Heading into the draft, we’ve heard names like Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, and Evan Mobley quite a bit, but Stanford’s Ziaire Williams is another top prospect with bright potential, as he ranked #8 on ESPN’s Top 100 during his senior year of high school and averaged 10.7 PPG/4.6 RPG/2.2 APG this past college season.
The 19-year-old received an invite to the NBA Draft Green Room for Thursday and could potentially go to the Orlando Magic at No. 8, tweets longtime draft insider Chad Ford. Williams was in Orlando for a second workout on Friday and has gained strong support from the Magic.
More from Chad Ford on 2021 NBA Draft prospects:
- We know that the first round is full of youth, but 21-year-old Trey Murphy III is an experienced player making noise at team workouts and could go as high as No. 9 to the Sacramento Kings. Murphy shot 40.1% from three point range during his time at Rice and Virginia.
- Texas big man Kai Jones going to the Charlotte Hornets at No. 11 might be a possibility. Jones is a 6-11 center with a 7-foot-1 wingspan who averaged 6.2 PPG/4.0 RPG/1.0 BPG for the Longhorns from 2019-2021. The Hornets may look to add another young big man along with PJ Washington, Vernon Carey Jr. and Nick Richards.
- Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert was projected as a lottery pick all year, but now looks to be falling. According to Ford, Kispert had a shaky workout with the Indiana Pacers which led them to now consider Trey Murphy III and Oregon’s Chris Duarte. Indiana holds the #13 pick.
