2025 NBA Draft Thread

[ballinsam23]

Sometimes I’m trolling not gonna front, but this draft is actual trash. I didn’t even watch one full game of March Madness so this isn’t a tourney take.

You guys have a tendenacy of hyping up glorified 7-10th men on most rosters every year. Most drafts aren’t this bad. And to draft some of these guys as top picks is not it. Imagine getting a top 2 pick and using it on Banchero? Nah, no way. He’s gonna get eaten up.

100% this a draft I’m trading my lotto pick as a GM for a player or future assets.

Ivey is really the only wild card in the top 10 where he can become something legit. Chet is elite at defense and has a shot so you know he’s certified.

 

[B Sox]

I don’t know what y’all want sometimes

Draft probably has like 10-12 starter level guys and then additional role players sprinkled in. No different than most other drafts.

 

[B Sox]

Mark Williams and Christian Koloko might both go outside the lotto and both will end up being starting 5s in the league, IMO. Both good rim runners that are switchable and block shots and rebound.

 

[WASHED KING]

Last two drafts spoiled us. My money is on Ivey to be the best player out of this class though.

Him or Jabari.

Not a believer in Chet or Banchero.

 

[B Sox]

Not a believer in them to be what though? Starters? All-NBA? Top 50?

 

[WASHED KING]

Not a believer in them to be what though? Starters? All-NBA? Top 50?

I see them being fringe starters/role players at best.

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Keep the takes coming boys

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

 

[HOU$TON]

Chet will be the goods.

Side note, I have a feeling Shaedon Sharpe will be really good

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Hell yeah, I'm a Sharpe believer

Sucks about his situation. Hope he just declares

 

[Mister Meaner]

I’m committing crimes if I’m the Knicks trying to secure yet another Duke prospect. Banchero might take a bit to adjust. All youts do of course. But give him however long he needs to adjust & he’s going to kill the league the next 10+ years.

Boy built like a tank. Legs thicker than this white chick I used to hit from Vt.

Knicks building a bully backcourt/wing rotation needs to happen.

 

[pmatic]

Spoiler

2022 NBA mock draft: How top prospects fared in the NCAA men's basketball tournament

Note: The projected 2022 draft order is based on ESPN BPI draft projections as of Saturday. The full 1-58 order also reflects picks owed and owned.

Jonathan Givony's NBA mock draft

1. Houston Rockets

Chet Holmgren | Gonzaga | 7-0 | PF | Age: 19.8

2. Orlando Magic

Jabari Smith | Auburn | 6-10 | SF/PF | Age: 18.8

3. Indiana Pacers

Paolo Banchero | Duke | 6-10 | PF/C | Age: 19.3

4. Oklahoma City Thunder

Jaden Ivey | Purdue | 6-4 | PG/SG | Age: 20.0

5. Detroit Pistons

Keegan Murray | Iowa | 6-9 | PF/C | Age: 21.5

6. Sacramento Kings

Shaedon Sharpe | Kentucky | 6-6 | SG | Age: 18.8

7. Portland Trail Blazers

Jalen Duren | Memphis | 6-10 | C | Age: 18.3

8. San Antonio Spurs

AJ Griffin | Duke | 6-6 | SF/PF | Age: 18.5

9. New Orleans Pelicans (from Lakers)

Johnny Davis | Wisconsin | 6-5 | PG/SG | Age: 20.0

10. Washington Wizards

Dyson Daniels | G League Ignite | 6-6 | PG/SG | Age: 19.0

11. New York Knicks

Bennedict Mathurin | Arizona | 6-6 | SF | Age: 19.7

12. Portland Trail Blazers (from Pelicans)

Ochai Agbaji | Kansas | 6-6 | SF | Age: 21.9

13. Atlanta Hawks

Jeremy Sochan | Baylor | 6-9 | PF | Age: 18.8

14. Charlotte Hornets (Hawks if 19-30)

TyTy Washington Jr. | Kentucky | 6-4 | PG/SG | Age: 20.3

15. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Clippers)

Tari Eason | LSU | 6-8 | PF | Age: 20.8

16. Houston Rockets (from Nets)

Malaki Branham | Ohio St. | 6-5 | SG | Age: 18.8

17. Indiana Pacers

Kennedy Chandler | Tennessee | 6-1 | PG | Age: 19.5

18. Chicago Bulls

E.J. Liddell | Ohio St. | 6-7 | PF | Age: 21.2

19. Minnesota Timberwolves

Ousmane Dieng | NZ Breakers | 6-10 | SF/PF | Age: 18.8

20. San Antonio Spurs (from Raptors)

Blake Wesley | Notre Dame | 6-5 | SG | Age: 19.0

21. Brooklyn Nets (from 76ers)

Mark Williams | Duke | 7-1 | C | Age: 20.2

22. San Antonio Spurs (from Celtics)

Nikola Jovic | Mega Mozzart | 6-10 | SF | Age: 18.7

23. Denver Nuggets

MarJon Beauchamp | G League Ignite | 6-6 | SG/SF | Age: 21.4

24. Memphis Grizzlies (from Jazz)

Walker Kessler | Auburn | 7-1 | C | Age: 20.6

25. Dallas Mavericks

Kendall Brown | Baylor | 6-8 | SF | Age: 18.8

26. Milwaukee Bucks

Jaden Hardy | G League Ignite | 6-4 | SG | Age: 19.7

27. Golden State Warriors

Trevor Keels | Duke | 6-5 | PG/SG | Age: 18.5

28. Miami Heat

Jean Montero | Overtime Elite | 6-2 | PG/SG | Age: 18.7

29. Memphis Grizzlies

Patrick Baldwin Jr. | Milwaukee | 6-9 | SF/PF | Age: 19.3

30. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Suns)

Bryce McGowens | Nebraska | 6-6 | SG | Age: 19.3

31. Indiana Pacers (from Cavaliers via Rockets)

David Roddy | Colorado St. | 6-5 | PF | Age: 20.9

32. Orlando Magic

Hugo Besson | NZ Breakers | 6-5 | PG/SG| Age: 20.8

33. Orlando Magic (from Pacers)

Christian Braun | Kansas | 6-6 | SG/SF | Age: 20.9

34. Oklahoma City Thunder

Wendell Moore Jr. | Duke | 6-6 | SF | Age: 20.5

35. Toronto Raptors (from Pistons)

Justin Lewis | Marquette | 6-7 | SF/PF | Age: 19.9

36. Sacramento Kings

Ismael Kamagate | Paris | 6-11 | C | Age: 21.1

37. Portland Trail Blazers

Christian Koloko | Arizona | 7-1 | C | Age: 21.7

38. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Spurs)

JD Davison | Alabama | 6-3 | PG | Age: 19.4

39. San Antonio Spurs (from Lakers)

Khalifa Diop | Gran Canaria | 7-0 | C | Age: 20.1

40. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Cavaliers via Wizards)

Jake LaRavia | Wake Forest | 6-8 | PF | Age: 20.3

41. New York Knicks

Max Christie | Michigan St. | 6-6 | SG | Age: 19.1

42. Charlotte Hornets (from Pelicans)

Oscar Tshiebwe | Kentucky | 6-9 | C | Age: 22.3

43. Atlanta Hawks

Yannick Nzosa | Unicaja Malaga | 6-11 | C | Age: 18.3

44. Charlotte Hornets

Keon Ellis | Alabama | 6-6 | SG/SF | Age: 22.1

45. LA Clippers

Trevion Williams | Purdue | 6-10 | C | Age: 21.5

46. Detroit Pistons (from Nets)

Dalen Terry | Arizona | 6-7 | PG/SG | Age: 19.6

47. New Orleans Pelicans (from Cavaliers)

Andrew Nembhard | Gonzaga | 6-4 | PG | Age: 22.1

48. Sacramento Kings (from Bulls)

Jalen Williams | Santa Clara | 6-6 | SF | Age: 20.9

49. Minnesota Timberwolves

Drew Timme | Gonzaga | 6-10 | PF/C | Age: 21.5

50. Golden State Warriors (from Raptors)

Matteo Spagnolo | Cremona | 6-5 | PG | Age: 19.1

51. Philadelphia 76ers

Gabriele Procida | Fortitudo Bologna | 6-7 | SG | Age: 19.8

52. Boston Celtics

Jaime Jaquez Jr. | UCLA | 6-6 | SG | Age: 21.0

53. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Nuggets)

Alondes Williams | Wake Forest | 6-5 | PG/SG | Age: 22.7

54. New Orleans Pelicans (from Jazz)

Michael Foster | G League Ignite | 6-9 | PF | Age: 19.1

55. Washington Wizards (from Mavericks)

Dominick Barlow | Overtime Elite | 6-9 | PF/C | Age: 18.8

56. Golden State Warriors

Julian Champagnie | St. John's | 6-8 | SF/PF | Age: 20.7

57. Portland Trail Blazers (from Grizzlies)

Ron Harper Jr. | Rutgers | 6-6 | SF/PF | Age: 21.9

58. Indiana Pacers (from Suns)

Jabari Walker | Colorado | 6-8 | PF | Age: 19.6

Chet Holmgren | 7-1 | PF | Gonzaga | Age: 19.8 | Mock draft: No. 1

Gonzaga escaped with a win against freshman center Jalen Duren and a powerful Memphis squad that put quite a scare into the NCAA tournament's No. 1 overall seed, with Holmgren having a somewhat underwhelming performance by his lofty standards.

