Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe Entering 2022 NBA Draft
Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe will declare for the 2022 NBA draft and intends to go pro, forgoing his remaining college eligibility, sources tell Shams Charania and Kyle Tucker of The Athletic (Twitter link).
There had been some question as to whether Sharpe, who will turn 19 next month, would be eligible for the 2022 draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony confirms (via Twitter) that he graduated from high school in May 2021 and says his diploma will be sent to the NBA league office. Givony first reported in January that Sharpe would be able to apply for this year’s draft as an early entrant.
Formerly the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 high school class, Sharpe reclassified and joined the Wildcats in January for the remainder of the 2021/22 season. Head coach John Calipari announced in February that Sharpe wouldn’t play at all in ’21/22, and Kentucky’s plan at that point was to have him make his college debut in ’22/23.
Instead, Sharpe will go pro without having played a single college game. While that will create an air of mystery around him as draft night approaches, NBA scouts and evaluators are extremely high on the young guard’s potential based on what they saw from him before he arrived at Kentucky. ESPN ranks him as the No. 6 overall player on its big board for 2022.
According to ESPN’s Mike Schmitz, Sharpe has an impressive 6’6″ frame, solid instincts, and NBA-ready shooting to go along with improving play-making. The 18-year-old is still learning how to best utilize his talent and lacks high-level experience, so he’ll have to get accustomed to playing within a system on both ends of the court, but Sharpe’s physical tools make him a potential top-five pick, Schmitz writes.
Bucks’ Middleton, Portis Injured In Game 2 Loss
The Bucks lost two key contributors to injuries over the course of their Game 2 loss to Chicago on Wednesday.
All-Star forward Khris Middleton left in the fourth quarter due to a left knee injury later diagnosed as a sprained MCL, according to Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, while big man Bobby Portis suffered a right eye abrasion in the first quarter and didn’t return, per an Associated Press report.
Middleton will undergo an MRI on his injured knee on Thursday to further assess the extent of the damage and to get a clearer sense of his potential timeline for a return.
A player’s recovery timetable from a sprained MCL can vary depending on the severity of the injury, but it’s generally measured in weeks rather than just days. Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, and Kelly Olynyk were among the players who missed more than a month this season due to MCL sprains — the Bucks will be hoping that Middleton’s sprain isn’t as significant.
“Obviously Khris is one of the best players on the team,” MVP finalist Giannis Antetokounmpo said after the game, per Owczarski. “If he’s not able to be with us, it going to be a tremendous loss for us. But at the end of the day, we’ve got guys that hopefully can step up and we can still do our job and compete and enjoy the game, and hopefully it’s not something very serious and he can come back and join us very soon.”
As for Portis, he left the game in the first quarter after taking a hit to the face from Tristan Thompson. Bucks assistant Darvin Ham said during an in-game interview that 27-year-old was “having problems with the vision in his right eye” (video link via Bally Sports Wisconsin). However, head coach Mike Budenholzer said after the game that the expectation is Portis “should be fine with some time,” according to Steve Megargee of The Associated Press.
In other injury news out of Milwaukee, it sounds like backup point guard George Hill, who missed the first two games of the series due to an abdominal strain, won’t be back for Game 3 — Budenholzer told reporters prior to Wednesday’s game that the Bucks “don’t expect him in the short term,” writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.
“We’ll see how he progresses over the next I’d say handful of days or more,” Budenholzer said of Hill.
We’ll wait for further updates on Middleton and Portis to see just how shorthanded the Bucks will be when they resume their series vs. the Bulls on Friday in Chicago, tied at one game apiece.
Paolo Banchero Enters 2022 NBA Draft
Duke power forward Paolo Banchero has opted to declare the 2022 NBA draft. Banchero confirmed his decision in a video posted to his Twitter account.
Banchero’s decision comes as no surprise, as he has long been viewed as one of the top prospects in the 2022 draft class and a legitimate candidate to be the first player selected on June 23. Currently, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz list the Blue Devils star as the No. 2 player on their big board, just behind Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren and ahead of Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr.
