The Top Prospects in the 2022 NBA Draft, who are the stars ahead of NCAA March Madness?
Jabari Smith, Forward, Auburn, 6’10 210
The Auburn Tigers are one of the best teams in the country, at one time looking historic getting off to a 15-1 record and starting unblemished in SEC Play. The Tigers currently sit at 13-2 in the SEC, and 25-3 overall with talent up and down the roster.
Despite playing with upper-tier college teammates, Jabari Smith is a no-number guy. The Auburn wing pops off the screen in the film room, even to someone who would not know what he looks like, or what number he wears, they could pick this NBA Draft top prospect out of any lineup. While that sounds obvious, there have been top NBA prospects who got lost even on bad college teams for a variety of reasons, that does not happen to Smith.
The wing averages 21-points, six rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal per game. The more off-ball dominant player potentially fits right in with Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Smith posts 43-percent from three on five attempts, and the same percentage from the floor. At the free-throw line, Smith is nearly at 80-percent, an area NBA scouts heavily prioritize.
When he is drafted, the Auburn Forward will be 19 years old with a May 13th birthday. Synergy grades out Smith as an “excellent” player, with a good grade as a pick and roll man (1.065 points per possession), and as a spot-up shooter, Smith is in the 96th percentile in the country averaging 1.392 points per possession. Think Josh Giddey can work with that? If I had to make a Thunder-centric big board right now, Jabari Smith Jr would be at the top of it.
Paolo Banchero, Forward, Duke, 6’10 250
Paolo Banchero kicked off 2022 NBA Draft coverage, I was incredibly impressed with Banchero coming out of high school and he has not done much to slow down that hype train so far.
At Duke, Banchero has led the Blue Devils to a 14-3 ACC record, with a 24-4 record overall tabbed as the seventh-best team in the country according to the AP Top 25. The 6’10 wing averages 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal per game.
Banchero is an elite playmaker for his size, a trait that is very appealing to the Oklahoma City Thunder organization. Shooting 30-percent from three, and 77-percent at the line there is hope with better NBA spacing his three-point percentage will skyrocket.
While he is drafted he will be 19 years old, though by the Mid-way point in November of his rookie season, the Duke product will leave his teenage years. The most impressive part of his game is his ability to defend at a high level without fouling. Defensively, Banchero ranks in the 63rd percentile allowing 0.796 points per possession.
Chet Holmgren, something, Gonzaga, 7’0 195
Aleksej Pokusevski walked so Chet Holmgren could run. The Gonzaga Product is a center, forward, guard type player that is hard to evaluate given his frame. Holmgren has been hyped for over a year dating back to his incredible high school highlights.
In college, he is averaging 19-points, 13-rebounds, three assists, five blocks, and a steal per game for the top-ranked Bulldogs that sit at 23-2. Playing next to Drew Timmie, an elite college big man has not hindered Holmgren at all.
In isolation, Holmgren is in the 61st percentile in spot-up shooting and does not find himself in enough isolation scenarios to even qualify for a ranking, just nine possessions in isolation. The reason if you are a Thunder fan you would love to see Chet Holmgren in Bricktown is the fact he is such a great off-ball player alongside the two building block guards in Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Holmgren is in the 90th percentile as a cutter, producing 1.476 points per possession, 1.545 points per possession in transition, and shooting 40-percent on spot-up attempts this season.
Jaden Ivey, Guard, Purdue, 6’4 200
Jaden Ivey has shown flashes of stardom for the 4th ranked Boilermakers this season. Despite not being a flashy young freshman, this sophomore holds some of the highest potentials in the 2022 NBA Draft. Though, this would be a near disaster scenario for the Oklahoma City Thunder to be “left with” this talented guard.
Sam Presti would likely explore trade options if the Oklahoma City Thunder remained in the fourth slot of the upcoming NBA Draft, which is not a knock on Ivey and more so thanks to the current roster construction of the OKC Thunder.
Ivey likes to turn the ball over, is near hopeless on defense, and would almost certainly force a Lu Dort trade when you factor in Lu Dort, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, and potentially Jaden Ivey into the future of the Oklahoma City Thunder organization.
Though, Ivey just simply has that “it” factor, and I would bet a lot of money on a lengthy Purdue run this season with the star power of Ivey and that he will capture the hearts of America during March. Averaging 17 points per game, five rebounds, three assists, a steal, and nearly a block per game on 36-percent from three, and 46-percent from the floor.
Synergy matches the eye test as the overall offensive rating drops from “excellent” to “very good” for Ivey. Defensively, the Purdue product grades out as “below average” in the 15h percentile in the country on that end of the floor.
While I wish Jaden Ivey nothing but the best, in regards to his fit with the Oklahoma City Thunder it is less than ideal.