It started with real fireworks between the projected top-10 picks, with Holmgren stifling Duren repeatedly inside the post, showing impressive toughness and fight despite giving up more than 50 pounds, along with his extraordinary length and timing challenging him at the rim. Foul trouble prevented the two from seeing as much head-to-head action as scouts may have liked, with both players in foul trouble, but Holmgren still clearly got the best of the matchup.

Holmgren was somewhat passive offensively by his recent standards, not looking to push the ball off the defensive glass or exploit mismatches in short-roll situations as aggressively as in previous showings. His outside shot wasn't falling either, as he's hit a bit of a cold streak, converting just 1 of his last 14 attempts from 3, but is still at 39% from 3 on the season. He also missed two of his three free throws, including the front end of a key 1-and-1, which is uncharacteristic. While nerves may have been a factor, he also seemed to be deferring to the experience of upperclassmen stars Drew Timme and Andrew Nembhard, who were both having huge games and carrying the team in different stretches.



Despite his relatively muted impact offensively, Holmgren was a huge factor defensively as usual, blocking four shots, challenging countless others and finishing +18 in a game Gonzaga won by four. Naysayers will point to the struggles he had dealing with physicality, as he got pushed around on the glass at times and dunked on emphatically by Duren while attempting to draw a charge. Holmgren moves onto the Sweet 16, where he'll face another formidable opponent in Arkansas, with the No. 1 defense in the SEC, another great opportunity to solidify his standing at the top of the draft against top-level competition. -- Jonathan Givony

Jabari Smith | 6-10 | SF/PF | Auburn | Age: 18.8 | Mock draft: No. 2

Smith built his candidacy as a potential No. 1 pick by making impossible shots look easy all season. Those shots stopped falling at the worst time possible in a frenetic, up-tempo, small-ball game that saw Auburn completely fall apart in a loss to Miami, shooting 30% from the field and trailing from the opening tip.

Smith had easily his worst offensive game of the season, shooting 1-for-8 from 3 and 2-for-8 from 2, looking discombobulated by Miami's unorthodox style, and never finding any type of rhythm, like the rest of his team. Variance, and the extremely high degree of difficulty of attempts he lives off with his sped-up style will lead to nights like this on occasion, but it was still shocking to see it play out.

After 34 games, playing against an elite strength of schedule, NBA teams know exactly the type of prospect Smith is. Still, only two players over 6-6 have ever been drafted in the lottery after shooting under 45% from 2-point range (Cam Reddish and Ziaire Williams), and Smith's lack of explosiveness, extreme reliance on difficult jumpers and inability to create easy shots for himself or others inside the arc reared its head several times in this game, as it has all season.

On the positive side, Smith didn't go down without a fight, grabbing a career-high 15 rebounds, posting three blocks and showing terrific effort all game long sliding his feet on the perimeter and covering ground all over the floor. He was obviously distraught in defeat, and can't be solely blamed for the loss, as his entire team (and coaching staff) had a very poor showing.

Smith will still be a top-3 draft pick ultimately, but his chances of going No. 1 got a little bit smaller with this surprising upset, even if he'll surely still receive strong consideration depending on which team gets the pick. -- Givony

Paolo Banchero | 6-10 | PF/C | Duke | Age: 19.3 | Mock draft: No. 3

Banchero had some ups and downs but played a huge role in Duke's comeback win over Michigan State, making several important plays down the stretch. Despite looking indecisive at times in the first half, Banchero ramped up the aggression and unleashed his talent in a major way with several skillful one-on-one baskets in the final minutes, scoring on a fluid, rangy spin-move from the perimeter over Marcus Bingham Jr., and then powering through Joey Hauser with a series of crossovers and hesitation moves to give the Blue Devils the lead for good.

Banchero also showed his ability to find teammates for open shots, and had an impressive block on Hauser -- sliding his feet on the perimeter and meeting him at the rim -- showing excellent mobility and timing on the defensive end. Banchero's tendency to overthink open jumpers and shy away from physicality on both ends of the floor has been frustrating for scouts to watch at times this season, but there was very little to criticize in this game as he finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a trip to the Sweet 16. Duke will face the No. 1 defensive team in college basketball, Texas Tech, which should provide a major test for coach Mike Krzyzewski's young squad. -- Givony

Jalen Duren | 6-11 | C | Memphis | Age: 22.1 | Mock draft: No. 7

While Memphis put up an impressive fight against No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga and projected No. 1 pick Holmgren, Duren wasn't able to move the needle with his individual play, battling foul trouble on his way to seven points, seven rebounds on 3-for-11 shooting in 19 minutes.

Duren used his powerful 250-pound frame to wedge Holmgren under the rim on the offensive glass several times, leading to four offensive rebounds -- his best NBA skill at this stage. He took advantage of a Holmgren flop for an explosive dunk out of the post. He finished a lob well above the rim that was far more indicative of the type of spacing he'll have at the next level. He made a couple heady high-low passes. He also stymied guard Andrew Nembhard on a couple switches, recovered well to Holmgren out of short roll situations to take away shot attempts and put together a couple strong defensive possessions on Drew Timme, who still found ways to score in the midst of an unbelievable display of tough shot-making.

Duren struggled to finish around the rim against Holmgren's length both on put-backs and post isolations, not always going up with the amount of ferocity as his tools suggest. He forced up a contested mid-range jumper halfway through the shot clock that missed. He committed avoidable fouls on the glass, as a screener and reaching on the perimeter. Duren also had underwhelming moments guarding in space, which was also the case against Boise State. For as vertically explosive as he is, Duren doesn't have great technique defending away from the rim, as he doesn't sit down in a stance like he could and often opens his hips too quickly.

His urgency on both ends still fluctuates, as he doesn't always sprint the floor, and he'll get boxed out of shot-blocking situations with deep seals defensively. Although he was unable to completely outplay Holmgren and put together a true signature performance, Duren has shown enough to warrant his standing as a potential pick between No. 6-10.

Getting to know Duren personally and determining whether or not he can be more than a run-and-jump big will go a long way in deciding just how high the 18-year-old big man with Dwight Howard-like tools will ultimately go, and if he can be more than an NBA starter. -- Mike Schmitz

Jeremy Sochan | 6-9 | PF | Baylor | Age: 18.8 | Mock draft: No. 13

Although Baylor's valiant 25-point comeback fell short against North Carolina in overtime, Sochan showed quite a bit of character during the Bears' short-lived NCAA tournament run, averaging 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes while shooting 50% from 2 and 3-of-9 from 3. Sochan's energy, competitiveness, defensive versatility and toughness shined through in the second half against UNC and it's become increasingly clear that he's not only the best NBA prospect on his team, but a potential lottery pick if he can convince teams of his shooting throughout the pre-draft process. He fought until the bitter end against the Tar Heels, flying around at the top of the Baylor press, switching onto guards, battling inside, crashing the offensive glass, diving on the floor for loose balls and trying to change shots around the rim.

Sochan naysayers will question his elite NBA skill, which is fair. He has nice size at around 6-9 and 230 pounds with solid agility, yet he's not long (7-0 wingspan), isn't overly quick or vertically explosive and he's not much of a threat to score in the half court, which we saw against the Tar Heels. UNC bigs Armando Bacot and Brady Manek regularly closed out short and dared him to beat them from 3, which limited Sochan's downhill attacks and led to some underwhelming possessions that highlighted his lack of a reliable jumper and somewhat limited burst off the bounce (4-for-14 from the field).

