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2022 NBA Draft

Draft Notes: Banchero, Gueye, Minott, L. Miller

May 8th, 2022 at 11:55am CST by Arthur Hill

LIFT Sports Management, operated by former NBA player Mike Miller, landed its biggest client so far when Duke’s Paolo Banchero signed with the agency on Saturday, tweets Jeff Goodman of Stadium. LIFT released a short video announcing the move and welcoming Banchero to its team (Twitter link).

Banchero was one of the top players in college basketball this season, being named ACC Rookie of the Year and earning second-team All-American honors. He is projected as a top four pick in next month’s draft and is rated as the No. 2 prospect on ESPN’s big board.

Miller launched the agency last year after spending two years as an assistant at the University of Memphis. According to RealGM, he has six other clients who are eligible for this year’s draft.

There’s more draft-related news to pass along:

  • Washington State’s Mouhamed Gueye has been invited to participate in the NBA G League Elite Camp, according to JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link). The freshman center averaged 7.4 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Cougars this season.
  • Josh Minott of Memphis has been impressive in his early workouts for a few Eastern Conference teams, tweets Adam Zagoria. He averaged 6.6 and 3.8 rebounds as a freshman with the Tigers.
  • Canadian high school prospect Leonard Miller has been ruled eligible for the draft, tweets Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated. Paperwork issues prevented him from being included on the official early entries list, but those problems have been resolved.
  • Woo has released a new list of top 100 prospects, which has Auburn’s Jabari Smith at No. 1. Woo calls Smith “the best pure freshman jump shooter to enter the draft in years” and “a legit No. 1 pick candidate in most drafts.” Rounding out his top five are Purdue’s Jaden Ivey, Banchero, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren and Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe.
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And-Ones: Coaching Candidates, Kirkwood, Garuba, Embiid

May 4th, 2022 at 11:39am CST by Luke Adams

Suns assistant Kevin Young, Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee, Celtics assistant Will Hardy, Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic, Heat assistants Chris Quinn and Malik Allen, and Warriors assistants Mike Brown and Kenny Atkinson are among the assistants around the NBA who are viewed as potential head coaching candidates by league insiders, according to ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz (Insider-only link).

A number of the names on Arnovitz’s list have been linked to one or more of the NBA’s three current head coaching openings. Ham and Brown, for instance, all believed to be under consideration by all three of the Hornets, Lakers, and Kings.

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

  • Harvard senior guard Noah Kirkwood, who declared for the 2022 NBA draft as an early entrant, has decided to remain in the draft and go pro rather than using his final year of college eligibility, according to agent Ronnie Zeidel (Twitter link via Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports).
  • Rockets forward/center Usman Garuba said in an interview with Spanish outlet AS.com that he’s committed to representing Spain at this year’s EuroBasket competition, as Eurohoops relays.
  • In an intriguing bit of international basketball news, an RMC Sport report indicates that Sixers center Joel Embiid is exploring the possibility of obtaining French citizenship and representing France in future international events. Embiid was born in Cameroon, but has family from France and has never suited up for the Cameroonian national team.
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Draft Notes: Walker, Abmas, Hall, Travers, Freeman-Liberty, Kiss, Big Board

May 2nd, 2022 at 10:11pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Colorado’s Jabari Walker, a First-Team All Pac-12 selection, intends to stay in the draft, his father and former NBA player Samaki Walker told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link).

“Jabari is fully committed to becoming a professional basketball player and has no intentions on returning to school. He wants to sign with an agent and go all in,” Samaki Walker said.

Jabari Walker averaged 14.6 PPG and 9.4 RPG as a sophomore for the Buffaloes. A power forward, Walker is rated No. 61 on ESPN’s Best Available list.

