2021 NBA Draft: 7 top prospects to watch in round 1 of the NCAA Tournament

NBA Draft prospect Cade Cunningham (Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman via USA TODAY NETWORK)
NBA Draft prospect Cade Cunningham (Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman via USA TODAY NETWORK)
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NBA Draft
NBA Draft prospect Evan Mobley (Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)

NBA Draft prospects to watch: Evan Mobley, USC

Following in the footsteps of Onyeka Okongwu, Evan Mobley is the next great USC big that is hoping to make waves at the NBA level. Before getting that chance, however, he’ll have the opportunity to solidify his spot among the nation’s best prospects in the NCAA Tournament.

Mobley is arguably the second-best prospect in this class and could use a strong performance in the NCAA Tournament to reinforce that belief among draft scouts. Mobley is a 7-foot center that is ideal for the modern NBA.

He has great length (7-foot-4 wingspan) and athleticism to develop into a defensive anchor and is a good enough offensive player where he won’t be run off the floor by smaller units. He’s coming off a freshman season in which he averaged 17 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks per game on 58 percent shooting from the field.