Analytics models will flag his 58.9% free throw clip and sub-30% 3-point shooting. Sochan's 14.3 points per 40 minutes also rank in the bottom 15 among ESPN's top-100. Yet, Sochan attempting 4.3 threes per 40 minutes this season is encouraging as far as his confidence is concerned, and watching him shoot in person several times, he has touch and solid mechanics, even showing the ability to knock down pull-ups and mid-post turnarounds on occasion. If he can turn himself into a league-average shooter, then he'll be able to unleash the ballhandling and passing we saw this season and so regularly with the Polish junior national team.

Sochan has a chance to be an instant NBA contributor defensively as he's comfortable switching out onto guards, tracking big wings and has at least shown the willingness to slide up to the small-ball 5. He doesn't quite have the sheer reach and bounce to be a full-time protector at the 5, but the instincts are there (2.0 steals and 1.1 blocks per 40 minutes), and he's a solid positional rebounder who gravitates toward the ball and isn't afraid to mix it up in traffic. Being able to shift up to the 5 also makes him a far tougher cover offensively.

At 18 years old with the type of versatility NBA teams covet, I'd fully expect Sochan to be a potential riser in the pre-draft process as teams get to know him, dive into his FIBA tape and unearth his shooting potential. Even if he doesn't evolve into a reliable half-court scorer, Sochan could thrive in a Boris Diaw-like role as a playmaking forward who makes his teammates better, adds value with his defensive versatility and does a lot of the little things that impact winning. -- Schmitz

TyTy Washington Jr. | 6-4 | PG | Kentucky | Age: 20.3 | Mock draft: No. 14

Kentucky suffered one of the most shocking NCAA tournament upsets in recent memory, losing to No. 15 seed Saint Peter's, with their highly regarded freshman Washington having his worst game of the season at the most inopportune time possible, scoring five points on 2-for-10 shooting with more turnovers than assists, and several poor defensive possessions.

Washington simply hasn't been the same player since suffering an ankle injury two months ago in a loss at Auburn, seeing his scoring production and efficiency fall off. How healthy he was the past two months and what caused this precipitous drop in production will be a major point of conversation for lottery teams the next three months.



Watching the ease in which Kentucky's entire offense was grinded to a halt by a MAAC team with a simple, but highly effective game plan will raise many of the same questions NBA teams have asked about other John Calipari guards in the past. Tyrese Maxey, Devin Booker, Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson, Hamidou Diallo, Immanuel Quickley, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Brandon Boston Jr. and others all ended up being under-drafted after looking vastly more comfortable in the NBA than they did in college, which has caused scouts to openly discuss grading future Kentucky prospects on a curve, operating under the assumption that they simply won't be used to their full potential in college.

Were Washington's weaknesses similarly accentuated by the extreme lack of shooting and spacing surrounding him? And will being placed in a more modern offensive system not built around post-ups, offensive rebounds and mid-range jumpers help solve some of the issues he faced this season with his struggles beating opponents off the dribble and finishing in traffic?

Outside of one week in which Sahvir Wheeler was injured (where Washington broke John Wall and Kentucky's single-game record with 17 assists), we never quite got to see what Washington would look like as a full-time point guard, something NBA teams would surely like to know more about. Washington's ability to make reads out of ball-screens is arguably his biggest strength, but he averaged less than six pick and rolls per game, ranked 467th among division one players, per Synergy Sports Technology. Prior to Washington's injuries, he was the most efficient pick and roll player in college basketball, but he fell off the past two months.

Excuses aside, it's safe to say Washington should have done better with the opportunities he had, especially with his team's season on the brink against an overmatched opponent, and certainly on the defensive end where he actually had some nice progress relative to where he started. He'll now move onto the pre-draft process, where several polarizing guard prospects, including himself, will attempt to position themselves for consideration in the No. 10 to No. 20 portion of the draft. -- Givony

Malaki Branham | 6-5 | SG | Ohio State | Age: 18.8 | Mock draft: No. 16

Branham looked like the best player on the floor against Villanova, despite only being a freshman. Ohio State has gradually shifted most of their offense to run through him as the season has progressed, and he did a great job of making shots keep the game close before the Buckeyes eventually bowed out. Branham's size, frame, length, scoring instincts and shot-making prowess off the dribble (44% FG%) and with his feet set (43%) make his game look seamlessly translatable for what the NBA is looking for at his position. He got to his spots in the mid-range and rose up beautifully with his high release point, and showed he can do a little more than that too by facilitating for others and showing competitiveness defensively one-on-one. While he has some things to work with as a ball handler and off-ball defender, the fact that he's 18 years old, has made such impressive strides as the season moved on and plays with a unique combination of aggressiveness and poise could put him in lottery conversations. -- Givony

Kennedy Chandler | 6-1 | PG | Tennessee | Age: 19.5 | Mock draft: No. 17

No. 3 seed Tennessee lost in the Round of 32 to No. 11 seed Michigan, but it's difficult to call Chandler's performance over the past two months anything but a major win, as he clearly established himself as one of the best point guards in college basketball after an up-and-down start.

Chandler has played mistake-free, highly efficient basketball over the past 15 games, looking on another level confidence-wise, shooting 47% from beyond the arc and playing lockdown defense. Winners of 13 of their past 14 games going into Saturday, Tennessee shot just 2-for-18 from 3, with Wolverines coach Juwan Howard electing to send a series of aggressive traps and double teams at Chandler and force anyone but him to beat them, something that proved to be a winning strategy.

Chandler proved his point, showing the type of burst, ball-handling, creativity and aggressiveness every NBA covets. He did a masterful job of playing off hesitation moves and changing gears to get anywhere he wanted on the floor, dished out nine assists, hit an array of pull-up jumpers, finished skillfully around the basket and got in passing lanes repeatedly. Although his team didn't win, it was encouraging to see how assertive Chandler was all game long after being criticized earlier in the season for being too tentative on the floor and too quiet off it -- areas he's made major strides with.

After a roller-coaster start, Chandler's draft stock is back where it started at the beginning of the season, vying to be the first point guard off the board after Jaden Ivey. NBA teams have long been reluctant to hand the keys of their team over to smaller guards, which is why measurements and the way he performs in workouts against other touted prospects at his position will ultimately determine when his name is called. Chandler took a circuitous route but appears to have come out a much better player after a strong development season that will likely position him well going into his NBA rookie season. -- Givony

Blake Wesley | 6-5 | SG | Notre Dame | Age: 19.0 | Mock draft: No. 20

Notre Dame's surprise NCAA tournament run came to an end as the No. 1 defense in college basketball, Texas Tech, held potential first-round pick Wesley to just 3-for-14 shooting in 32 minutes, putting an end to a freshman campaign that featured everything from remarkable highlights to head-scratching lows. Wesley shot 13-for-37 from 2 and 0-for-8 from 3 against Rutgers, Alabama and the Red Raiders while committing more turnovers than assists. While he tried to relentlessly attack Texas Tech with downhill attacks, Wesley ran out of gas, showing where he has the most room to improve in the process.

Despite the inefficiency, Wesley's talent still popped, particularly in Notre Dame's win over Alabama (18 points on 14 shots), where he looked like the best prospect on the floor. He has NBA-caliber burst off the bounce, proved comfortable rising up in mid-range spots. He's looked far more competitive defensively as the year has gone on, using that quickness, length and solid instincts to add value both on and off the ball, making plays in the passing lanes, blowing up handoffs and proving more than capable containing the ball in 1-on-1 situations.

But the game still moves too quickly for the 19-year-old -- Wesley committed several costly turnovers in the last five minutes of Sunday's loss. He's still searching for the right blend between scoring and playmaking, as he regularly missed kick outs or drop offs once he got a piece of the paint. Among the 143 players to take at least 130 shots at the rim in the half court, Wesley ranks 142nd in efficiency. He will also have to prove himself as a perimeter shooter throughout the pre-draft process, as he finished the year at 30.3% from 3.