A consensus second-team All-American as a freshman in 2021/22, Banchero averaged 17.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 3.2 APG and posted a .478/.338/.729 shooting line in 39 games (33.0 MPG). He earned a spot on the All-ACC first team and was the conference’s Rookie of the Year.
According to Schmitz, Banchero is the most polished of the top three prospects in this year’s draft and boasts an impressive, well-rounded offensive game, exhibiting “legitimate guard skills” and the ability to be a ball-handler in the pick and roll. However, he doesn’t have the same defensive upside as Holmgren or Smith.
Banchero is the second Duke underclassman to declare for this year’s draft, joining sophomore center Mark Williams.
Optimism For Doncic Return In Game 3 Or Game 4
There’s optimism that Mavericks star Luka Doncic will be able to return from his calf strain in one of the next two games in Utah, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Jazz will host Game 3 on Thursday and Game 4 on Saturday before the series shifts back to Dallas for Game 5 next Monday.
According to Charania, Doncic – who strained his left calf on April 10 – has improved in recent days. His workouts over the next couple days could determine whether he attempts to return in Game 3 or Game 4, Charania adds.
The Jazz defeated the Doncic-less Mavericks in Game 1 of the series on Saturday, but Dallas bounced back on Monday to even the series. That Game 2 victory was a crucial one, allowing the Mavs to split their first two home games without Doncic before going on the road.
If Doncic is unavailable for Game 3 on Thursday, the Mavs will have to once again lean heavily on point guards Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie, who combined for 58 points, 11 assists, and 12 rebounds in Monday’s win.
Kyrie Irving Fined $50K By NBA
Nets guard Kyrie Irving has been fined $50K by the NBA, the league announced today in a press release.
According to the statement, Irving was penalized for “making obscene gestures on the playing court and directing profane language toward the spectator stands.” The incidents occurred during Game 1 of the Nets’ first-round series with the Celtics, as Irving got into it with some of the fans in Boston.
Irving, who played for the Celtics from 2017-19 before departing for Brooklyn in free agency, spoke to reporters after Sunday’s game about his interactions with the Boston faithful, as Nick Friedell of ESPN relays.
“Look, where I’m from, I’m used to all these antics and people being close nearby,” Irving said. “It’s nothing new when I come into this building what it’s going to be like — but it’s the same energy they have for me, I’m going to have the same energy for them.
“And it’s not every fan, I don’t want to attack every fan, every Boston fan. When people start yelling ‘p—y’ or ‘b—-‘ and ‘f— you’ and all this stuff, there’s only but so much you take as a competitor. We’re the ones expected to be docile and be humble, take a humble approach, f— that, it’s the playoffs. This is what it is.”
Irving previously likened Celtics fans to a “scorned girlfriend” following a March game in Boston.
While $50K is a drop in the bucket for a maximum-salary player like Irving, it’s worth noting that $50K is the largest amount the NBA can fine a player without opening the door for the player to appeal the decision and take the issue to a grievance arbitrator.
Marcus Smart Named Defensive Player Of The Year
Celtics guard Marcus Smart has been named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced today in a press release.
Smart is the first guard to earn the honor since Gary Payton in the 1995/96 season. He’s also the second Celtic to win the award, joining Kevin Garnett (2007/08).
The 100 votes among sportswriters and broadcasters were spread out, reflecting that there was no clear-cut favorite for the award this season. Smart’s candidacy was aided by Boston’s strong finish and status as the league’s top-rated defensive unit. The team allowed the fewest points per game and lowest field-goal percentage.
Smart received 257 points overall and 37 first-place votes. Suns forward Mikal Bridges finished in second place with 202 points (22 first-place votes), while Jazz center and three-time DPOY Rudy Gobert was in third place with 136 points (12 first-place votes).
Overall, seven players received at least one first-place vote, including Bam Adebayo (13), Jaren Jackson Jr. (10), Giannis Antetokounmpo (5), and Robert Williams III (1). Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Draymond Green, and Matisse Thybulle also earned votes.
