, landing himself a $500,000 contract in the process.

By doing so, he believes, he gained enough know-how and experience to be worthy of the top selection, should it happen that way. He’s a shooting guard with an attacking mentality and incredible physical gifts, and he feels more than ready.

"I learned a lot (in the G League)," Green told Bleacher Report. "I learned how to be a pro early. I was put in a pro setting. Improved my pro habits on and off the court. I just felt like I should be No. 1 because I work harder than a lot of the dudes in my class. That’s the only reason."

Truthfully speaking, it is not the kind of draft that has a lot of fans salivating. There are a number of reasons for that but the biggest is due to two seasons of heavily disrupted college basketball, the first of which saw March Madness entirely canceled as it coincided directly with the start of COVID-19’s grip on America.

The big college names aren’t as recognizable as they might otherwise have been, though Jalen Suggs tried his best to grab your attention. The highlight of highlights came when it truly mattered, a spectacular banked-in buzzer-beater from 37-feet to help Gonzaga break UCLA’s hearts in the Final Four.

On that night, Zags coach Mark Few confirmed Suggs has a level of confidence that is through the roof.

"We do end-of-game situations and he’d have this uncanny knack of making these buzzer-beater shots when we put him out there and start counting down," Few said. "It’s amazing how many of those last-second shots he made in practice. He’s a big-time winner. He has a magical aura."

Of the likely top four, USC big man Evan Mobley shows his belief with more subtlety than the rest. Mobley has been pegged as shy and soft-spoken by NBA talent evaluators, but even then, they can’t take their eyes off his versatile skills.

A 7-foot big man with tremendous handling skills and footwork, Mobley has the ability to create nightmares for NBA defenders.

"Just because I’m mellow and chill doesn’t mean I’m not hardworking, and a leader, and competitive," Mobley told The Ringer.

When he feels comfortable, Mobley has some swagger. Around friends and family, he’ll perform backflips on the beach – yes, even at 7-foot. Primary among the list of tasks for whichever team drafts him will be to try to gently bring him out of his shell. However quiet he may be though, friends and former teammates will tell you he’s never doubted his basketball ability, or that he’d end up in the NBA, for a moment.

For the top picks, on Thursday, their lives will change forever. They will become part of an elite club, ink a contract worth serious, transformative money, and gain a status that says you’re among the finest basketball players walking the planet.

It is a mighty challenge, a step up in quality and, potentially, a terrifying proposition for the under-prepared. But not for Cunningham, Green, Suggs and Mobley, for they have already taken the vital first step.

Before getting the chance to shine in the NBA, they already believe they can.

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider Newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.

For more up-to-date news on all things NBA, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app! 

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Cade Cunningham

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Martin Rogers