Wesley is a big-time talent who has NBA feet and shift off the dribble, can get a piece of the paint at will and has at least shown enough off the dribble shooting potential to suggest there's room to improve. With a strong pre-draft process, it's not out of the question that Wesley gets looks throughout the teens, especially if he shoots the ball well. But for those who were skeptical about his NBA readiness and consistent impact, Wesley's showing against Texas Tech didn't do anything to ease those concerns. -- Schmitz

Kendall Brown | 6-8 | SF/PF | Baylor | Age: 18.8 | Mock draft: No. 25

Down 67-42 with 10:47 left in the second half, Baylor nearly pulled off one of the great comebacks in NCAA tournament history in an overtime loss to North Carolina. They did it almost exclusively with the highly regarded freshman Brown glued to the bench. Brown's offensive weaknesses were put on full display by North Carolina's game plan, which was to ignore him on the perimeter and dare him to take open jump shots, which Brown happily did, going 0-for-4 from 3. Brown's shaky ball-handling ability and feel for the game were also put to the test, as well as his lack of awareness and physicality defensively. Brown was repeatedly late rotating in both the half court and transition while getting beaten up on the glass and fighting over screens, as the game simply moved too fast for him at times. Baylor's coaching staff finally pulled the plug with 13 minutes left, and the team then went on a huge run when UNC forward Brady Manek was ejected on a highly questionable call, leading Brown to finish minus-23.

Not turning 19 until May, Brown's raw offensive skill set and struggles defensively aren't shocking considering his lack of experience, and he still has several intriguing attributes to hang his hat on as arguably the most explosive leaper in this draft class, with a 6-11 wingspan and some real flashes of passing and ability to defend one-on-one. Still, there are real question marks about what exactly Brown's role will be early in his NBA career, and whether he has the touch to develop his jump shot, which will be a major key to his long-term development. -- Givony

Justin Lewis | 6-7 | PF | Marquette | Age: 19.9 | Mock draft: No. 35

Entering the NCAA tournament as a fringe first-round prospect, the 19-year-old Lewis was unable to solidify his stock as he turned in an uninspiring 2-for-15 performance in an ugly 32-point loss to North Carolina. Despite big games against DePaul (26 points,10 rebounds) and St. John's (28 points, seven rebounds) down the stretch of the season, Lewis ends his sophomore campaign as one of the more perplexing prospects in this class given the stark difference between his best and worst games.

The Golden Eagles had no answer for Caleb Love's 21-point first half, and Lewis struggled to knock down slip-out 3s (2-for-7), finishing the year at 35% from beyond the arc on 5.2 attempts per game. Lewis is still very much learning when to take spot-up 3s versus when to attack off the bounce, as he tends to rely on out-of-rhythm jumpers or forced drives to the rim, where he's more strong and powerful than quick and explosive. Lewis' lack of elite burst showed on downhill attacks against the Tar Heels, and he missed a few bunnies in traffic (0-for-8 from 2), bringing his finishing percentage to 47.1%, which ranks 198th out of 203 players in the NCAA to take over 120 shots at the rim in the half court.

Lewis did change several shots at the rim with his 7-2 wingspan, suggesting he can play some small-ball 5 at the next level such as Charlotte's P.J. Washington. The small center role might ultimately be Lewis' most advantageous position as he's not quick-footed or consistently locked in guarding the perimeter (on and off the ball) and needs to still improve as an offensive decision-maker, finding more ways to add value when he's not making shots. There's no question that Lewis made a huge jump this season, and the fact that he's still 19 years old with NBA length and strength, a projectable shooting stroke and solid ball skills for a player his size makes him undoubtedly interesting to scouts. But Lewis didn't help himself against the Tar Heels, and he'll surely have to have a strong pre-draft process to prove he's worthy of a June first-round selection -- Schmitz

Andrew Nembhard | 6-4 | PG | Gonzaga | Age: 22.1 | Mock draft: No. 47

Nembhard showed why he's one of the best point guards in college on Saturday night, scoring 10 points in the last 4:37 to cap off a 23-point, 5-assist game in an 82-78 win over Memphis. Every time the Tigers made a run, Nembhard made a play, making two of his five 3s down the stretch while proving he's capable of punishing teams for darting under screens.

Nembhard is playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 15.0 points, 7.0 assists, and just 1.9 turnovers per games over his past 10 games while shooting 50% from 2 and 41% from 3. Nembhard has always been touted for his stellar basketball acumen and poise, but it's the improvements he's made as a shooter that has NBA teams looking at him with more clarity than in the past. Too often not even looking at the rim from 3 in previous years, Nembhard is even pulling from beyond NBA range on occasion, which has forced teams over the top of screens in pick and roll, allowing him to utilize his size and vision to either hit the roll man or spray the ball out to shooters with either hand.

Nembhard also looks quicker with the ball in the open court as the conductor to Gonzaga's high-octane offense that ranks in the top-five in both pace and efficiency according to KenPom.com.

Where Nembhard does need to prove he can add value is on the defensive end, where Gonzaga will hide him at times, in part to conserve his energy -- he's sat out less than five total minutes over his last five games. Although strong at 6-4 with the ability to hold his own in the post, which he did at times against a wing such as Memphis' Landers Nolley II, Nembhard isn't overly active off the ball, regularly standing straight up and down when he should be tagging or sinking inside the big to take away a drop off or offensive rebound. His on-ball focus and energy very much comes and goes. He's still not overly shifty with the ball in the half court on offense, which we saw on several Memphis switches when he either had to kill his dribble inside the arc or get off the ball.

But Nembhard's recent surge -- particularly as a shooter -- should earn him looks in the mid to early second round, especially if he can lead the Bulldogs to a national title with a signature performance against a team such as Duke (a potential Elite 8 foe) along the way. -- Schmitz

 

[pmatic]

Spoiler

Chet Holmgren, Jaden Ivey, Bennedict Mathurin and more: Scouting NCAA Tournament performances of top NBA Draft prospects

The best weekend of the year — the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament — has come and gone, with 48 win-or-go-home games over four days bringing the best out of many of the great players across college basketball.

These games create ideal scouting and evaluation scenarios for high-level NBA decision-makers looking to gather as much information as possible on potential top picks in the NBA Draft. And in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, we were lucky to get a majority of the top players in the class playing postseason basketball. Only three of the top-20 players on my 2022 NBA Draft Big Board were not involved this past weekend, and that includes wing Shaedon Sharpe, who did not suit up for Kentucky.

In that vein, I decided to dive into the performances we saw from the top-10 players who played this weekend (outside of A.J. Griffin, who I did not have particularly strong opinions regarding). That’s eight players, many of whom really showed out. That includes the top player on my board, Chet Holmgren, whose game against Memphis seemed to cause a stir for viewers tuning into Gonzaga for the first time this season. Let’s dive deep into Holmgren, Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero, Jaden Ivey, Keegan Murray, Bennedict Mathurin, Jalen Duren and Johnny Davis, all of whom had varying levels of success in what was the first NCAA Tournament for many.

Chet Holmgren | Ranking: No. 1 | 7-foot-1 center, Gonzaga | 19 years old, freshman
Round of 64 vs. Georgia State: 19 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, seven blocks, two steals, 8 of 11 field goals
Round of 32 vs. Memphis: Nine points, nine rebounds, four blocks, two assists, 4 of 7 field goals

Overall, I thought the weekend was positive for Holmgren. Every eyeball in the evaluation community was on the showcase matchup we got Saturday night when Gonzaga and Holmgren took on Memphis and potential lottery pick Jalen Duren. It was the perfect evaluation opportunity. Every question about Holmgren this year has been about his size and strength, given his 7-foot-1, 190-pound frame. In the 6-foot-11, 250-pound Duren, scouts got the chance to see how Holmgren would perform against such power.

I thought he was pretty dominant defensively and every bit of who we thought he was on that end. The first two possessions made that clear. The first play came on a dump-off to Duren in the dunker spot, where he tried to go up through Holmgren. Holmgren contested with his length to force the Duren miss, then held his ground to grab the contested rebound. On the second defensive possession, Memphis ran a post-up for Duren, who spun back and got a small edge, but Holmgren sealed that up quickly and swatted the shot away with relative ease. In total, Holmgren ended up with nine defensive rebounds and four blocks (plus countless other contests at the rim). But his impact goes beyond that. Holmgren is an outstanding drop coverage defender. His sense of playing within the gap between his man and the ballhandler is elite for his age. He had a few enormous weakside rim rotations to force misses. Overall, Memphis scored 52 points in 51 possessions when Holmgren was in, about a 1.02 points per possession clip. When he was out for 17 possessions, Memphis scored 26 points, at an obscene 1.52 PPP clip.

