Although the NBA is in the midst of an exciting NBA Finals series with the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the Phoenix Suns, anticipation for the upcoming 2021 NBA Draft is also steadily rising.
The draft is just a couple of weeks away, which means teams around the league have their hands full with draft workouts and interviews. Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers have been busy evaluating prospects such as Trey Murphy III, but the real excitement comes at the top as this year’s class is considered to be one of the more star-studded groups in recent years.
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the 2020 NBA Draft was held virtually. But this year it returns to Brooklyn and will be held at the Barclays Center, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic:
The NBA will hold the 2021 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Invites for an in-person Green Room are going out now, after a virtual Green Room last year due to the pandemic.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 15, 2021
Tickets for the draft will go on sale on July 19 and the event is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. (PST) on July 29. ESPN will be airing the event for the 19th consecutive year but it will also be aired on ABC for the first time.
The Lakers hold the No. 22 pick this year, but all eyes will be on the lottery as Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Evan Mobley and Jalen Suggs will likely go in the top-four in some order. Cunningham is widely expected to go first overall, but there seems to be mixed opinions on who the Houston Rockets should take at No. 2 as they could go any direction with their rebuild.
The Golden State Warriors are also another team of intrigue as they hold the No. 7 and No. 14 picks and could look to package one or both of them in order to acquire another star player to flank Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Lastly, teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans could look to be aggressive on draft night given all the first-round picks they are owed in the coming years.
Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland recognizes Lakers history
Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland seemed starstruck after his pre-draft workout in the Lakers training facility. During his interview, Hyland could not help but gush about the franchise’s history and what it was like to be in the building.
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