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Josh Giddey Is Only 2025 RFA To Meet Starter Criteria So Far

February 25th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

When a player on an expiring contract is eligible for restricted free agency, his qualifying offer is determined in part by whether or not he met the “starter criteria” during the season – or two seasons – leading up to his free agency. As we explain in our glossary entry, a player meets the starter criteria when he achieves one of the following:

He plays at least 2,000 minutes or starts 41 games in the season before he reaches free agency.
He averages either 2,000 minutes or 41 starts in the two seasons prior to his restricted free agency.

If a top-14 pick coming to the end of his rookie contract fails to meet the starter criteria, the value of his qualifying offer declines. Conversely a player who was drafted at No. 10 or later or who went undrafted altogether can increase the value of his qualifying offer by meeting the starter criteria.

In many cases, an increase or decrease to a qualifying offer won’t materially affect the player’s restricted free agency, since a QO is just a one-year contract offer issued in order for the team to retain its right of first refusal. The player has the option of accepting it, but in most cases it functions as a placeholder until the RFA signs an offer sheet with a rival team or negotiates a new multiyear contract with his current team.

Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, for example, will likely sign a lucrative long-term deal when he reaches free agency this summer, so it won’t matter all that much if he falls short of the starter criteria and his QO drops from the standard amount of $10,240,287 to $7,976,830.

But for a player who is less likely to secure a significant payday but still a good bet to receive a qualifying offer, a difference of a few million dollars between potential QOs could have a major impact on how his free agency plays out. That difference may affect how willing a team is to put the qualifying offer on the table and how likely the player is to simply accept it.

With all that in mind, it’s worth checking in on which potential 2025 restricted free agents have actually met the starter criteria so far this season and which ones are on track to do so. The first list is a short one: Bulls guard Josh Giddey is the only player to meet the starter criteria so far.

Giddey had a huge head-start because he made 80 starts for Oklahoma City in 2023/24, meaning he just needed to make two starts this season in order to achieve an average of 41 for the past two seasons. He made his second start for the Bulls way back on October 25, which means his qualifying offer this summer will be $11,142,057 instead of dropping to $7,976,830.

None of the 10 other potential restricted free agents have met the starter criteria though. Of those players, the following three were lottery picks, with their default qualifying offers noted in parentheses:

Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors ($10,240,287)
Davion Mitchell, Heat ($8,741,210)
Ziaire Williams, Nets ($8,353,153)

Kuminga has only started 10 games this season and will fall short of the starter criteria, which will bump his QO down to $7,976,830. Mitchell and Williams still have a chance to get there though — Mitchell has 28 starts under his belt, while Williams has 26. They both need to reach 41 to achieve the starter criteria, and they’ve been regular starters for their respective teams as of late. If they hang onto their starting jobs and stay healthy, they’ll surpass 41 starts.

Again, Kuminga’s free agency is unlikely to be affected by his smaller qualifying offer, since his offer will likely just serve as a placeholder and a last-resort fallback option. Maybe the Nets will be slightly less inclined to give Williams a qualifying offer if it’s worth $8.35MM instead of $7.98MM, but that’s such a small gap that it’s unlikely to affect the team’s QO decision either way. The same goes for Mitchell and the Heat.

The other seven players on expiring contracts who are eligible for restricted free agency are Cam Thomas (Nets), Santi Aldama (Grizzlies), Quentin Grimes (Sixers), Tre Mann (Hornets), Isaiah Jackson (Pacers), Day’Ron Sharpe (Nets), and Jabari Walker (Trail Blazers). Jaden Springer, Chris Duarte, and Bones Hyland were also part of this group before being waived this month.

Of those players, only Thomas has a realistic chance of meeting the starter criteria. He started 51 games last season, which means he needs to get to 31 this season. He’s at 17 and the Nets have 25 left to play. If Thomas can return from his hamstring strain relatively soon, which seems likely, he has a good shot at starting 14 games and reaching the necessary threshold. That would increase his QO from $5,993,172 to $8,741,210.

The others will remain eligible for their standard QOs, based on draft position (or their prior salary, in Walker’s case), as follows:

Tre Mann, Hornets ($6,964,982)
Isaiah Jackson, Pacers ($6,422,431)
Quentin Grimes, Sixers ($6,311,825)
Day’Ron Sharpe, Nets ($5,983,683)
Santi Aldama, Grizzlies ($5,940,797)
Jabari Walker, Trail Blazers ($2,524,624)

Trail Blazers Notes: Draft, G League, Postseason

February 2nd, 2025 at 3:36pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Trail Blazers have found themselves on a surprisingly impressive run of late, observes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. After cleaning the clock of the star-studded Suns on Saturday, Portland claimed its seventh win across its last eight contests.