Holmgren didn’t just hold up on defense. He was outstanding on defense. He wasn’t going to be punked. All season long, that’s been the most underrated part of who Holmgren is as a player and what makes him so enticing as a prospect. He’s skinny, but he is tough. He’s the most competitive player I’ve seen in college hoops this year. He doesn’t quit on plays and tries to block everything.

I do think this matchup showcased some of his limitations on offense, though. Up against superior athletes on Memphis, I didn’t think his explosiveness with ball in hand looked all that impressive. He didn’t have a lot of juice off the bounce. In the second half, Gonzaga tried to run a few pick-and-pop slip actions to where he could catch on the wing and drive an open lane. A couple of times, he had the open lane, but Memphis was able to recover, close off his driving angle and force him into a turnaround pivot to escape pass out of trouble. On top of that, his jumper has gone away slightly the last few games, as he missed all three 3-point attempts. But he still ended up making an impact. He’s constantly moving and probing, trying to find an angle for his drivers to hit him for a dump-off pass, or finding a way to get behind defenders. Because he’s a threat from distance, that movement has an impact on opposing defenses. They always have to account for where he is. He scored nine points and dished out two assists, so he did contribute. But I did think this showcased a minor concern regarding his ability to create as a half-court driver, something that has been showcased at times throughout the season.

It’s also worth noting that in the first round against Georgia State, Holmgren put up a masterpiece against inferior competition. He had 19 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks. He impacted the game in every way imaginable — grabbed rebounds, blocked out the rim (especially in the second half) and showed offensive firepower. It was an elite performance. I don’t know how much it’s worth reading into, though, given Georgia State is a relatively small team. That size was further compromised when the team’s starting center and defensive force, Eliel Nsoseme, was hurt eight minutes into the game and didn’t return. Still, it shows how dominant Holmgren’s game can be when he’s not even challenged with size.

Jabari Smith | Ranking: No. 2 | 6-foot-10 forward, Auburn | 18 years old, freshman
Round of 64 vs. Jacksonville State: 20 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, 6 of 13 field goals
Round of 32 vs. Miami (FL): 10 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, 3 of 16 field goals

What will almost assuredly be Smith’s lone NCAA Tournament ended with a crash and a burn, as Auburn was steamrolled in the second round by a Miami team with a starting lineup where the average age is nearly 23 years old. Smith struggled with his jumper, going 3-for-16 from the field (including a 1-for-8 mark from 3). Most of those shots came in the first half and were contested as Miami sold out to cut off Smith’s stepback game and his ability to get clean catch-and-shoot looks. He went 2-for-13 in the first 25 minutes of game time, with that final shot being a dunk that senior forward Sam Waardenburg met at the top of the summit and sent back. From then on, it became the Auburn guards’ show, with Wendell Green and KD Johnson deciding it was Wendell Green and KD Johnson Time and Smith not getting another field goal attempt for the next 12 minutes. That’s when the lead grew for Miami and became insurmountable. It didn’t help that Walker Kessler had his worst game of the season at the worst possible time. My pick this year for National Defensive Player of the Year, I’m not sure if Kessler did a single positive thing in the 13 minutes he was on the court as Miami worked to space him out away from the rim, and he worked to miss countless relatively easy lay-ins at the rim.

I liked that Smith made an impact in other areas while his shot wasn’t falling. His passing and unselfishness were crisp. He played well on defense, I thought, showcasing his ability to switch and slide on the perimeter. His rotations are solid even if he’s not necessarily the most impactful playmaker or disruptive force, getting his hands to the ball or really getting into an opposing player’s space. He’s always going to try to contest if he can. It even resulted in him getting dunked on viciously by Isaiah Wong, but that’s going to happen to just about every active rim protector at some point if you’re doing your job and being available to contest.

It was also good that his worst game of the season was following up a strong outing, where Smith went for 20 points, 14 rebounds and four assists against Jacksonville State in the first round. He made some tough shots, although Jacksonville State didn’t have anyone who could bother his high release point, and it certainly didn’t have anyone athletically who could stop Smith from dunking all over them in an exclamation point at the end of the game.



Overall, I don’t think this changes anything for Smith. His final showcase wasn’t ideal, but remember, most players’ final games in college aren’t great. Only one team can win the title, and typically if your team is losing and you’re a first-round pick, you probably didn’t play all that well in the last showing. Last year, Cade Cunningham shot 6-for-20 from the field in his final game. Franz Wagner went 1-for-10 from the field in his final game. Scottie Barnes had eight points on 11 shots. Those are three of your four best rookies in the NBA this season. Smith is still going to go in the top three on draft night, with a real chance to hear his name called first.

Paolo Banchero | Ranking: No. 3 | 6-foot-10 forward, Duke | 19 years old, sophomore
Round of 64 vs. Cal State Fullerton: 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, one steal, 8 of 11 field goals
Round of 32 vs. Michigan State: 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one block, 8 of 14 field goals

A good weekend for Banchero, as Duke rode into the Sweet 16 with the dynamic freshman forward leading the way. He had 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the team’s win against Michigan State, numbers that probably underplayed how essential he was to Duke’s success. In the first round against Cal State Fullerton, Banchero had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists on 8-for-11 from the field.

The Michigan State game is the one worth diving into. It felt like Duke finally realized it needs to play through Banchero as much as possible in this game. And particularly, I want to talk about why Duke needs to play through Banchero more. One aspect of his game I think has gone undervalued throughout the season is his passing. He’s an outstanding passer for a big. One college coach who recruited Banchero out of high school told The Athletic that Banchero told the coach that passing and making plays for his teammates is his favorite part of basketball. And throughout the back half of the season, we’ve seen that more. Over his last 11 games, Banchero has averaged 4.5 assists per game, operating more as a high-post initiator. You can trust Banchero to be able to make the right reads and the right plays when he has the ball. If the right move is to shoot, he’ll do that. If it’s to pass, he’s not afraid to do that too. It’s a differentiator for him among every other lottery prospect in the class. I think he’s the best functional playmaker and passer among that group of players, with apologies to Dyson Daniels.

Banchero is terrific at reading and diagnosing what’s happening on the court. It’s almost to a fault at times, but I’d rather have someone reading and reacting to what’s happening as opposed to robotically following the script. He’s a functional playmaker. He’s never rushed because he’s so comfortable handling the ball tightly. Here’s one from the Michigan State game that is almost directly applicable to what he’ll see in the NBA. He catches on the wing, jab-step pump fakes and drives to the basket. He blows by his man and forces the help from Mark Williams’ man, then hits the one-handed, live dribble pocket dump off to Williams in the dunker spot. This is what makes him such a mismatch nightmare for opposing teams.

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2022/03/21033247/Banchero-Williams.mp4?_=1

I think we’ve underrated how complete of an offensive player Banchero is. He has a chance to be a monster in the NBA as soon as his jumper works through some consistency issues (it flattens out a bit too often on pull-ups). It’s not an exaggeration to say Banchero has an opening here to cement himself as a No. 1 pick contender entering the pre-draft cycle. He was outstanding in these first two games. Next round, he gets a tough defensive matchup against Texas Tech where, if he performs, it will be impressive given the Red Raiders are the best defense in college basketball. Then in the Elite Eight, Holmgren and Gonzaga potentially await a rematch of a terrific game from earlier this season, where Banchero got the better of Holmgren in scoring 20 first-half points. If he performs and leads Duke to the Final Four, he’s going to have momentum going into the cycle.

Jaden Ivey | Ranking: No. 4 | 6-foot-4 guard, Purdue | 20 years old, sophomore
Round of 64 vs. Yale: 22 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals, 6 of 13 field goals
Round of 32 vs. Texas: 18 points, three rebounds, three assists, one block, 4 of 7 field goals, 8 of 9 free throws

Ivey was exactly the guy we’ve come to expect throughout the season while leading the Boilermakers to the Sweet 16. His athleticism was overwhelming for opponents. He’ll enter the NBA as one of the most functional, explosive athletes at the lead guard position — possessing the burst to get into the paint whenever he wants, the strength to play through contact and the balance to stop and start on a dime. He had 18 points against Texas and 22 against Yale, including a few highlight-reel moments that will be seen on the “One Shining Moment” clip at the end of the tournament.