The full results can be viewed here.
Smart ranked seventh in the NBA in steals per game (1.68) and tied for sixth in total steals (119). Smart, who signed a four-year, $77MM contract last offseason, ranked among the league leaders in several “hustle” categories, finishing tied for fourth in loose balls recovered (75) and tied for 10th in both deflections (206) and charges drawn (16).
Luka Doncic Out For Game 2
APRIL 18: Doncic won’t play tonight, the team’s PR department tweets.
APRIL 17, 4:00pm: Dallas announced (Twitter link) that Doncic has indeed been listed as doubtful for Game 2. The team added that swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. and reserve guard Frank Ntilikina will remain sidelined as well.
APRIL 17, 1:34pm: Mavericks All-Star guard Luka Doncic appears doubtful to suit up for Dallas in Game 2 of the club’s second game against the Jazz Monday, per Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Woj notes that Doncic is not officially sidelined yet, but it appears that his left calf strain is still affecting him enough that he may have to wait a bit longer to make his 2022 postseason debut. The fifth-seeded Jazz beat the fourth-seeded Mavericks 99-93 on Saturday, with Dallas down its best player.
“Yesterday was another good day, and today he’s back on the court [doing light shooting for two straight days], so that’s a plus,” head coach Jason Kidd said of the star’s progress back from the injury. “And we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
This report is not entirely unexpected, as Woj had previously indicated that there was “significant concern” Doncic would miss this second contest as he continues to rehab the calf. Falling down 2-0 at home to an experienced Jazz team, ahead of a road trip to Utah, would be quite the deficit for Dallas.
In 65 games for a 52-30 Mavericks club this season, Doncic averaged a stellar 28.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG and 8.7 APG on .457/.353/.744 shooting splits. The 23-year-old has made the playoffs for the third straight season, but has yet to lead his team beyond the first round.
Duke’s Mark Williams Declares For Draft
Duke big man Mark Williams has declared for the draft, making the announcement on his Instagram page.
The seven-foot sophomore started all 39 games for the Blue Devils this past season, averaging 11.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 2.8 BPG in 23.6 MPG. He was named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
He’s currently listed No. 18 on ESPN’s Best Available prospects list and second among projected centers behind only Memphis’ Jalen Duren, who also declared on Monday. According to ESPN’s analysis posted in mid-March, Williams is “one of the best shot-blockers in this draft class and brings a consistent presence as a vertical spacer and an offensive rebounder for Duke, finishing 71% of his field goal attempts, with nearly half of those makes coming on dunks.”
Williams is a traditional post player — he only attempted one 3-pointer in his two seasons at Duke. He had a 28-point, 12-rebound, 3-block performance against Syracuse late in the regular season. He posted 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks against Arkansas in the West Region Elite 8 contest.
2022 Pre-Lottery NBA Draft Order
The NBA conducted its draft tiebreakers on Monday, further cementing the draft order for 2022. While we’ll have to wait until the May 17 draft lottery to learn the exact order for this year’s event, we now know what most of the 60 selections look like.
Listed below is the pre-lottery 2022 NBA draft order. Each lottery team’s chances of landing the No. 1 overall pick are noted in parentheses. We’ve also included notes for picks whose status remains up in the air — for example, the Lakers‘ first-round pick could still technically end up with either the Pelicans or Grizzlies.
[RELATED: 2022 NBA Draft Lottery Odds]
The second-round draft order for teams with identical regular season records is the inverse of their first-round order. This rule applies even when one club made the playoffs and one didn’t. For instance, the 43-39 Hawks will pick ahead of the 43-39 Hornets in the second round.
We’ll provided an updated list after the May 17 lottery, once the official draft order is set, but here’s the tentative 2022 NBA draft order:
First Round:
- Houston Rockets (14.0%)
- Orlando Magic (14.0%)
- Detroit Pistons (14.0%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (12.5%)
- Indiana Pacers (10.5%)
- Portland Trail Blazers (9.0%)
- Sacramento Kings (7.5%)
- New Orleans Pelicans (from Lakers) (6.0%)
- Note: The Grizzlies will receive this pick if it falls to No. 11 or No. 12.
