The race to the bottom of the NBA standings this season is as intense and impressive as ever. That's because the prizes at the top of this year's draft are so worthwhile, even some of the more stable franchises of recent history, like the Thunder and Rockets (and hey, even the Raptors!), are limping to the finish line with an eye on franchise-changers available in this year's talent pool.
Of which there are many.
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This draft is as strong as any of the last decade and littered with depth. But at the top is where this class blows away evaluators, with five players -- Cade Cunningham, Jalen Suggs, Evan Mobley, Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga -- profiling as Tier One talents who could change the fortunes of a franchise. From there it's a guessing game, as No. 6 through the teens in this draft looks fluid. The value of a pick decreases substantially in this draft outside the top five.
So to break down those five and the rest of the players ranked in the lottery of our most recent CBS Sports Top 75 Big Board update, we've broken out scouting reports below -- along with strengths, weaknesses and player comparisons -- to give you an idea for how the draft is viewed and who at the top teams might target based on needs. You can find my most recent mock draft here.
1. Cade Cunningham | 6-8, 220 | PG | Fr. | Oklahoma St.
Strengths
- Great passing vision and guts to execute off what he sees
- Reads, thinks the game at a high level
- Excellent positional size
- Good creation ability on offense with the ball in his hands, and can create space to get shots for himself and others
- Devastatingly effective in isolation scenarios
- Effective shooter and scorer
- Multi-positional defender
- Uses size to his advantage on both sides of the court
Weaknesses
- Turnover-prone -- averaged more turnovers than assists at Oklahoma State
- Came up big in clutch situations, but had notable late-game blunders in big moments either lacking awareness or forcing bad passes
- Doesn't have elite first step or explosiveness to blow by defenders
Pro Comparison
2 Jalen Suggs | 6-4, 205 | SG | Fr. | Gonzaga
Strengths
- Competitive, fiery guard whose motor always runs hot
- Slasher who can get to the rim at will and finishes with both hands
- Very good passer
- Active rebounder who loves to crash the boards and run the break
- Good shooter and creator who projects as franchise-caliber point guard
Weaknesses
- Good shooter but 3-point shooting tailed off, hitting 33.7% from distance on 104 attempts
- Playmaker on defense but sometimes takes ill-advised chances in effort to make homerun play
Pro Comparison
- Fiery George Hill
3 Evan Mobley | 7-0, 215 | C | Fr. | USC
Strengths
- Uniquely talented big man with 7-foot frame and 7-4 wingspan
- Fluid athlete who can drop his hips and defend multiple positions from post to perimeter
- Elite defensive weapon who can block shots and anchor a defense
- Talented scorer who can score in variety of ways
Weaknesses
- Developing shooter: made 30% of 3-pointers at USC and was 69.4% free-throw shooter
- Skinny, high center of gravity and still needs to add muscle to huge frame
Pro Comparison
4 Jalen Green | 6-5, 172 | SG | G League Ignite
Strengths
- Can create and score as well as any prospect in this draft
- Explosive, bouncy athlete who can finish above the rim
- Modern-day NBA 2-guard because of his size, athleticism and scoring upside
Weaknesses
- Improving passer, but room to develop outside of generating his own offense
- Can sometimes settle for deep looks as opposed to driving into traffic to finish around the rim
Pro Comparison
5. Jonathan Kuminga | 6-8, 205 | SF | G League Ignite
Strengths
- Great positional size, custom-fit as archetype of a modern-day wing
- Oozing with potential as jumbo playmaker with craft and confidence to make plays off the dribble
- Good finisher around the rim
- Projectable, positionless defensive player who uses his size
Weaknesses
- Made 16 of his 65 3-point attempts (24.6%) in the G League
- Raw and largely unpolished on both ends
- Needs to improve as a shooter on offense and with his awareness on defense in team constructs
Pro Comparison
6. Keon Johnson | 6-5, 186 | SF | Fr. | Tennessee
Strengths
- Bouncy athlete and above-the-rim finisher who can produce incredible highlight-reel plays
- Heady defensive player who embraces his role in team constructs
- Flashed upside as creator and has talent to be a threat as he develops on offense
Weaknesses
- Shot 26.1% from 3-point range on 48 attempts
- Not a real threat to space the floor, as his shot is still developing and shooting is inconsistent
- Shaky handle overall that needs to improve dramatically to warrant top-10 pick, though his flashes are encouraging