I thought the best moment from Ivey over the first weekend came in the final moments against Texas. With Purdue clinging to a 74-71 lead, Purdue inbounded the ball to Ivey, and he demanded his bigs to clear out for him. Two came up to set a screen, and he immediately waved them off, telling them he’s got this. He set up Texas’ best on-ball defender, Courtney Ramey, with a little lazy between-the-legs crossover before faking a drive, stopping on a dime, throwing down a vicious between the legs crossover that sent Ramey flying inside the 3-point line and pulling up for a backbreaker 25-foot 3 to clinch the game.



Seriously, look at how much separation is created here. Ivey is pulling up essentially from the logo. Ramey is inside the top of the key. That is ridiculous. Ramey is an all-league-level defender. Creating this kind of separation isn’t normal.

Ivey has his warts. He can be a bit noncommittal on defense, and his ability to read passes out of ball screens needs to continue taking leaps. I think it’ll be a bit of a process for him early in his NBA career as he works through those progressions, as it seems like he’s not always looking at that help defender on the backside as a playmaker. But as soon as he gets that down, Ivey’s upside is as high as anyone else in this class because of that pop as an isolation shot creator. Purdue has the cleanest looking road to the Final Four right now, with a Sweet 16 matchup against Cinderella 15-seed Saint Peter’s forthcoming, followed by a potential Elite Eight matchup against No. 8 seed North Carolina or No. 4 seed UCLA. The Boilermakers could theoretically face a 14-seed, 11-seed, 15-seed and 8-seed on their way to the Final Four, which means if they take care of business, Purdue should be in New Orleans with a chance to cut down the nets.

Keegan Murray | Ranking: No. 7 | 6-foot-8 forward, Iowa | 21 years old, sophomore
Round of 64 vs. Richmond: 21 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one block, one steal, 8 of 15 field goals, 5 of 5 free throws

Murray’s Iowa team was eliminated by a very precise Richmond team, and Murray showcased some of the flaws NBA teams have had concerns about all year. Late in the season, Richmond’s Princeton offense, led by coach Chris Mooney, senior guard Jacob Gilyard and an experienced starting lineup whose average age is 23, was on point. They play five-out with a stretch-center in Grant Golden and put teams in space. That happened in this game, and Murray struggled a bit to move his feet at a high level. Nathan Cayo caught him a couple of times late in the game, such as in the clip below where Murray’s feet get stuck in the mud, and Cayo, a big-bodied 24-year-old, blew by him baseline with relative ease.

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2022/03/21020955/Keegan-too-slow.mp4?_=2

I also thought Murray was a step slow on a couple of help rotations and didn’t seem ready for what Richmond was going to present. In general, I think Murray has been a good defensive playmaker who gets steals and blocks and generally has a smart basketball mind that will allow him to be OK on the defensive end. He’s not going to get hammered in off-ball actions. But right now, I think it’s hard to project him as a plus on that end. He needs to do a bit of work on his feet and become more active as a reactionary player.

And none of this is to blame Murray for the loss. He still had 21 points and nine rebounds despite the fact that Iowa’s perimeter players seemed to forget he existed throughout large swaths of the game. His ability to pin Richmond deep on the block got Iowa back in the game late. Overall, Murray is one of the safest players in this draft. He’s going to be an effective NBA player because he creates offense through constant movement and skill. My bet is he goes in the top 10. But I don’t think the game against Richmond was his best showing.

Bennedict Mathurin | Ranking: No. 8 | 6-foot-6 wing, Arizona | 19 years old, sophomore
Round of 64 vs. Wright State: 18 points, five rebounds, 7 of 18 field goals
Round of 32 vs. TCU: 30 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, 8 of 19 field goals, 11 of 13 free throws

This is the guy who most moved the needle for me in the opening two rounds. The opening weekend closed with one of the best games of the Dance, an 85-80 overtime comeback win for No. 1 seed Arizona over TCU. The star was Mathurin in a show-stopping performance that showcased more will to win and toughness than I’ve seen from him all season long, maybe more than I’ve seen from any player this year, period. This was a virtuoso moment for the Canadian wing, an athletic floor spacer who refused to let his team lose. The Pac-12 Player of the Year, Mathurin has closed the season on an absolute heater, averaging 19.7 points while hitting over 40 percent from 3 and showing substantive growth as a passer.

Mathurin went off for 30 points while carrying Arizona back from the brink against a TCU team brimming with toughness and physicality. The Horned Frogs went on a late 12-0 run to push Arizona down three in the final minutes. That’s when Mathurin took over. He hit a pass out to Dalen Terry in transition for a 3 to tie the game at 70. Then after a TCU took the lead again, he cut backdoor and threw down what should have been an and-1 dunk through contact to cut it to a one-point game. Following an Eddie Lampkin lay-in, Mathurin hit what might be remembered as one of the shots of the tournament if the Wildcats go on to win everything. He rejected a screen from Christian Koloko at the top of the key, hit a vicious right-to-left crossover that sent Mike Miles flying backward and canned a pull-up 3 with 17 seconds left to push the game to overtime following some end-of-game messy officiating shenanigans.



Somehow, that was only midway through his run. He ended up scoring 11 of Arizona’s final 15 points, including an enormous putback where he fought for an offensive rebound and put up through contact and got fouled. It was the ultimate flex-on-them performance — he relished the intensity of the moment and didn’t shrink when faced with a difficult situation. He created his own shot while playing within the flow of the offense. He brought energy and emotion to a team that desperately needed a lift following a big TCU run.

That end-of-game stretch wasn’t even all that Mathurin did in this game. He hit two killer 3-pointers off movement that showcased how NBA teams are going to be able to use him off complex off-ball actions to hunt shots. He threw down one of the biggest dunks of the tournament, taking a pass from Koloko, gathering off two feet and putting it on Lampkin’s head. Everything Mathurin did in this game was translatable to the NBA and lived up to his role as the best player on what is, for my money, the best team in the country. He was elite.

Mathurin spikes five spots on my board following this performance up to No. 8, and he has a real shot to rise even further if he keeps it up. As mentioned above, it’s not just these two games that make Mathurin jump up the board; it’s the way he’s closed the season, carrying Arizona to its first Pac-12 title and Pac-12 tournament title in four years and leading the Wildcats to the Sweet 16. It’s the way he’s shown growth as a passer and lived up to every critical moment at every important time. This is what a lottery pick should look like in these moments.

Jalen Duren | Ranking: No. 9 | 6-foot-11 center, Memphis | 18 years old, freshman
Round of 64 vs. Boise State: 10 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block, 4 of 11 field goals
Round of 32 vs. Gonzaga: seven points, seven rebounds, two assists, one block, 3 of 11 field goals

The Duren-Holmgren matchup went a bit worse for Duren. He lived in foul trouble throughout the night, only getting 19 minutes. It was clear from the jump he understood not just the importance of his team’s game, but the importance of this game for him as well. And he came out with scoring aggression I feel we haven’t seen from him all season. He wanted to get buckets and try to put Holmgren through the rim. The only problem was Holmgren wouldn’t let him. Duren got up 11 shots, only the seventh time this season he took that many shots in a single game. In all of the other games, he played at least 25 minutes. This was his most aggressive game. He struggled with Holmgren’s length and positioning and had his least efficient game of the season, shooting 3-for-11 from the field and only scoring seven points.

Duren showcased a lot of the same limitations we’ve seen all season. He is not capable of creating his own shot yet. He needs a lead guard to generate offense for him as a vertical floor spacer to be effective, something Memphis began to get later in the season when Alex Lomax started to play better. Defensively, Duren needs to learn to move his feet a bit better. To me, it’s not a question of tools and gifts, but rather he doesn’t yet have the requisite footwork. A lot of his fouls, including his fourth one in this game on Drew Timme, are simply a function of getting caught in the mud, not moving his feet and instead trying to use his body to slow down his opponent. The best thing Duren can do pre-draft is work on as many footwork drills as possible. He needs to get lighter on his feet. I’d still project him as a lottery pick heading into the event, as he came on in a big way at the end of the season to solidify himself.

