Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) and draft expert Sam Vecenie of The Athletic (@Sam_Vecenie) discuss the 2022 NBA Draft.
They discuss how March Madness affected various players’ draft stock, the depth of this year’s class, the Nike Hoop Summit, Overtime Elite and much more.
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Shaedon Sharpe will declare for the 2022 NBA Draft, leaving Kentucky after his freshman season.
Sharpe, who is a potential high lottery pick, plans to remain in the draft.
Chet Holmgren will enter the 2022 NBA Draft and leave Gonzaga after his freshman season.
Holmgren is expected to be a top-3 pick in the draft.
"After a season where we accomplished a lot of great things as both a team and an individual, I feel like I'm in a position to be able to chase my lifelong dream to play in the NBA," Holmgren told ESPN.
Four ties among teams with identical regular-season records were broken today through random drawings to determine the order of selection for NBA Draft 2022.
The drawings were conducted by NBA President, League Operations Byron Spruell at the NBA office in Secaucus, New Jersey. The tiebreaker process was overseen by Marc Dieli, a partner from the accounting firm of Ernst & Young.
The results of the drawings:
- The Chicago Bulls (46-36) won a tiebreaker with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
- The Toronto Raptors (48-34) won a tiebreaker with the Denver Nuggets.
- The Philadelphia 76ers (51-31) won a tiebreaker with the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. Second and third place in the tiebreaker drawings went to Milwaukee and Boston, respectively.
- The Miami Heat (53-29) won a tiebreaker with the Golden State Warriors.
The NBA Draft Lottery 2022 will be held on Tuesday, May 17.
Jalen Duren will enter the 2022 NBA Draft.
Durant spent his freshman season at Memphis and is the No. 7 prospect in the draft, according to ESPN.
Duren was named AAC Freshman of the Year and First-team All-AAC after averaging 12.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 25 minutes per game.
"Going to Memphis was a fun experience," Duren said. "It was a great challenge. Making the NCAA tournament and playing in front of the whole world on national television. Huge game atmospheres. I learned a lot and it really helped my growth and development. During the season we dealt with a lot of injuries, we couldn't quite get the chemistry right on the court. Once we got everyone back, it helped the team and my game. I started to understand the game better. Help defenses. How opponents were guarding me. I noticed that more as the season went on and that allowed me to do a lot more."
One of the side effects of the Play-In Tournament was the major impact it had on the 2022 NBA Draft board. This season, multiple teams saw their 2022 draft pick situation change based on the results of the Play-In Tournament.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers loss to the Atlanta Hawks, their pick went from being tied for 16/17 to 14. That pick was lottery-protected, so Cleveland will now keep the pick vs delivering it to the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers can receive a first-round selection from the Cavs next season, but it is also lottery-protected. It turns into two second-round picks if not conveyed in 2023.
The New Orleans Pelicans victory over the LA Clippers had an even bigger impact to the draft board. The Pelicans pick went from 11 to 15. That changed who New Orleans conveys that pick to from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Charlotte Hornets. Portland will now receive a top-4 protected Milwaukee Bucks (via New Orleans) in 2025.
The Clippers dropping into the lottery gave the Oklahoma City Thunder a second lottery selection. That pick is also non-protected. It's important to remember that LA once conveyed the first overall selection to Cleveland when they jumped to the top of the draft lottery.
The full pre-lottery first round order is:
Ties will be broken by random drawing on Monday, April 18.
The Brooklyn Nets can receive the Philadelphia 76ers first-round selection, or Brooklyn can defer to receiving that pick at the 2023 draft instead.
Ousmane Dieng will declare for the 2022 NBA Draft.
Dieng is a projected lottery pick and ranked No. 12 by ESPN.
Dieng is the first European star to play in the NBL's Next Stars program.
"Playing in a tough league with really good players was really good for me," Dieng told ESPN. "I learned a lot. The transition was significant, going up against much better players than I saw in France. The game is faster. Everyone is more physical.
"... I had to work on my body and I was lucky to have a great strength and conditioning coach. I improved my defense a lot this past year. The coaches had a big role in my improvement. I trusted them when I was struggling. I kept working and improved my game."
Jeremy Sochan will leave Baylor to enter the 2022 NBA Draft. Sochan will forgo his remaining eligibly by hiring agents.
"I am fortunate enough to be declaring for the 2022 NBA draft," Sochan told ESPN.
ESPN ranks him as the No. 14 prospect in the draft.
Sochan said he would sign with Jim Tanner and Deirunas Visockas of Tandem Sports.
"This season had a lot of ups and downs," Sochan said. "We were unlucky with injuries, but it was a great opportunity for me to grow and an opportunity to show the NBA my toughness and versatility on both ends. I came into this season with intentions to make myself better and help the team win."
Bennedict Mathurin will leave Arizona after his sophomore season to enter the 2022 NBA draft.
Mathurin is the No. 11 prospect in the ESPN 100 following a season in which he was the Pac-12 Player of the Year.
Mathurin is projected to be the No. 12 pick in ESPN's latest mock draft.
Mathurin was a potential first round pick last year but decided to remain in school.
Mathurin fits an obvious mold as a pro prospect as a strong-framed, 6-foot-6 wing who can space the floor from well beyond the NBA line.
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