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2022 NBA Draft primer – Part 1: The top prospects

Paolo Banchero during his time in college. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
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6th June, 2022
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The NBA Draft is just under a month away, and basketball fans and franchises alike are salivating once again at the ever-exciting prospect of what could be.

The Orlando Magic were blessed with the luck of the lottery balls this year, securing the number 1 pick for a franchise desperate to land a future star and finally lift themselves out of their post-Dwight Howard decade of mediocrity.

In the lead up to the big event on 23 June, I’ll be previewing the NBA Draft and the young players who could shake up the NBA in the years to come. Today’s article is an overview of the best prospects in the draft – the lads most likely to light up the lottery.

This year’s draft is generally considered a three-horse race between three very different big men – Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr, and Duke’s Paolo Banchero. Let’s take a look at what each of them brings to the table…

The Unicorn: Chet Holmgren

The best prospect in the class, and arguably the biggest risk.

A true seven footer, but skinny as a firehose, Chet is like nothing the basketball world has ever seen before. He possesses a unique combination of size, skill and smarts.

An outstanding defensive prospect – he is an elite ambidextrous shot blocker with the lateral speed and coordination to move out to the perimeter.

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He has a versatile offensive game – for someone of his immense height, he is a surprisingly capable ballhandler, passer and shooter, as well as an elite finisher.

He may take some time to develop into a #1 option on offense, but he should be easy to build around while finds his feet because his IQ is so high. Chet played next to centre Drew Timme during his sole year at Gonzaga, and while the fit was awkward at times, he proved he could share the court with a ball-dominant lob threat clogging the paint.

His biggest question mark is his uber-thin frame. He runs with an odd, loping gait and needs to put on some muscle to match up against giants like Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it’s hard to see anyone with his skill and IQ becoming a bust.

Chet Holmgren

Chet Holmgren (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

The Sure Bet: Jabari Smith Jr

A lot of mock drafts online have Jabari going to the Magic at #1.

His appeal is certainly understandable: he’s huge (6’10’’, shoulders carved from granite), with a smooth shooting stroke that may prove unblockable and constant hustle on defense.

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He’s a hard worker and a competitor, bringing energy and effort on both ends of the floor.

A guy with his undeniable ability as a shooter and his level of effort on defense is a pretty safe bet to be a good NBA player with a long career. But… the question is not whether he will be good – it’s whether he can be great.

Picking Jabari is the equivalent of singing ‘Sweet Carolina’ at karaoke – it’s a good song, and people will sing along happily, but you’re hardly going to blow anyone away with your rendition.

I can’t help but feel his ceiling is as a high-end role player, rather than a #1 option – like a juiced up Tobias Harris, or a gigantic Jalen Brunson. If you have the top pick in the draft, surely you’re looking for the next face of the franchise.

Maybe there’s a universe in which he grows into Steph Curry on offense and Scottie Pippen on defense – but this is not that universe.

Jabari Smith #10 of the Auburn Tigers reacts in the final seconds of the second half against the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes during the second round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 20, 2022 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Jabari Smith (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The College Gun: Paolo Banchero

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A ballerina and a bulldozer – a skilful force of nature.

Paolo’s biggest strength is his well-rounded offensive game – unlike Jabari, it’s fairly easy to imagine a team built around what Paolo can do with the ball in hand.

He’s a powerful, versatile scorer, who can get to the rim at will, feast off lobs and cuts, handle the ball and fly past any defender with his combo of speed and strength.

He’s a confident shooter, though nowhere near as accurate as Jabari, and a creative passer when he remembers to take the blinkers off.

Paolo was incredible in college, carrying Duke through the NCAA Tournament with a series of outstanding performances. Regularly he put the offense on his own back, pulling his team out of tough situations and putting them in positions to win. His effort can often wane of defense, but otherwise, he’s a winning player.

I’ve been trying to manifest him going to the Rockets at #3, because imagining Paolo in the two-man game with Jalen Green is deliriously fun (and he would probably fit pretty nicely with Christian Wood if they wanted to try a twin towers approach).

The Other Guys

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Jaden Ivey is the pick of the bunch. Personally, I have him ranked as the second-best prospect in the class, behind Chet, but due to the fall of the lottery balls and the needs of the teams at the top, he could easily find himself falling to Detroit at #5 or Indiana at #6.

He’s an insane athlete – a super speedy pinball who can jump out of the gym at will – who looked every bit like a superstar in the making while carrying Purdue this year. In the mould of Ja Morant or young Russell Westbrook, Ivey should be a perennial All Star.

The other young guards projected to go in the lottery are Shaedon Sharpe (an athletic scorer who didn’t play in college, with concerns around consistency and ability to rise to the occasion), Johnny Davis (an impressive scorer and playmaker), Jaden Hardy (a pure bucket-getter who may struggle to find his role on a more complete team), and TyTy Washington (a smart point guard who will need to improve as a long-range shooter to thrive).

There’s also Australia’s own Dyson Daniels, who spent the last year playing in NBA G-League and has impressed with his passing, defense and rebounding – Josh Giddey’s success for OKC this year has boosted Dyson’s draft stock considerably.

Finally, there are the two do-it-all wings that could shake up the top of the lottery, and are arguably the two players most likely to bust up the big 3 – Keegan Murray and AJ Griffin.

Griffin could fall because of his unfortunate injury history, but he has all the potential to be a phenomenal two-way force in the NBA if a team is willing to take a chance on him.

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