Johnny Davis | Ranking: No. 10 | 6-foot-5 guard, Wisconsin | 20 years old, sophomore
Round of 64 vs. Colgate: 25 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block, 8 of 20 field goals
Round of 32 vs. Iowa State: 17 points, nine rebounds, one assist, four blocks, two steals, 4 of 16 field goals, 9 of 11 free throws

These games aren’t worth much for Davis. No matter what Davis says publicly, it seems like his ankle isn’t right, and he was bravely gutting through the end of the season because he knew Wisconsin’s only chance was for him to be out there. He injured it in the team’s regular-season finale against Nebraska and then tweaked it again in the team’s Round of 32 loss to Iowa State. Why am I disregarding his public remarks he’s fine? He didn’t have the same level of elevation and shot-making juice he had earlier this season. You can see it on tape. He could get there for spurts, like his end-of-game barrage against Colgate in the first round, but he didn’t consistently have it throughout full games, and that quick turnaround from Friday to Sunday seemed like a killer for him.

So much of Davis’ game is based on hesitation and the ability to quickly stop and start, then elevate from the midrange to get his own shot. He didn’t have that same suddenness as a shot creator or that same lift when going up for a jumper. He had 25 points and eight rebounds against Colgate on 20 shots, then 17 points on 16 shots and 11 free-throw attempts in the loss to Iowa State. Those numbers look fine on their face, but they mostly represent how integral he is to what Wisconsin gets on offense. Even when he’s not right, he’s still the best option. I also thought Iowa State did a great job. The Cyclones crawled in his space with strong defenders like Gabe Kalscheur and Izaiah Brockington. I also thought T.J. Otzelberger’s gameplan was terrific. They overloaded Davis’ side of the court and crunched his space, always putting help defenders in position to contest him. He really had to work. I wish we would have seen this matchup with Davis at full speed. I respect the toughness and hope he gets healthy heading into the pre-draft cycle, assuming he declares.

 

[pmatic]

Spoiler

Prospect(s) of the week

As noted above, I saw several players in Indianapolis, so I won’t limit my analysis to just one guy.

My main mission was to get eyes on Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe, who hasn‘t played a minute this year but practices with the team and works out before games. Based on what I saw in Indy, I can assure you that he will leave a positive impression when he works against a chair at team facilities this spring. (Presuming he enters in the draft, where he’s seen as a surefire lottery pick.)

Sharpe has bonafide wing size and a pure shot; watching his stroke pregame, it looked as NBA ready as anyone’s I’ve seen this year not named Jabari Smith. The question, obviously, is everything else. Sharpe hasn’t played a real game this season, so teams will be leaning on evals from AAU and high school and some of the background reports they get from Kentucky. I also doubt he’ll work out against anybody leading up to the draft. If you’re his agent, why do that? I’m still piecing together the assorted whispers I’ve heard on Sharpe, so we’ll save that conversation for another day. As an athletic wing who can shoot, however, he is sure to get the benefit of the doubt in a lot of war rooms.

A more interesting question is what Kentucky guard TyTy Washington might do next. He’d been seen as a no-brainer to enter the draft but had a rough final month to his season, culminating in a five-point, one assist whimper in the upset loss to Saint Peter’s. Washington battled injuries that hurt his output, but he also has some factors working against him; he’s not an elite athlete, and his low, line-drive push shot from the perimeter might not grade out as more than average at the NBA level. Is that enough to keep him in the top 20 as a 6-3 combo guard coming off a good-but-not-great freshman year? And if not, is he better off trying again next year?

Washington wasn’t even the best freshman guard I saw this past week; that would be Tennessee’s Kennedy Chandler. Chandler has to answer more questions about his size at 6-0, and like Washington, he’ll grade out as average at best from the perimeter. (He shot 38.3 percent from 3 on low volume and just 60.6 percent from the line this year. Watching him pregame twice this past week, this checks out; the stroke isn’t broken, but it can come out flat and he turns a bit sideways to launch it).

However, defensively, Chandler is a terror at the college level, and one wonders if he’ll be so good that he has value despite his size. Chandler averaged 4.1 steals per 100 possessions this season, and the tape says this wasn’t just reckless gambling; he’s just really active and anticipates well. Chandler’s ability as a passer also will help, although he probably lacks the explosive finishing capability to be a primary on-ball weapon.

The other point guard prospect who made a name for himself in Indy was San Francisco’s Jamaree Bouyea, who had been a bit of a sleeper before he erupted for 36 points in the overtime loss to Murray State. Bouyea is on the small side (6-2, 180), is not a great shooter (33.7 percent career from 3 and 71.2 percent from the line), plays more as a scorer than passer and will turn 23 in June. That’s a lot of negatives, and those factors will likely push him to the second round.

However, Bouyea has the first-step quickness to create easy separation, especially going to his right hand, and should benefit from NBA spacing. He also has the feet and hands to be a solid defender at the point guard position despite his lack of heft. As a shooter, Bouyea shows the ability to create stepbacks going to his left and get a nice arc on them; he seems much more comfortable shooting this way than on regular spot-ups or pull-ups going right.

Some other prospects I saw in Indy:

• Colorado State’s David Roddy has a much-improved perimeter shot this season, one that I’m buying based on seeing his work pregame. He also has the footwork to get into some tough runners and pull-ups. The issue for him, showcased in the Rams’ first-round loss to Michigan, is that nothing is easy at 6-6 playing against opponents who were several inches taller; he almost has to shoot 40 percent from 3 to make it in the league because he won’t generate many free points on dunks and layups. I remain intrigued in the 30-to-45 range, but the junior could end up returning to Fort Collins.
• Murray State’s Tevin Brown is a solid 3-and-D sleeper despite being geriatric for a draft prospect (23) and limited shot-creation ability. He showed the feet and timing to block perimeter jump shots and rain deep ones of his own coming off pindowns or catch-and-shoots and can likely slide into a similar role in the pros without huge adjustments. I don’t see starter upside, but I’d be pretty excited about him in the 40s and 50s or on a two-way.
• Tennessee’s season is over, but junior forward Josiah-Jordan James had a really strong close to his season that could bode well for the future, whether it’s the 2022 draft or 2023. A five-star recruit some thought would be one-and-done, he’s struggled to get his offensive game going in the SEC, but the lefty shot the ball much better in the final weeks of the season. As a solidly built wing with 3-and-D potential, scouts will keep watching him. A career 32.9 percent mark from 3 will give them pause, however, and could give him the incentive to return for his senior year.
• Two other “down the line” guys I saw were Michigan freshmen Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabaté. Both are big for their position — Houstan a 6-8 small forward, Diabite a 6-11 power forward – and have shown tantalizing flashes of promise. Houstan is a potential 3-and-D small forward at the NBA level, and Diabate is a highly switchable four who can elevate around the basket. The issue is that neither player is even close to ready; Houstan was “just cardio” on Saturday, with zero points and zero assists in 32 minutes, while the French-born Diabate still struggles with feel and physicality at the Big Ten level. Both players would get destroyed in an NBA game right now, and probably even in the G League, but I can’t rule out teams swinging on them in the second round if they enter the draft. In another year or two, however, they can be first-rounders. A Sweet 16 test against Villanova will provide another evaluation point for the league’s scouts.

 

[pmatic]

 

[pmatic]

Spoiler

He’s ready to soar: The amazing ascent of Arizona’s Christian Koloko

The rim pitches slightly to the left and sags down, clearly exhausted from the overuse of people hanging on it for good fun. There is no net, and the stanchion holding up the wooden backboard looks more like a rickety piece of makeshift scaffolding. The court, such that it is, is concrete, crumbled up in some spots, paved over in others, and is surrounded by a chain link fence, a weed inching up through the wires.

In the video, a slender boy in baggy black shorts, his undefined arms dangling and his legs barely contoured with muscle, practices layups, posts up against imaginary defenders and dribbles around cones that barely reach his ankles. When the ball skitters away, he chases it down. There is no one to shag a rebound. The boy works in solitude, with only the company of the person behind the camera.

Six years later, the same boy, still slender but his body far more chiseled, barrels down the lane under the bright lights of Viejas Arena and in front of a crowd of 11,425 in full throttle to slam home an offensive rebound that cements Arizona’s spot in the Sweet 16.

We have seen and read these stories before, about the basketball player from an underdeveloped country coming to the United States to find his place in the spotlight. There have been so many of them, in fact, we have become probably a little too blasé about their improbability, unappreciative of the sacrifice they require, and probably slightly jaded too. The American dream — it all sounds so hokey, right? This is basketball capitalism, players using the game, the game using the players in a perfect quid pro quo.