- San Antonio Spurs (4.5%)
- Washington Wizards (3.0%)
- New York Knicks (2.0%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Clippers) (1.5%)
- Charlotte Hornets (1.0%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (0.5%)
- Charlotte Hornets (from Pelicans)
- Atlanta Hawks
- Houston Rockets (from Nets)
- Chicago Bulls
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- San Antonio Spurs (from Raptors)
- Denver Nuggets
- Memphis Grizzlies (from Jazz)
- Brooklyn Nets (from Sixers)
- Note: The Nets have the option of deferring their acquisition of the Sixers’ pick to 2023. That decision must be made by June 1.
- Note: The Nets have the option of deferring their acquisition of the Sixers’ pick to 2023. That decision must be made by June 1.
- Milwaukee Bucks
- San Antonio Spurs (from Celtics)
- Dallas Mavericks
- Miami Heat
- Golden State Warriors
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Suns)
Second Round:
- Indiana Pacers (from Rockets)
- Orlando Magic
- Toronto Raptors (from Pistons)
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Orlando Magic (from Pacers)
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Sacramento Kings
- San Antonio Spurs (from Lakers)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (from Spurs)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (from Wizards)
- New Orleans Pelicans
- New York Knicks
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Atlanta Hawks
- Charlotte Hornets
- Detroit Pistons (from Nets)
- Memphis Grizzlies (from Cavaliers)
- Note: If the Lakers’ first-round pick falls outside of the top 10, this pick would instead go to the Pelicans.
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Sacramento Kings (from Bulls)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (from Nuggets)
- Golden State Warriors (from Raptors)
- New Orleans Pelicans (from Jazz)
- Boston Celtics
Milwaukee Bucks- Note: The Bucks forfeited their second-round pick due to free agency gun-jumping.
Miami Heat (from Sixers)- Note: The Heat forfeited their second-round pick due to free agency gun-jumping.
- Washington Wizards (from Mavericks)
- Golden State Warriors
- Cleveland Cavaliers (from Heat)
- Portland Trail Blazers (from Grizzlies)
- Indiana Pacers (from Suns)
2022 NBA Draft Tiebreaker Results
The NBA conducted a series of random tiebreakers today to determine the 2022 draft order. These tiebreakers involved teams that finished the regular season with identical records.
The results are as follows, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link):
- Chicago Bulls (No. 18) over Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 19)
- San Antonio Spurs (No. 20) over Denver Nuggets (No. 21)
- Note: The Spurs are receiving this pick from the Raptors.
- Philadelphia 76ers (No. 23) over Milwaukee Bucks (No. 24) over San Antonio Spurs (No. 25)
- Note: The Nets have the option of acquiring this pick from the Sixers or passing on it and instead acquiring Philadelphia’s 2023 first-round pick.
- Note: The Spurs are receiving this pick from the Celtics.
- Note: The Nets have the option of acquiring this pick from the Sixers or passing on it and instead acquiring Philadelphia’s 2023 first-round pick.
- Miami Heat (No. 27) over Golden State Warriors (No. 28).
While the tiebreaker winner will pick ahead of the loser(s) in the first round, that order will be flipped in the second round. For instance, the Timberwolves’ second-round pick will be at No. 48, while the Bulls’ second-rounder (traded to Sacramento) will be No. 49.
Now that Philadelphia won the three-way tiebreaker for the No. 23 pick, Brooklyn will be faced with an interesting decision. If they decide to pass on receiving the Sixers’ 2022 first-rounder, the Nets would instead receive Philadelphia’s unprotected 2023 first-rounder.
With a full season of James Harden, the Sixers could be even better next year, pushing their pick later in the first round — but that’s certainly not a lock, and Brooklyn could decide to roll the dice by deferring the pick. The Nets have until June 1 to make that decision, per Marks (Twitter link).