[NBA Draft]: Comparison of Actual 2021 Draft vs. Final Mock Drafts

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We spend a lot of time following all of the top NBA Draft analysts for months as they post and tweet about intel and update their big boards and mock drafts leading up to draft day. But once that day comes and goes, it’s easy to shift focus to how the rookies will fit on their new rosters, summer league, and the next draft, so I thought it might be nice to compile all of the final versions of these mock drafts and compare them to the actual 2021 draft picks for easy reference in the future.

After all the hard work this year, even the mock draft accuracy from the top shelf analysts was obliterated early in the 1st round with the trifecta of Toronto choosing Scottie Barnes over Jalen Suggs at #4, OKC going with Josh Giddey at #6 instead of James Bouknight or Jonathan Kuminga, and (the grand finale) the Spurs pick of Josh Primo at #12, who was projected to go in the 25-40 range. All of that, plus a Russell Westbrook trade to the Lakers made for a wild night of twists and turns that surpassed what we have come to expect.

Here is the actual 2021 NBA Draft from July 29th versus the final mock drafts from Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, ESPN’s Mike Schmitz and Jonathan Givony, NBA Big Board’s Chad Ford, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, and The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, and Tankathon.com:

	ACTUAL DRAFT ORDER	B/R (7/29)	NBA Big Board (7/29)	The Ringer (7/29)	ESPN (7/29)	SI (7/29)	The Athletic (7/29)	Tankathon (7/25)
1. DET	Cade Cunningham	Cade Cunningham	Cade Cunningham	Cade Cunningham	Cade Cunningham	Cade Cunningham	Cade Cunningham	Cade Cunningham
2. HOU	Jalen Green	Jalen Green	Jalen Green	Jalen Green	Jalen Green	Jalen Green	Jalen Green	Jalen Green
3. CLE	Evan Mobley	Evan Mobley	Evan Mobley	Evan Mobley	Evan Mobley	Evan Mobley	Evan Mobley	Evan Mobley
4. TOR	Scottie Barnes	Jalen Suggs	Jalen Suggs	Jalen Suggs	Jalen Suggs	Jalen Suggs	Jalen Suggs	Jalen Suggs
5. ORL	Jalen Suggs	Scottie Barnes	Scottie Barnes	Scottie Barnes	Scottie Barnes	Scottie Barnes	Scottie Barnes	Scottie Barnes
6. OKC	Josh Giddey	James Bouknight	James Bouknight	James Bouknight	Jonathan Kuminga	James Bouknight	James Bouknight	Jonathan Kuminga
7. GSW	Jonathan Kuminga	Jonathan Kuminga	Franz Wagner	Franz Wagner	James Bouknight	Jonathan Kuminga	Franz Wagner	James Bouknight
8. ORL	Franz Wagner	Franz Wagner	Jonathan Kuminga	Jonathan Kuminga	Moses Moody	Franz Wagner	Jonathan Kuminga	Franz Wagner
9. SAC	Davion Mitchell	Alperen Sengun	Alperen Sengun	Alperen Sengun	Franz Wagner	Alperen Sengun	Alperen Sengun	Alperen Sengun
10. NOP (via MEM)	Ziaire Williams	Josh Giddey	Josh Giddey	Josh Giddey	Josh Giddey	Josh Giddey	Josh Giddey	Josh Giddey
11. CHA	James Bouknight	Moses Moody	Corey Kispert	Moses Moody	Corey Kispert	Kai Jones	Moses Moody	Moses Moody
12. SAN	Joshua Primo	Kai Jones	Trey Murphy	Corey Kispert	Alperen Sengun	Moses Moody	Corey Kispert	Keon Johnson
13. IND	Chris Duarte	Chris Duarte	Chris Duarte	Davion Mitchell	Chris Duarte	Davion Mitchell	Davion Mitchell	Davion Mitchell
14. GSW	Moses Moody	Davion Mitchell	Davion Mitchell	Chris Duarte	Davion Mitchell	Chris Duarte	Chris Duarte	Jalen Johnson
15. WAS	Corey Kispert	Trey Murphy	Moses Moody	Usman Garuba	Trey Murphy	Corey Kispert	Trey Murphy	Corey Kispert
16. HOU (via OKC)	Alperen Şengun	Jalen Johnson	Ziaire Williams	Jalen Johnson	Keon Johnson	Ziaire Williams	Ziaire Williams	Usman Garuba
17. NOP (via MEM)	Trey Murphy	Corey Kispert	Cameron Thomas	Cameron Thomas	Ziaire Williams	Trey Murphy	Jared Butler	Chris Duarte
18. OKC	Tre Mann	Jared Butler	Isaiah Jackson	Keon Johnson	Jalen Johnson	Day'Ron Sharpe	Kai Jones	Jaden Springer
19. CHA (via NYK)	Kai Jones	Ziaire Williams	Usman Garuba	Trey Murphy	Kai Jones	Isaiah Jackson	Usman Garuba	Isaiah Jackson
20. ATL	Jalen Johnson	Cameron Thomas	Keon Johnson	Day'Ron Sharpe	Cameron Thomas	Josh Primo	Keon Johnson	Trey Murphy
21. LAC (via NYK)	Keon Johnson	Nah'shon Hyland	Jaden Springer	Kai Jones	Nah'shon Hyland	Keon Johnson	Jaden Springer	Ziaire Williams
22. IND (via WAS)	Isaiah Jackson	Keon Johnson	Kai Jones	Ziaire Williams	Usman Garuba	Usman Garuba	Sharife Cooper	Sharife Cooper
23. HOU	Usman Garuba	Isaiah Jackson	Sharife Cooper	Sharife Cooper	Sharife Cooper	Brandon Boston	Isaiah Jackson	Kai Jones
24. HOU	Josh Christopher	Sharife Cooper	Isaiah Todd	Isaiah Jackson	Isaiah Jackson	Jalen Johnson	Jalen Johnson	Jared Butler
25. NYK (via LAC)	Quentin Grimes	Usman Garuba	Josh Christopher	Jared Butler	Jared Butler	Nah'shon Hyland	Miles McBride	Day'Ron Sharpe
26. DEN	Bones Hyland	Josh Primo	Josh Primo	Isaiah Todd	Quentin Grimes	Cameron Thomas	Josh Primo	Cameron Thomas
27. BKN	Cameron Thomas	Day'Ron Sharpe	Day'Ron Sharpe	Jaden Springer	Day'Ron Sharpe	Miles McBride	Cameron Thomas	Ayo Dosunmu
28. PHI	Jaden Springer	Jaden Springer	Brandon Boston	Josh Primo	Josh Primo	JT Thor	Nah'shon Hyland	Quentin Grimes
29. BKN (via PHX)	Day'Ron Sharpe	Ayo Dosonmu	Miles McBride	Miles McBride	Tre Mann	Kessler Edwards	Joel Ayayi	Joel Ayayi

Summary of all transactions leading up to and during the Draft:

NBA.com

References:

ESPN/Draft Express [Jonathan Givony/Mike Schmitz]

The Ringer [Kevin O’Connor]

Bleacher Report [Jonathan Wasserman]

The Athletic [Sam Vecenie]

Sport Illustrated [Jeremy Woo]

NBA Big Board [Chad Ford]

Tankathon

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