We have more draft-related news:

  • Oral Roberts’ Max Abmas, Saint Joseph’s Jordan Hall, Australian forward Luke Travers and DePaul guard Javon Freeman-Liberty have been invited to the NBA G League Elite Camp, Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw reports (Twitter links found here). Among that group, Hall (No. 76) and Travers (No. 87) are on ESPN’s Best Available list.
  • Guard Peter Kiss will work out for the Celtics on Tuesday, Adam Zagoria tweets. Kiss averaged a Division I-best 25.2 PPG and 5.8 RPG for Bryant this past season.
  • Jabari Smith Jr. and Chet Holmgren remain the top two players on Sam Vecenie’s latest big board, which includes his top 100 prospects. The Athletic’s draft expert considers Smith a somewhat safer pick because his shooting and defense translates well to the NBA game. Separating players into tiers, Vecenie ranks Arizona’s Bennedict Mathurin and Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe just outside the top five.
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And-Ones: Cotton, 2021 Re-Draft, Pro Days, G League Camp

April 30th, 2022 at 11:57am CST by Dana Gauruder

Veteran guard Bryce Cotton, the top player in Australia’s National Basketball League, isn’t planning a return to the NBA. The Perth Wildcats have reached a contract extension agreement with the three-time NBL MVP, Sportando’s Dario Skerletic reports. Cotton, 29, averaged 22.7 PPG and 4.8 APG last season. He played a total of 23 games for Utah, Phoenix and Memphis from 2014-16.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • How would last year’s draft look if it were held now? The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie explores that topic, ranking those players on how they performed this year, whether they can improve upon their weaknesses and how they figure to grow and mature. The top five, in order, would be Cade Cunningham, Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, Evan Mobley, Jalen Green and Franz Wagner, Vecenie says.
  • The NBA has sent memo to teams informing them that agency Pro Days will only be permitted during two windows — the week of the NBA Combine from May 16-21 and in Southern California from May 25-27, Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets.
  • The NBA G League Elite Camp will have workouts May 16-17 in Chicago and the Combine will run workouts from May 18-20, Adam Zagoria tweets.
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NBA Announces Initial Early Entrant List For 2022 Draft

April 27th, 2022 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially released the initial list of early entrants for the 2022 NBA draft, announcing in a press release that 283 players have filed as early entry candidates. Of those prospects, 247 are from colleges, while 36 are international early entrants.

Those are big numbers, but they fall well short of the 353 early entrants who initially declared for the draft a year ago. Beginning in 2021, the NCAA granted players an extra year of eligibility due to the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in seniors having to decide between staying at college for one more season or declaring for the draft as an “early” entrant.

That tweak to the NCAA’s eligibility rules has increased the number of total early entrants due to the influx of seniors into the pool. However, as Jonathan Givony of ESPN observes (via Twitter), the number of college non-seniors (123) on the initial early entry list this year is actually the lowest since 2016, while the number of international prospects (36) is the lowest since 2014.

This year’s total of 283 early entrants figures to shrink significantly by June 1 and again by June 13, the two deadlines for players to withdraw their names from the draft pool. But it still looks like the pool will remain extremely crowded, with the eventual number of early entrants certain to exceed 58, the number of picks in the draft.

Our tracker of early entrants for the 2022 draft is fully up to date and can be found right here.

Here are the changes we made to our tracker today:

Newly-added players:

College players:

These players either didn’t publicly announce that they were entering the draft or we simply missed it when they did.

International players:

These players weren’t previously mentioned on our list of international early entrants. The country listed here indicates where they last played, not necessarily where they were born.

Other notable draft-eligible early entrants:

The NBA sent its teams a list of 33 “also-eligible” names. That list isn’t public, but Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link) shared some of the most notable players on it, and we’ve added them to our early entrant tracker. They are as follows:

  1. Dominick Barlow, F, Overtime Elite
  2. MarJon Beauchamp, G/F, G League Ignite
  3. Dyson Daniels, G, G League Ignite
  4. Henri Drell, G/F, Windy City Bulls
  5. Michael Foster, F, G League Ignite
  6. Jaden Hardy, G, G League Ignite
  7. Makur Maker, C, Sydney Kings (formerly Howard Bison)
  8. Jean Montero, G, Overtime Elite
  9. Samson Ruzhentsev, G/F, Mega Basket (formerly Florida Gators)
  10. Kai Sotto, C, Adelaide 36ers (formerly G League Ignite)
  11. Zaire Wade, G, Salt Lake City Stars
  12. Kok Yat, F, Overtime Elite
  13. Fanbo Zeng, F, G League Ignite

Players removed:

Despite reports or announcements that the players below would declare for the draft, they didn’t show up on the NBA’s official list.