Pro Comparison
7. Davion Mitchell | 6-2, 205 | PG | Jr. | Baylor
Strengths
- Elite on-ball defender
- Quick-twitch athlete who can burst by defenders off the ball
- very good passer and creator with good court vision
- Improved 3-point shooting every year and made 44.7% of 141 attempts last season
Weaknesses
- Average size for NBA point guard
- Very reliant on strong hand attacks to the rim
- Career 65.7% free-throw shooter
Pro Comparison
8. James Bouknight | 6-5, 190 | SG | Soph. | UConn
Strengths
- Diverse scorer who can get a bucket in myriad ways
- Flashy athlete who can finish above the rim
- Good defender who has good size and good length and can crash the boards
- Embraces contact and has the skill to get to the rim and create while finishing with finesse
Weaknesses
- Had elbow surgery during 2020-2021 season and did not look like the same player upon his return
- Production as a scorer came primarily off high volume and poor efficiency
Pro Comparison
9. Scottie Barnes | 6-9, 227 | SF | Fr. | Florida State
Strengths
- Elite positional size
- Switchable defender who at Florida State was able to guard 1-5
- Good passing and playmaking ability at his position, with good-enough handle capable of pulling down rebounds and running breaks
Weaknesses
- Could be point forward-type player in time, but handle still needs polishing
- Overall work-in-progress on offense, particularly as a shooter after making 27.5% from 3-point range and 62.1% from the free-throw line
- Upside hinges on major development on offense to fill out defensive arsenal
Pro Comparison
10. Tre Mann | 6-5, 190 | PG | Soph. | Florida
Strengths
- Significantly improved as shooter, hitting 40.2% of his 3-point attempts as a sophomore
- Emerged late in sophomore season as go-to creator and scorer for surging Florida team
- Good positional size for point guard
- Can create space and score from anywhere on the court
Weaknesses
- Needs to improve as decision-maker to add value as lead guard or combo guard -- his turnover rate was double his assist rate as a freshman and nearly the same (19.6% to 21.9%) as a sophomore
- Needs to improve as spot-up shooter to be a bigger threat outside of having the ball in his hands
Pro Comparison
11. Josh Giddey | 6-8, 205 | SF | Adelaide 36ers
Strengths
- Great positional size
- Good playmaker for his size
- Capable ball-handler and distributor who profiles as plus-creator/distributor in the NBA with great court vision and ability to execute with creative passes
- Improving shooter who has shown good touch and developed a reliable floater
- Uses pace, space and angles to his advantage, displaying high IQ and feel to control the game from the point guard position
Weaknesses
- Needs to improve as a scorer and shooter
- Has good touch but not shooting it efficiently
- Doesn't have elite burst/quick twitch to allow him to blow by defenders
Pro Comparison
- Deni Avdija
12. Jaden Springer | 6-4, 204 | PG | Fr. | Tennessee
Strengths
- Creative scorer and shot-maker
- Shows good range as a shooter with good mechanics, making 43.5% of his 3-pointers at Tennessee
- Has high IQ on both ends and showed promise as a developing passer
- Doesn't turn 19 years old until September, so lots of time for him to grow and mature as a player
- Solid playmaker on defense with good anticipation
Weaknesses
- Average athlete who lacks explosiveness and ability to blow by defenders consistently
- Still maturing and learning as a playmaker for others -- he averaged 2.9 assists to 2.4 turnovers per game
Pro Comparison
13. Kai Jones | 6-11, 218 | C | Soph. | Texas
Strengths
- High-upside big with loads of potential
- At 6-11 showed good shooting touch as a sophomore and made 38.2% of his 3-pointers, albeit on low volume (34 attempts)
- Ahowed flashes of scoring/playmaking and has great size, with mobility to potentially defend multiple positions
- Super-athlete and leaper
Weaknesses
- Needs to add strength to tall, lanky frame
- Average rebounder for player his size
- Shot just 55% from free-throw line in conference play
Pro Comparison
14. Cameron Thomas | 6-4, 210 | SG | Fr. | LSU
Strengths
- Bucket-getter who can create his own shot and generate production
- Has been a successful scorer at every level of basketball
- Made nearly 90% of shots from free-throw line, suggesting inefficiency as a scorer at LSU could be improved upon
Weaknesses
- High-volume, low-efficiency scorer at LSU
- Made 32.5% of 3-point attempts and 40.6% from the field
- Takes wild shots and has never seen a shot he didn't like
- Not an advanced creator/passer -- he averaged more turnovers than assists and had eight games with zero assists, despite ranking second in SEC in usage percentage
Pro Comparison
