Cade Cunningham No. 1 Overall in Latest ESPN NBA Mock Draft
Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham was taken No. 1 overall and led seven Big 12 players in ESPN.com’s latest NBA Mock Draft, released on Feb. 2.
In fact, six of the seven selections were made in the first round. ESPN writers Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz put together the Mock Draft and the stock watch.
Cunningham, the No. 1 player in the 2020 recruiting class, remained ESPN’s No. 1 overall selection, in this case going to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The selection of Cunningham appears to transcend whichever team holds the pick.
Cunningham is the only Big 12 player in the NBA Draft Lottery (the first 14 selections), but five other Big 12 players were selected in the final 16 picks of the first round.
Texas forward Kai Jones has risen up draft boards throughout the season, and in this mock ESPN had Jones going at No. 16 to Indiana.
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Jones’ teammate, Greg Brown, who at times has been featured as a lottery pick in other mocks, was taken No. 23 by Boston. From there, Texas Tech guard/forward Terrence Shannon Jr. went No. 25 overall to Philadelphia. Then, two Baylor guards went back-to-back — Davion Mitchell went No. 29 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers and Jared Butler went No. 30 to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the piece, ESPN noted that Mitchell is now a legitimate first-round candidate, thanks to his improved 3-point shot and his overall defensive make-up.
The only Big 12 player taken in the second round was Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji, who was taken No. 46 overall by Indiana.
While not included in the Mock Draft, there was a piece on Oklahoma guard Austin Reaves in the story, noting that Reaves remains a legitimate second-round prospect, based on his play until missing the past two games. He is expected to return to the lineup this weekend.
All of the Big 12 players taken in this mock draft are underclassmen, which means they would have to declare for the NBA Draft after the season.
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