But if you happened to glance at the section just behind the Arizona bench on Sunday night, you might have spied a small man in a brown coat and a red Arizona baseball hat. He sat quietly alongside his daughter for most of the game, but when his son threw down that monster dunk and the Wildcats won the game, Jean-Paul Koloko cheered along with everyone else.

It was only the fifth time he’d seen his son play basketball, the first just a week ago at the Pac-12 tournament. In those five games, Christian Koloko averaged 16 points and 9.6 rebounds, and his Arizona team went 5-0. In November, when his mother, Henriette, came to see him play in Las Vegas, Christian scored 35 points and added 18 rebounds in two games. The Wildcats won those games, too.

Now consider that skinny boy in the video again, and what it took to get him here.

Chris Ebersole first saw Koloko in 2017, at a Basketball Without Borders camp. The NBA associate vice president for international basketball operations remembers his first impressions: Koloko had raw potential, and he looked like a twig. “He was 6-10, and maybe 170 pounds,’’ Ebersole says. But there was something there, particularly for a kid who only picked the game up at the age of 12.

Like most Cameroonians, Koloko grew up playing soccer, and even dabbled in tennis. He only arrived at basketball when he shot up, the genetic outlier in a family of sub-6 footers (he does have tall uncles, he explains). He studied YouTube videos of Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin Durant, and tried to mimic their moves on that dilapidated court. By the time Ebersole saw him, Koloko had an innate knack for shot blocking, a decent outside game considering the lack of actual basketball education, a surprising toughness and above all else, an earnestness to get better. “You could see at the camp he wanted to soak up as much knowledge as he could,’’ Ebersole says. “Every single element of coaching was valuable to him. He wanted so badly to learn.’’

In that way, Koloko is not different from the rest of his family. His father has a master’s degree from the University of Hartford, and three of his sisters have advanced degrees as well; the fourth is an entrepreneur with her own skin-care line. But they are business-minded, not at all well versed in basketball; when Henriette visited in November, Koloko had to explain that the Wildcats missed free throws, not goals. Henriette was reluctant to send her youngest child and only boy away — “Spoiled? Maybe a little,’’ Koloko’s big sister, Stephanie, says with a smile — but agreed because he would not be alone.

Stephanie Koloko is sitting in Viejas, a few minutes before Arizona tips off against TCU in the second round. She is an accomplished woman — a successful businessperson, with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Long Beach State, a mother to a 3-year-old daughter, Pierre-Elise, and engaged to marry the man she met just hours after arriving in the United States. But a dozen years ago, she arrived in the United States at 18 and cried every day for home. She stuck it out because the desire to pursue her degree outweighed even her homesickness, and eventually found both her footing and her home in California.

She didn’t hesitate when her parents sent her brother to join her. She explains it all so matter of factly — “I mean, he’s my brother, right? It was natural.’’ — that it’s easy to gloss over the power of that family decision. Jean-Paul and Henriette agreed to send their teenage son 8,000 miles and a 16-hour flight from home, knowing full well that they probably wouldn’t see much of him for years, and would miss the parental passage of parking in a bleacher, watching a child compete. Koloko agreed to it, even though his English was halting, his affinity for home strong and his basketball dreams pinned to the hope on that rudimentary court. And Stephanie accepted the role as her brother’s anchor, the person in charge of providing him, supporting him and, in effect, raising him. “For us, it was about education,’’ she says. “I wanted to be like my father. That’s what drove me, and that was it for Christian, too. Basketball, that was nice, but that’s not why he came here.’’

It is true, what Stephanie says, that it was about school first. Even Koloko agrees with that. “To get a better education, that’s the goal,’’ he says. But it would be entirely disingenuous to say that basketball wasn’t some part of it.

A boy does not spend hours heaving shots onto a slanted rim if he doesn’t think that maybe there’s some sort of future in the game. Koloko didn’t fool himself. He knew his game needed work, and lots of it, and he never shied away from either instruction or challenge. After three years at Lake Balboa Birmingham, he transferred to Sierra Canyon, which is akin to going from summer stock theater to Broadway. It makes sense that Koloko would want Sierra Canyon — college recruits sniffing around his teammates couldn’t help but notice him, too — but what could the glitterati school possibly see in the still raw Koloko? “He’s 7-foot, with a 7-4 wingspan,’’ Sierra Canyon coach Andre Chevalier says. “Those guys don’t walk in the gym everyday.’’

Like Ebersole before him, Chevalier may have had his head turned by Koloko’s size; he fell in love with his approach. At Koloko’s first practice with his new Sierra Canyon teammates, Kenyon Martin, Jr. made like Patrick Ewing, circa 1983. That year, in the national championship game against North Carolina, officials whistled Ewing for four goaltends in the Tar Heels’ first four possessions. “No one remembers a goaltending call,’’ John Thompson Jr. explained of his strategy for the Georgetown freshman. “Everyone remembers getting their shot blocked.’’

Fast forward three-plus decades, and there was Martin, serving up memory after memory to the skinny and overwhelmed Koloko. “He wouldn’t even let him make a layup,’’ Chevalier says now with a laugh. “But the message was simple. This is what’s going to happen in a game. You’re going to suffer now so you’re ready then.’’ Koloko suffered willingly, taking Martin’s medicine for how it was intended. By season’s end he was a capable scorer in the low post, a sure thing rim protector, with a scholarship to Arizona.

Koloko, now 7-foot-1 and 230 pounds, chuckles now when it’s suggested to him that he is the wily veteran on this Arizona team. Three years ago, he arrived behind a sturdy frontcourt of Chase Jeter, Stone Gettings and Zeke Nnaji. He played haltingly, just eight minutes per game. He hoped for a big uptick after a strong summer, but COVID-19 scuttled his plans. Last year’s pandemic pauses didn’t help much, either. Then came the coaching change, and suddenly there was Koloko, a three-year veteran who had yet to really make an imprint.

He connected immediately with Tommy Lloyd, the new coach’s experience with international players proving invaluable, as well as his reputation as a developer. Lloyd essentially stripped Koloko’s game down to the basics, spending hours on catching the ball, securing it, hitting it properly off the backboard. “Like hundreds or thousands of times,’’ Lloyd says. Koloko never complained. This was, after all, what he did by himself back in Cameroon.

Koloko also enjoyed Lloyd’s approach. He is not a screamer. He likes to crack jokes — though Koloko admits some are lousy dad jokes. “He always begins everything with, ‘I love you. I love you. I love you,’’’ Koloko says. “And then it’s, ‘But…’’’ (Sure enough when asked about how he dealt with Koloko, Lloyd began by saying, “First thing is love him, and let him know how good he can be.’’)

Mostly Koloko benefited from the gift of time that he otherwise never had. He put on weight, hit the gym, and found his confidence, blossoming into yet another weapon in the Arizona offensive arsenal. “Bigs take longer to develop. Everyone knows that,’’ Lloyd says. “And sometimes, they just don’t have the patience or the wherewithal to get themselves there. He built up enough of a foundation the first couple of years, to where if he poured time into it, he would be ready for a jump.’’

The jump came in leaps. A year ago, Koloko scored in double figures twice. This year he’s topped the 20-point mark six times. In arguably the Wildcats’ biggest and toughest game to date, against a TCU team built more like an offensive line, Koloko stood toe-to-toe with Eddie Lampkin, a player who dropped 70 pounds to get to his playing weight of 270. Lampkin got his — 20 points, 14 boards, 10 of them offensive — but when the game was on the line in overtime, it was Koloko soaring down the lane for the putback stuff.

In the stands, his father and sister applauded. Jean-Paul extended his return by a day so he could watch the second-round game, but he is scheduled to be back home, an eight-hour time difference away, when his son plays Houston in the Sweet 16. His job here is done. “Now it’s his dream and we support him,’’ Stephanie says “It’s about him now. It’s his turn.’’

CC B Sox

 

[B Sox]

Jeremy Sochan was definitely up to some shenanigans in that UNC game, but I like him. Kinda reminds me of Kirilenko.

 

[HOU$TON]

Big game for Banchero and the other duke prospects

 

[pmatic]

 

[pmatic]

 

[pmatic]

 

[Vincent Van Goat]

Don't let Browzizzle see this guy

 

[Mister Meaner]

As a scorned Knicks fan, mans could never want any parts of a hyped French *****.

Banchero if we gonna sneak into the top 3 this yr pls.

 

[addict4sneakers]

Going to need victor to put his name in the immigration portal.

 

[HOU$TON]