The Detroit Pistons are in pole position to pick up hot prospect Cade Cunningham as the NBA 2021 Draft gets underway on Thursday night in New York.
One of the most anticipated nights of the basketball calendar will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn – the home of the Brooklyn Nets.
As always, the best young players are up for grabs as they bid to play their first seasons in the
Spanish interest comes in the form of Usman Garuba – who is hoping to be in the first 15 picked – and Santi Aldama.
A total of 60 players will feature in the draft, with 30 in the first round and 30 in the second.
The first four picks of the first round were determined by a lottery, with the rest decided by the team’s performances last season – with the worse teams getting the earlier picks.
The event is back to taking place in person, having been conducted virtually last year due to the coronavirus.
The picks are expected to begin at around 02:00 CET on Friday morning (20:00 ET).
2021 NBA Draft order
- Detroit Pistons
- Houston Rockets
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Toronto Raptors
- Orlando Magic
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Golden State Warriors
- Orlando Magic
- Sacramento Kings
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Charlotte Hornets
- San Antonio Spurs
- Indiana Pacers
- Golden State Warriors
- Washington Wizards
- Boston Celtics
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- New York Knicks
- Atlanta Hawks
- New York Knicks
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Houston Rockets
- Houston Rockets
- LA Clippers
- Denver Nuggets
- Brooklyn Nets
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Phoenix Suns
- Utah Jazz
Going into the 2021 draft at The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, here is the list of college basketball teams with the most NBA first-round draft picks.
- Kentucky – 54
- North Carolina – 52
- Duke – 48
- UCLA – 39
- Kansas – 33
- Michigan – 27
- Indiana – 26
- Arizona – 24
- Louisville – 24
- Syracuse – 24
- Ohio State – 23
- Michigan State – 21
- Notre Dame – 20
- Connecticut – 20
- Maryland – 20
- Georgia Tech – 19
- Texas – 18
- North Carolina State – 16
- Minnesota – 16
- St. John’s – 16
And it’s Kentucky of the Southeastern Conference that top the pile with a giant 54 players.
North Carolina of the Atlantic Coast Conference come next with 52 first-round picks, and the strength of that division is highlighted by the fact that Duke are third with 48 first-round picks.
No school has more number one picks than Duke either, with their four players picked first being: Art Heyman (1963, New York Knicks), Elton Brand (1999, Chicago Bulls), Kyrie Irving (2011, Cleveland Cavaliers) and Zion Williamson (2019, New Orleans Pelicans).
Last year it was Georgia’s Anthony Edwards that took the top spot as he headed for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Cade Cunningham is well-backed to be the number one pick, and with the Detroit Pistons in line to take first dibs, that’s where the 6’8″ point guard could be making his NBA debut next term.