As the 2022 NBA Draft cycle is rapidly approaches its conclusion, I took a look at Crashing Hoops' three big boards in advance of Thursday's draft to find the biggest variations from the norm for each respective board.
Jordan, Simon, and Jake put a lot of work into their boards. I have a great deal of respect for each of them and their eye for evaluating the future of the NBA. These questions were asked out of genuine interest rather than dissent (with maybe one exception). As a matter of fact, I have a lot of respect for anyone that puts in the grind to evaluate 40+ prospects every year and compile all of their thoughts into a comprehensive rankings list.
It is hard work, and I'm grateful for these three men sharing their talent and time to make crashinghoops.com such a great resource for draft enthusiasts.
That being said, here are the four questions I asked each of them:
Jordan Foote (@Footenoted)
Mo: You're a Chet-number-one guy, and have been for a long time. Why do you rank him first over the other guys in your Top-5?
Jordan: A lot of anti-Chet Holmgren folks are stuck on how wiry his frame is as if he can't add *any* strength to it. He can and likely will, and even if he doesn't, where's the injury history to point to? It's nonexistent. Holmgren's competitive toughness, length and instincts will play well on both ends. He's a proven defender (even in small samples against the Jalen Durens of the world) and was one of the most efficient rim finishers in recent memory as a freshman. When you throw in his ability to grab & go, take the ball up the court, shoot over anyone and pass the ball pretty well, what's not to like? I'm buying Holmgren's ability to be a remarkable defender and a true unicorn on offense. I’m betting on his potential.
Mo: Murray over Griffin for you. Was that a hard choice?
Jordan: Deciding between AJ Griffin and Keegan Murray for my fifth spot on the big board was undoubtedly tough. I'm very high on Griffin, but his injury concerns and worries about his athletic profile and overall capability of hitting his ceiling were all deciding factors here. Murray is one of the safest bets in the 2022 NBA Draft, so he gets the edge. Murray will be a perfect or near-perfect complementary player early on, whereas Griffin can be a good one but needs serious work in order to cash in on his ceiling. This was a tough choice, but having them back-to-back was no biggie.
Mo: Why are you so high on (Malaki) Branham?
Jordan: Malaki Branham has shown a lot of growth in a short amount of time. Concerns about his inconsistent and underdeveloped defense are legitimate, but I have faith in him putting his length to good use. I also love Branham's upside as a true three-level scorer who can get to his spots, rise, fire and convert at a very efficient clip. He may not be an alpha in the NBA due to not having playmaking chops but if you need someone from this class to be a secondary scorer who does a damn good job, I'm ranking Branham high on that list.
Mo: Who was the most difficult player for you to rank?
Jordan: The three most difficult prospects for me to rank from this year's class were TyTy Washington, Jeremy Sochan and Ousmane Dieng. Washington is more of a feel-based player whose sample sizes are small, so betting on him to remain healthy and remain an effective lead guard is a very risky proposition. Something about him keeps me on board with him in the middle of the first round, though. Sochan's shooting concerns are VERY legitimate, which is what had him lower on my board than where some others ranked him. As far as Dieng is concerned, I definitely see his potential but have major reservations about him reaching that ceiling.
Simon Rath (@HawksDraftNerd)
Mo: Why Ivey at number 1?
Simon: I usually lean to the guy I think will handle the ball most if it’s that close in rankings. If Paolo isn’t a go-to scorer what role does he play? If Jabari just doesn’t develop a handle he’s not a #1 or #2 option. Ivey can get his own shot at any point in the game with his elite rim pressure and even if his passing doesn’t get to a “lead ball handler” level he’s still great running off screens and in C&S situations. I also don’t see how a coaches son who grew up in the game and has his elite tools won’t be a great defender as well.
Mo: Why is AJ Griffin above Chet?
Simon: I have the top-5 extremely close so this is picking hairs but I think Griffin has a baseline of being a good defender who can guard two through four and sometimes fives while also being an elite shooter. Chet has the higher ceiling but Griffin’s high school tape was incredible and I don’t think he just lost all of that ability.
Mo: Tell me about Ryan Rollins and why you have him so high.
