A Quick Look at the Top 2022 NBA Draft Prospects

As we count down our days leading up to the new year, the NCAA basketball season is heating up and conference play is right around the corner. This is the time NBA Draft scouts and evaluators long for.

Heavily anticipated big-time matchups. Battles between some of the top prospects of the draft class. All games with potentially season defining implications. Outside of the NCAA tournament itself, there’s nothing quite like conference play as it is almost like a season in itself.

With that being said, if there were any time for guys to raise or solidify their NBA draft stock, this is a perfect time to start balling out. So, in anticipation of the in-conference season, let’s take a look at some of the top NBA prospects and how they are performing so far this season.

1. Paolo Banchero, Duke Blue Devils

Ranking on Tankathon.com Big Board: #1

Ranking on ESPN.com Big Board: #2

NBA Draft Room.com Most Recent Mock Draft: 1^st to the Detroit Pistons

Quick Player Breakdown:

Standing at 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, Banchero headlines a stacked big-man draft class as arguably the most polished offensive Forward/Center in the draft. Whether it’s ball handling, inside game or even stepping out to the three, he has the whole package. Not to mention that with his brooding frame and 6-foot-10 wingspan, he has the capability to be a physical rim defender with the athleticism to step out and guard some on the perimeter.

So far this season he is averaging 17.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 50% shooting from the field. He is only 9-of-27 (33.3%) from three on the season, but his willingness to shoot from deep will take him a long way. His form is also fluid which gives him a strong chance to bump that percentage up as he increases his reps.

His best game of the season actually came against No.5 Gonzaga who was ranked No.1 at the time. Banchero finished the game with 21 points and five rebounds on 8-of-17 shooting from the floor. He showed off the full package with a series of pull up jumpers, strong finishes around the basket and he even hit 2-of-3 threes.

Banchero entered the NCAA season favored as the top prospect and thus far he is proving why he deserves to sit atop most Mock Drafts and Big Boards.

2. Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga Bulldogs

Ranking on Tankathon.com Big Board: #2

Ranking on ESPN.com Big Board: #1

NBA Draft Room.com Most Recent Mock Draft: 3^rd to the New Orleans Pelicans

Quick Player Breakdown:

Mostly known for his comparisons to Dallas Mavericks’ Forward Kristaps Porzingis, Holmgren may be one of the more polarizing prospects in this draft class.

Some believe that despite being 7-feet tall with a 7-foot-6 wingspan that his rail thin frame will be a major detriment to him at the next level. Others believe that with his combination of shot blocking ability, offensive skill set, and bulldog mentality that he will be just fine regardless of his build.

As a member of a stacked Gonzaga Bulldogs team with guys like Drew Timme, Andrew Nembhard and others, Holmgren has not been let loose on the NCAA the way some of the other top prospects have.

Nonetheless, he is still putting up solid numbers as he is averaging 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and a whopping 3.9 blocks a game. So far through ten games, Holmgren already has notched three double-doubles and has had at least three blocks in all but one game this season. His best game came against Dixie State in his season debut where he broke the internet with a monster performance on both ends of the floor. Holmgren finished the game with 15 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and a season-high seven blocks.

Similar to Banchero, he has the offensive tricks you love to see in a modern big man but has thus far shown a bit more promise on the defensive end. At the rate these two are going, these two could be jockeying for the top spot all the way up to Draft night.

3. Jabari Smith, Auburn Tigers

Ranking on Tankathon.com Big Board: #3

Ranking on ESPN.com Big Board: #3

NBA Draft Room.com Most Recent Mock Draft: 2^nd to the Orlando Magic

Quick Player Breakdown:

Based on what we have seen so far, if there is anyone who might have the best chance to overthrow the Top-2 it’s Jabari Smith.

Standing at 6-foot-10, Smith is flying off draft boards because of his displayed versatility as a stretch-four at the next level. He might not be as good of a ball handler as Banchero and Holmgren, but he surely is shooting the ball better.

So far this season he is averaging 16.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and nearly two steals a game. He is doing this while shooting 46.3% from the field and 43.9% from three on just over five attempts a game. To put that in perspective, Banchero (3.4 attempts) and Holmgren (2.3 attempts) are taking less threes a game than Smith while shooting about 10% worse from deep as he is.

Hence the hype. In a stacked big-man class Smith’s combination of athletic ability and shooting may be just the thing that helps separate himself from the rest of the pack.

In comparison to the Top-2, Smith and the Auburn Tigers have not faced much top competition thus far and have only played one Top-25 ranked team. But it’s still a young season and he has the luxury of playing in the SEC. No offense to both the ACC and the West Coast Conference, but of the three, the SEC definitely has the strongest competition which will give Smith more than a fair chance to raise his stock when conference play begins.

4. Jalen Duren, Memphis Tigers

Ranking on Tankathon.com Big Board: #4

Ranking on ESPN.com Big Board: #4

Ranking on NBA Draft Room.com Most Recent Mock Draft: 7^th to the Indiana Pacers

Quick Player Breakdown:

Rounding out the group of the top big men in the class we have arguably the most NBA ready prospect in terms of his body structure and athleticism.

