Rivals Rankings Week: Introductory top 35 for class of 2021
RANKINGS: 2019 Rivals150 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2019 Team Rankings
RELATED: Class of 2020 position group rankings unveiled | PG | SG | SF | PF | C
With a full year of high school under their belts and their sophomore years started, it's time to introduce our first ranking of the class of 2021. There is still a long time between this initial ranking and the spring of 2021 so there will be many new names finding their way in and out of the rankings as we expand and update them over the next few years. To start things off, though, Hamilton (Wisc.) Sussex small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. has claimed the top spot in 2021.
Here are five storylines that stood out as we compiled the initial 2021 ranking.
BALDWIN AND CLARKE COULD BATTLE FOR A WHILE
When it came down to deciding the No. 1 spot, two names were under the most serious consideration. Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Terrence Clarke. And, man, there was a strong case to be made for each of them and there's no reason to think that these stud wings can't compete all the way through to the spring 2021 for the top spot.
For the time being, we lean slightly in the direction Baldwin. He is a truly elite jump shooter with big-time size and skill for the wing and while he's a bit more of an upside play, there's not much doubt that he can stand up to the expectations of a top player. He's had his quiet moments, but when he really gets it rolling like he did at times playing for Phenom University's 16U team, it's hard to imagine there being a better prospect in his class nationally.
Clarke has already proven himself playing in the 17U division of Nike's super competitive EYBL with Expressions Elite. He's a tall guard who can put the ball on the floor, has outstanding athleticism and is a threat with the jump shot.
It's going to be fun to highlight the talent of these two sophomores and debate them for years to come.
FOSTER AND BANCHERO FIT AS NEW AGE FOUR MEN
Checking in at No. 3 and No. 5 overall, forwards Michael Foster of Milwaukee (Wisc.) Washington and Paolo Banchero of Seattle (Wash.) O'Dea fit the mold of the new age power or combo forward.
Both are capable of shooting the jumper from deep, play with a high skill level and can swing between multiple positions and styles of play. As the game moves towards positionless play, "bigs" in the mold of Foster and Banchero hold increasingly more value at the college level and beyond.
There will be more like them in the class, but headed into their sophomore seasons Foster and Banchero set the standard for skilled and athletic hybrid forwards.
MANY IN 2021 HAVE PROVEN THEMSELVES AGAINST OLDER COMPETITION
Because of their youth, when evaluating the class of 2021 we have watched players compete on the 15U, 16U and 17U levels during summer play. What's striking is how many of these young players are already putting in work playing up two age groups at the 17U level.
No. 4 overall Jonathan Kuminga, a high-flying small forward. No. 6 Jaden Hardy a high-scoring shooting guard and No. 7 Moussa Cisse are just a few of the early five and four-star players who have been able to prove themselves against older competition.
Of course, a huge part of them being able to play at that level is that some of these guys are more physically advanced than your typical 15- or 16-year-old. So as their peers catch up to them physically, it's going to be on them to continue to improve their skill level and rely less on freakish athleticism or strength.
WILL THE POINT GUARDS EMERGE WITH TIME?
Make no mistake about it, more point guards will emege as we better learn the top players in 2021. However, it's a bit surprising that only four point guards rank among our initial top 35 players.
The highest ranked point guard on the list is No. 15 overall Zion Harmon. Believe it or not, Harmon just completed his third year playing at the 17U level of the EYBL. He is a dangerous outside shooter with toughness and reminds us an awful lot of former McDonald's All-American Demond Carter, who had a strong career at Baylor.
He's joined in the top 35 by California's Devin Askew (No. 19), Indiana's Khristian Lander (No. 30) and North Carolina's Cameron Hayes (No. 31).
IT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER HOW MUCH IS GOING TO CHANGE
Whenever people look at rankings, especially with younger players that haven't received as much high-level national exposure, there’s a tendency to freak out about this person being ranked too highly, that person being ranked too low or another not being ranked at all. Having put these lists together for some time now, the reaction is almost always most extreme for an initial ranking.
So, when reading an initial ranking list like this, there are some important things to keep in mind.
It’s very early and the pool of players that are rankable is still pretty small. Players headed into their sophomore years are playing across several different age levels in summer ball, faced with very different high school situations and still developing. As the class of 2021 progresses, we will get many more evaluation opportunities, players will mature and the exposure opportunities will start to even out. As a result, the pool of players that we’ll be looking at when doing rankings will grow exponentially over the next few years.
The fact of the matter is this, today’s ranking is going to look significantly different come April 2021, so nobody should be getting too high or too low based on this early list.