That could mean a number of things — they may have decided against entering the draft; they may have entered the draft, then withdrawn; they may have had no NCAA eligibility remaining, making them automatically draft-eligible; they may have incorrectly filed their paperwork; or the NBA may have accidentally omitted some names.

In any case, we’ve removed the following names from our early entrant list, at least for the time being.

Finally, Givony reports (via Twitter) that Canadian forward Leonard Miller, from the Fort Erie International Academy has been asked to fill out additional paperwork to finalize his entrance into the draft pool. According to Givony, there’s an expectation that Miller will be added to the list, so we’ve left him listed in our early entrant tracker among the international players.

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Draft Notes: Houstan, Molinar, Aluma

April 25th, 2022 at 10:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

University of Michigan swingman Caleb Houstan has declared for the draft but is maintaining his NCAA eligibility while exploring the pre-draft process, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony tweets. He’s the second Wolverines freshman to make such a declaration on Monday — forward Moussa Diabate will also test the draft waters.

Houstan, a 6’8” wing, averaged 10.1 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 34 starts this season. He made 35.5% of his 3-point attempts. He’s currently ranked No. 64 on ESPN’s Best Available list.

We have more draft decisions:

  • Mississippi State’s Iverson Molinar is staying in the draft and will hire an agent, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. The 6’3” guard is ranked No. 62 on ESPN’s big board. He averaged 17.5 PPG and 3.6 APG in his junior year.
  • Virginia Tech forward Keve Aluma will enter the draft and hire an agent, he confirmed on his Twitter page. He averaged 15.8 PPG and 6.5 RPG in his senior year. The Wofford transfer started both of his seasons with the Hokies.
  • In case you missed it, AJ Griffin joined four Duke teammates in declaring for the draft.
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Central Notes: Caruso, Pistons Draft, Cavs Pick, Rubio

April 25th, 2022 at 5:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls’ already-depleted backcourt could be missing a key guard in Game 5 of their first-round series against Milwaukee. Alex Caruso is in concussion protocol and his status for Wednesday’s game is uncertain, Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

“It’s probably going to be a day-to-day thing with him,” coach Billy Donovan said. “He’s obviously going to have to go through a series of tests before he’s cleared. I don’t know how long that would take and how long it would take for his symptoms to go away… We’ll find out more on Tuesday.”

Caruso sustained an inadvertent shot to the face from Bucks guard Jevon Carter during the second quarter of Game 4 as Milwaukee took a 3-1 lead in the series. Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White would absorb Caruso’s minutes if he can’t go.

We have more from the Central Division:

  • What will the Pistons do if they land the No. 1 pick for the second consecutive year? James Edwards III of The Athletic predicts they would draft Gonzaga big man Chet Holmgren. Edwards lists Jabari Smith of Auburn and Paolo Banchero of Duke next on the team’s wish list. However, he doesn’t see Detroit drafting Purdue guard Jaden Ivey — No. 4 on ESPN’s Best Available list — higher than No. 7.
  • One of the consolations for the Cavaliers in their play-in tournament flameout is that it allowed them to retain their first-round pick. The next step is decide whether to use that pick or deal it away for an experienced rotation player, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. President of basketball operations Koby Altman is willing to bring in a rookie. “There’s nothing wrong with having another young player that you can develop,” he said. “I don’t want to say, ‘Let’s trade it again and get somebody else.’ I think there’s a nice niche here for a young prospect to really grow without a ton of expectation and grow into potentially a rotational player who can help down the road.”
  • In the same story, Fedor reports that at least one source believes a Cavaliers–Ricky Rubio reunion is “highly likely.” Rubio, on the mend from a torn ACL in his left knee, will be a free agent this summer.  His expiring contract was traded to Indiana in February.
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Draft Updates: Diabate, Nance, Wong, Gach, Mocks

April 25th, 2022 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Michigan freshman power forward Moussa Diabate will test the 2022 NBA draft waters, a source tells Jeremy Woo of SI.com (Twitter link).