Standing at 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds, Duren is in a sense a bit of throwback as he relies much more on bully ball than the other top bigs. Similar to the mold of old school Dwight Howard or Atlanta Hawks’ Center Clint Capela, Duren is best as a rim runner and power finisher. The guy is a beast around the rim and has a knack for blocking and deflecting shots.

So far this season, he is averaging 10.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting an impressive 65.5% from the floor. The big red flag about Duren is that with his limited offensive skillset, he can kind of disappear in games.

Through nine games, he has only attempted 10+ shots in two games despite arguably being Memphis’ best player talent wise next to fellow freshman Emoni Bates. He also has only recorded double-digit rebounds in two games, one being against Western Kentucky where he finished with a season-high 22 points and 19 rebounds.

Beyond that he has had six or less rebounds in five of the nine games. Long story short, Duren is not dominating and as a Center with more of an old school playstyle, that lack of dominance only further emphasizes how raw of a prospect he is.

The Memphis Tigers have struggled as of late losing their last four games, but he still has a few more opportunities to take on top competition like Alabama, Tennessee and Houston that could really help his stock. But more than anything, the best thing Duren can do to help solidify himself as a Top-5 pick is to help lead the Tigers to their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2014.

5. Jaden Ivey, Purdue Boilermakers

Ranking on Tankathon.com Big Board: #8

Ranking on ESPN.com Big Board: #5

Ranking on NBA Draft Room.com Most Recent Mock Draft: 4^th to the Oklahoma City Thunder

Quick Player Breakdown:

Lastly we finally get a little bit of guard action and Jaden Ivey may arguably be the best guard in this draft class. Ivey is also the only sophomore in this group and staying an extra year has done wonders for him.

As a freshman he averaged 11.1 points, 1.9 assists, and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 39.9% from the field. Not great, but not terrible either. The glaring stat for Ivey was his three-point shooting as he only shot 25.8% from beyond the arc 4.2 attempts a game. This season he has come back to Purdue much more polished and almost looks like a whole new player.

So far this season he is averaging 15.8 points, 3.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 52.6% from the field. That is a jump in all the typical counting stats while also becoming more efficient in the process. But like I mentioned before, the three ball has been the real key to unlocking Ivey this season.

Through nine games is shooting 40% on nearly the same number of attempts as last season at 4.4 attempts per game. Essentially he has built on all the potential he showed as a freshman simply by playing with a much better basketball IQ.

Ivey was already a high-level athlete with the potential versatility to guard multiple positions, but now that he is a legit threat as a shooter Ivey might just have the top guard spot locked up.

A Few More Player to Watch:

Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee Volunteers: The best pure point guard in the draft and has one of the better first steps of any guard in the class. He is a crafty, high IQ guard that loves to play downhill so he lives around the rim. The big knock on him is that he is a bit small for the position at 6-foot-1 but between his athleticism and playstyle, he plays bigger than he is. So far this season Chandler is averaging 15.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 49.5% from the field and 38.7% from three.

Patrick Baldwin Jr., Milwaukee Panthers: Passed on top programs like Kentucky and Kansas to play in his hometown for his father at the University of Milwaukee. He is a big wing with a smooth shooting stroke along with elite size for the position. In draft comparison he has drawn comparisons to the likes of Denver Nuggets’ Forward Michael Porter Jr. and Boston Celtics’ Forward Jayson Tatum. He obviously does not have the same level of talent around him as the top prospects but with more responsibility comes even more of an opportunity to show what he can do. His biggest obstacle will be the lack of competition he faces which means he will need to put up some gaudy numbers to truly stand out. So far this season Baldwin Jr. is averaging 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 39.1% from the floor and 35% from three.

Trevor Keels, Duke Blue Devils: Part of a strong Duke freshman class and product of our very own Clinton, Maryland. Standing at 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds, Keels is built like a football player and plays like one too. This guy plays with a lot of power but has the ball handling ability to help get him to his spots. Keels has the capability to be a solid two-way player at the guard position, but he has to start becoming more consistent as a scoring threat. For example, he dropped 25 points in his season debut against the Kentucky Wildcats but has had six games with ten points or less since. He does not need to score 20 points a game or anything especially on a Duke team with their fair share of scoring options. But to jump into the lottery pick discussion he is going to have to assert himself as more of an offensive creator.

Keegan Murray, Iowa Hawkeyes: The predecessor to former NCAA Player of the Year Luka Garza as Iowa’s new lead man at the Power Forward/Center position. Last season Murray was coming off the behind one of the best big men in college basketball and now he is arguably one of the best bigs in the NCAA. As a Freshman he averaged 7.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks. This season he is averaging 22.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and nearly two blocks a game. Not only is he making a strong case as arguably the Most Improved Player in the Big Ten, but he is skyrocketing up mock draft boards up to as high as 11th.