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Draft Notes: Banchero, Holmgren, Smith, Ivey, NCAA

November 26th, 2021 at 6:40pm CST by Rory Maher

Tonight’s highly anticipated matchup between between No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 5 Duke features the top two prospects on most 2022 draft boards — freshmen Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren.

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently shared his third mock draft for 2022, with Banchero, a 6’10” forward for Duke, at No. 1, and Holmgren, a 7’0″ center for Gonzaga, at No. 2. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report currently has the two players flipped, with Holmgren’s elite shot-blocking and offensive versatility slightly outranking Banchero’s physical tools and high skill-level.

Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated thinks that Holmgren has more at stake in Friday’s marquee matchup, because it might be his only opportunity to prove he can physically compete against two strong, NBA-bodied big men in Banchero and Mark Williams (No. 31 on Vecenie’s board). Holmgren has a huge 7’6″ wingspan, but weighs just 195 pounds.

The game will also feature three other projected draft picks, per Vecenie’s board: No. 12 A.J. Griffin (Duke), No. 17 Trevor Keels (Duke) and No. 44 Drew Timme (Gonzaga).

The two 6-0 teams face off at 9:30 PM CT on ESPN in what is likely to be the most heavily-scouted game of the men’s college basketball season.

Here are some more 2022 draft-related notes:

Some scouts viewed Banchero and Holmgren in a tier of their own for 2022. However, freshman Jabari Smith of Auburn has been turning heads with his strong play, and Wasserman writes that he could be a future star as well. Vecenie has Smith third on his board, while Jeremy Woo has him second in his initial mock draft, ahead of Holmgren. Smith, who’s six months younger than Banchero and a year younger than Holmgren, is a 6’10” forward with an intriguing mix of skills, and is viewed as the best shooter of the projected top three picks.
John Hollinger of The Athletic breaks down 10 potential draft picks — two sophomores and eight upperclassmen. The players range from projected high lottery picks (Jaden Ivey of Purdue, number five on Vecenie’s board) to fringe second-rounders (Scotty Pippen Jr. of Vanderbilt, not currently on Vecenie’s board).
Jake Fisher of Bleacher Report wonders whether the NCAA is still the best path to the NBA for top prospects. He explores the pros and cons of the NCAA and alternatives such as G League Ignite, Overtime Elite, and playing internationally.

And-Ones: McDonald’s Game Rosters, Cooper, Suggs, More

February 24th, 2021 at 8:45am CST by Luke Adams

While the game itself won’t be played this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, McDonald’s formally announced its ceremonial rosters this week for the annual All American Game, a showcase of the nation’s top high school players.

The 24-player boys squad is headlined by a number of prospects who are expected to be lottery selections in the 2022 NBA draft, including Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, and Jabari Smith, whom ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz had as the top three picks in their first ’22 mock draft in December.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Auburn point guard Sharife Cooper, the No. 9 ranked prospect on ESPN’s big board for the 2021 NBA draft, may have played his last game for the Tigers, writes Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. Cooper is in a walking boot after suffering an ankle injury, and ESPN’s Jimmy Dykes said during Tuesday’s Auburn/Florida broadcast that he’d be surprised if Cooper returns this season. “We will see how the week progresses. We never rush guys back,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “He is working to try and get back, but we just don’t know.”
NBA teams picking in the top half of the 2021 lottery will have to determine whether Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs – who is the third-leading scorer for the Bulldogs this season – is capable of becoming a primary option at the next level or if he projects to be a star role player, writes Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer. Suggs is the No. 4 prospect on ESPN’s 2021 big board.
Johnathan Williams, who recently parted ways with Turkish team Galatasaray, didn’t take long to find a new home, having signed with Niners Chemnitz in Germany for the rest of the season, according to the club. Williams, a 6’9″ forward/center, spent time with the Lakers in 2018/19 and the Wizards in ’19/20, averaging 5.2 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 39 total NBA games.
Former first-round pick Jared Sullinger, who hasn’t played professionally since 2019 and hasn’t been in the NBA since 2017, has reportedly agreed to a deal with Anyang KGC in South Korea, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. Sullinger spoke last month about his goal of making it back to the NBA.