In his first college season, Diabate averaged 9.0 PPG and 6.0 RPG on 54.2% shooting in 32 games (24.9 MPG), earning Big Ten All-Freshman honors. He’s currently the No. 69 prospect on ESPN’s big board, making him a borderline candidate to be drafted. If he can improve his stock during the pre-draft process, he would presumably be more inclined to keep his name in this year’s draft pool rather than returning to the Wolverines.

Here are a few more draft-related updates:

  • Northwestern senior power forward Pete Nance, the No. 95 prospect on ESPN’s board, has declared for the draft, he announced on Twitter. Although Nance says his “pure focus” is on making it to the NBA, he’s maintaining his college eligibility for now. The younger brother of Larry Nance Jr. averaged 14.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 2.7 APG on .497/.452/.768 shooting in 30 games (27.2 MPG) in 2021/22.
  • Miami junior guard Isaiah Wong will test the draft waters for a second straight year, he announced on Instagram. Wong, who has made back-to-back All-ACC third teams, averaged 15.3 PPG in 37 games (33.9 MPG) in 2021/22.
  • Dutch point guard Keye Van Der Vuurst is entering the draft, agent Keith Kreiter tells HoopsHype (Twitter link). Van Der Vuurst has won three Belgian League champinoships with Oostende since joining the team in 2018.
  • Utah senior wing Both Gach, who previously tested the draft waters in 2020, will enter the 2022 draft and forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility, he tells Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
  • Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer and ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz (Insider link) published new, updated mock drafts on Monday.
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AJ Griffin, Yannick Nzosa Enter 2022 NBA Draft

April 25th, 2022 at 7:22am CST by Luke Adams

Duke forward AJ Griffin officially announced on Sunday that he’ll be entering the 2022 NBA draft (Twitter link). Based on the wording of the announcement from the school, it sounds as if Griffin will forgo his remaining college eligibility and go pro.

Griffin’s decision comes as no surprise, as he’s considered a potential lottery pick, ranking No. 8 overall on ESPN’s big board. As a freshman, he averaged 10.4 PPG and 3.9 RPG with an impressive .447 3PT% in 39 games (24.0 MPG).

In his scouting report on Griffin, Mike Schmitz of ESPN refers to the 18-year-old as one of college basketball’s best shooters and says he has the type of physical frame NBA scouts love (6’6″ with a seven-foot wingspan). While Griffin looked like a potential top-five pick at times, there were other games where he looked like a “one-dimensional gunner,” according to Schmitz, who says the former Blue Devil will have to prove he can be a “willing, engaged” defender.

Griffin joins his Duke teammates Paolo Banchero, Mark Williams, Trevor Keels, and Wendell Moore in the 2022 draft pool.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Congolese center Yannick Nzosa has also declared for the draft, a source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Nzosa, who has spent the last couple seasons playing for Unicaja in Spain, is the No. 46 prospect on ESPN’s board and projects as a second-round pick, according to Givony.

Sunday night was the deadline for early entrants to declare for the 2022 NBA draft, so we should get an official preliminary early entry list from the league at some point this week. We’ve been tracking this year’s early entrants right here, but our list is unofficial and could grow significantly when the NBA puts out the full list of names.

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Ochai Agbaji Declares For Draft

April 24th, 2022 at 6:50pm CST by JD Shaw

Kansas wing Ochai Agbaji has declared for the 2022 NBA draft, he announced on social media tonight (Twitter link). Agbaji is coming off a season where he was a Consensus First Team All American and was named the Big 12 Player of the Year.

Agbaji, a projected lottery pick, is currently ranked 13th on ESPN’s big board. He averaged 18.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season, shooting 47.5% from the floor and 41% from distance.

“Before I put my collegiate career in the rearview mirror and look to the future, I want to thank some of the people who helped put me on the road to success. My family. My teammates. my coaches. And of course – Jayhawk nation,” Agbaji said as part of a larger statement. “No matter where basketball takes me, I’ll always be a Jayhawk.”

The 22-year-old Agbaji helped Kansas win the NCAA championship this season. It was his fourth year with the school, so he would’ve had one more year of eligibility if he had chosen to remain in college.

The NBA draft will be held on June 23 from Brooklyn, New York this year.

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