2021 NBA Draft Big Board: Top 60 prospects

2021 NBA Draft Big Board — 44. Quentin Grimes, Houston

Once a flashy recruit committed to Kansas, it took a transfer and a couple years at Houston for Quentin Grimes to reassert himself as an NBA prospect. A strong performance at the Combine seems to be shifting Grimes up, up, and up on draft boards, to the point where he’s even cracking the first round in some mocks.

While I am not entirely sold on Grimes as a first-round pick, he does provide one elite NBA skill — shooting. NBA teams need shooters like a man needs oxygen, so Grimes’ ability to fill it up from deep, both off the dribble and off the catch, will surely get him noticed. If he can continue to grow as a passer and secondary ball-handler, then yeah, he could approach first-round value.

2021 NBA Draft Big Board — 43. Juhann Begarin, Paris Basketball

A high-flying athlete who pops on tape, Juhann Begarin is very clearly cut from NBA cloth. He can soar down the lane for dunks, make impressive weak-side blocks, or just leave his defender in the dust. With a rangy 6-foot-5 frame and a strong feel for playmaking, he has the touchstones of a good NBA guard.

The next step for Begarin is improving his jumper, which is largely inconsistent and in need of mechanical changes. He doesn’t lack confidence as a shooter — he goes to his pull-up mid-ranger quite often, with varying degrees of success — but the shot itself is not great, and he does lack a certain self-awareness. He needs to get smarter on both ends to maximize his clear potential.