Corey Kispert, Gonzaga basketball.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs 2020-21 season is over. Corey Kispert and Aaron Cook are seniors. It is rumored that Jalen Suggs will be the 2021 number one NBA draft pick. Junior Ayayi already declared for the draft, and two more players are in the transfer portal, so there are some holes to fill. One top recruit is signed, and another may be on his way to Spokane.
Hunter Sallis is a five-star shooting guard from Omaha, NE. He stands at 6’5″ and has already committed to the Bulldogs. A fast learner; Sallis already has a pretty good basketball IQ. Not as big as Suggs, who is 205 lbs, but he’s taller. Sallis also has long arms and already is a great shooter. He was recruited by many but committed to Gonzaga early on.
There are not many, if any, other recruits like the six-star 7’1″ Chet Holmgren. Holmgren hails from the same high school as Jalen Suggs, Minnehaha Academy. Watching him play is fascinating. The six-star seven-footer is rim protection like none other. He’s a game-changer with his defense which is one thing the Zags were missing, a shot-blocking rim protector! He is also a solid replacement should Drew Timme decide not to return.
Holmgren has received 31 offers from schools around the country. Don’t worry. He hasn’t considered Baylor. The four teams in the running are:
After this season, Corey Kispert should be, in my opinion, a top ten candidate. I wouldn’t mind at all if the Knicks chose him. Although the Knicks are in dire need of a point guard, a sharpshooter like Kispert is also needed. Due to the way the Knicks are playing this season, they are probably out of the lottery. The Cleveland Cavaliers seem like a solid bet to select Kispert.
Now this young man will most likely be a late first-round or early second-round pick. A team like the Cavaliers could also select Joel Ayayi. They have chosen a point guard their last four years. This year Ayayi had the only triple-double in Gonzaga history. He also proved himself to be a good outside shooter (38.9 percent from three-point range) and a dependable clutch player.
Cade Cunningham has been the number one draft choice all season. In my opinion, it should be Jalen Suggs, but I could be a little biased. After the historic shot heard worldwide, he should be in the top two. Should Suggs even declare for the draft? If he decided to do so, he is a definite top-five candidate.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are in last place in the Western Conference, and they could get the first pick in the lottery. They would be crazy not to choose him. I’m sure his family would love that as the hometown star returns to lead the T-Wolves.
Drew Timme should return to Gonzaga for his Junior year. His defense isn’t at a pro-level yet. Besides, imagine what he and Holmgren as center could do at the rim? Timme did win the Karl Malone Power Forward Award. With him at the four, Holmgren at the five, and Nembhard and Sallis as their point. This could be what the Bulldogs would need to go all the way next year.
Should Timme elect to declare for the draft, he most likely will be a second-round choice. His less-than-stellar rim protection would be the biggest reason why. This year he was the WCC’s number two scorer behind Kispert. Although Timme averaged seven rebounds per game this season, his blocks were grim 0.7.
Two of the Zags reserve big men entered the transfer portal recently. Freshman Oumar Ballo and sophomore Pavel Zakharov, both seven-foot centers, are leaving the Zags. The handwriting was on the wall when head coach Mark Few used 6-8 Anton Watson and 6-10 freshman Ben Gregg as Timme’s subs.
Also, Timme is still a Zag for now, and in addition to Holmgren, Gonzaga is a favorite to land former North Carolina Tar Heels center Walker Kessler, who also has his name in the portal. Ballo and Zakharov were Top-100 recruits, so it shouldn’t be a big deal for either to find a new home.
Goodbye for now, and please stay safe and healthy!