Simon: Extremely smooth athlete. He never looks rushed and had no issues being the main option on a good college team. The three-point shot needs to get better but he’s got great touch and separation in the mid-range so I don’t see a reason he can’t get better from deep. Great playmaker too for a shooting guard.
Mo: There has been a lot of fuss lately about Jabari not dribbling and that possibly being a problem. You have him at number two. What kind of player do you think he will be?
Simon: I don’t think it’s fair to put a ceiling on Jabari. The dribbling isn’t great and needs work but he’s a 19-year-old who just dominated the SEC and has elite level work ethic. He could end up being “just” a great shooting 6’10” #3 option while also being a monster on defense, but what’s to say a 19-year-old can’t develop a better handle? He doesn’t have to be elite either because he doesn’t need as much separation as a 6’5” guy because he can shoot over anyone.
Jake Walterhouse (@WalterhouseJake)
Mo: What have you seen that makes you confident enough to put Shaedon Sharpe at number 5?
Jake: I think when you have a guy like Shaedon Sharpe that has such a huge amount of raw talent at just 19-years-old, you bet on it. At 6'6", 201 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan, he’s got the mold of a modern wing in todays NBA. Add in the freakish in-game athleticism, vicious finishing at the rim, along with a developing but overall smooth shooting stroke and handle, you have a talent that I think isn’t in the top-3 discussion merely because of the unknown from a vast majority of teams, scouts and fans. Sharpe is the ultimate swing for the fences, but I don’t think anyone will fault a team for taking that swing early on draft night.
Mo: You have Dieng higher than any other big board I've seen (and I love it). Why do you have him so high?
Jake: I have become a big fan and supporter of the NBL the past couple of seasons. Watching guys like LaMelo Ball and Josh Giddey go over there and play in such a physical league full of grown men really prepared them for life in the NBA. We saw those two come over and shoot better in their rookie NBA campaigns than their respective rookie NBL campaigns. I think Ousmane Dieng will be no different next season. Dieng is another case of betting on the talent and your development team, but the reward could be enormous. Watching Dieng move on the floor, the average fan would be shocked to see the 19-year-old French forward listed at 6’10. He has a feel and balance for the game that you rarely see from guys not just his age, but ESPECIALLY at that size. I implore fans new to watch the back half of Dieng's season with the New Zealand Breakers, as that is when we really saw a rise in comfortability, confidence, and production. I think Ousmane Dieng is a rare talent that, while he may need some time to refine his game and gain more confidence, there’s a perennial all-star in there waiting to be let out.
Mo: You may have AJ Griffin the lowest on any big board I've seen (and I DON'T love it). What makes you so low on him?
Jake: AJ Griffin has been a tough evaluation for me for a long, long time. I’m going to avoid using the injury history as a reason I am lower on Griffin here, because I feel that has been covered for years now with him. What worries me the most about Griffin is that I wonder how his scoring is going to come other than from his spot up shooting. I don’t necessarily buy that he is going to have the burst to consistently get to the rim in the NBA. Along with the overall stiffness I feel he plays with, I would really like to see him expand on his handle and overall finishing through contact at the rim. I think Griffin has the ideal frame for todays NBA, along with a GREAT 3-point shot, and that is why I think his floor is fairly high. I just don’t know if he has a higher ceiling than a lot of others in this draft at the top.
Mo: You also seem to be pretty low on Jaden Hardy. Why?
Jake: Jaden Hardy is one that was also harder for me to pinpoint and evaluate. He’s a guy that has a lot of controversy with his name in the #DraftTwitter circles because many seem to be very divisive with him. He has the mold of an effortless scorer that has a bag full of ways to get you points on the court. I think I have Hardy lower than others because of his overall consistency and I have questions on if he can be a guy that can produce efficiently without having a high usage rate. While this is a very nitpicky stance, and I have publicly said that Jaden Hardy is probably the prospect this year most to make me look like an idiot, I just have my doubts about what he CAN be if he doesn’t turn out to be one of the top options on a team. We’ve seen a lot of very talented scorers in high school and college struggle with the transition to the NBA because it is just not in their nature to not be “that guy”. Not to say Hardy is selfish by any stretch of the imagination, just more so that I think the transition will be one that could be met with a very steep learning curve for him.
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