As Highkin notes, Portland’s recent success has likely damaged its chances of nabbing the top talent in this summer’s impending draft.

Sporting a 20-29 record, the Trail Blazers are now just one victory away from matching their 2023/24 total of 21 wins. The strong play of forwards Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija, the intriguing defense of rookie center Donovan Clingan, and improved play from backcourt standouts Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson has helped boost the club’s record.

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

The Trail Blazers assigned center Duop Reath, wing Rayan Rupert and forward Jabari Walker to their G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix, the team announced on Sunday (Twitter link). Reath, who was assigned to Rip City on Saturday for the first time this season, enjoyed a standout rookie year in 2023/24 before falling to a fourth-string role this year following the arrival of Clingan and the return of Robert Williams. Thanks to this surplus of centers in Portland, Reath has been viewed as an intriguing trade candidate for rival clubs this year.
Portland is now just 4.5 games away from the Western Conference’s No. 10 seed, but the Trail Blazers are taking a measured approach to their postseason prospects, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. “I don’t even think we think about none of that stuff,” center Deandre Ayton said. “We’re just taking it one game at a time. We’re not even there yet … We’ve still got to take care of these fundamentals and be known for that, despite how these games go.”
In case you missed it, Henderson has been developing as a player and a leader of late after an up-and-down start to his NBA career.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Strawther, Braun, Walker, Avdija, George

October 11th, 2024 at 11:17am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Timberwolves are taking a risk by completely changing their roster makeup in the aftermath of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade. However, AthlonSports’ Mark Medina reports that the coaching staff and players are all feeling optimistic about the change.

“There will be a pretty big learning curve,” head coach Chris Finch said. “I’m pretty confident that there are going to be rough edges that we want to smooth out.”

Minnesota reportedly coveted Donte DiVincenzo for a while, and he’ll address any spacing questions after a career year with the Knicks. Julius Randle‘s fit is a bit more interesting, as all indications point toward the Wolves leaning on Naz Reid more. It will be fascinating to see who winds up getting minutes in the closing lineup.

“I see us fitting together extremely well,” Randle said. “If you look at my career and the places that I’ve been and the things that I’ve done. I think the biggest thing I pride myself on is adaptability.”

According to Medina, Finch plans to grant Randle more play-making responsibility this season.

“My only thing is I want to help in any way needed. There’s a tremendous amount of talent here,” Randle said. “Finchy is a great coach. So whatever is asked of me, I’m going to do. I just want to help get us over that hump and win. At this stage of my career, all that matters is winning. I’ve accomplished a lot of great things on the individual scale. But I want to win at this stage of my career. I’m extremely excited and blessed to have this opportunity.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

For the second straight offseason, the Nuggets lost a key piece to free agency. For the second straight year, they’re hoping that a young player will fill the void left behind. Denver is counting on that strategy to be more successful this time around after watching the offseason growth of both Christian Braun and Julian Strawther, Tony Jones of The Athletic writes. Braun played well over the course of both of his first two seasons in the league, but Strawther hasn’t played much to this point. A skilled three-point marksman, Strawther will be leaned on but has the faith of the coaching staff and his teammates behind him. “Julian Strawther is poised and ready to have a really good second season,” Denver head coach Michael Malone said. “Julian was in the gym every day this summer. Every single day. The guy was a workhorse.“
It’s rare for the 57th pick in a draft to become a rotation so early in their career, but that’s the case for Trail Blazers forward Jabari Walker, who has made 128 career appearances, including 23 starts, and averaged 8.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game last season. He’s hoping to continue building on his early career success, Aaron Fentress of OregonLive writes. “Jabari has been doing a good job,” head coach Chauncey Billups said. “He’s been having a good camp. He was kind of hampered all summer with his knee and stuff. But he’s been back playing, and he hasn’t missed a beat at all. Obviously, he’s so tough and so competitive, his teams usually do pretty well in the scrimmages because of his rebounding and his competitiveness.”
Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is not participating in Friday’s matchup against the Clippers as he observes Yom Kippur, he announced in an Instagram story. According to Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin (Twitter link), Avdija will make his preseason — and Trail Blazers — debut on Sunday against the Kings.
Jazz guard Keyonte George left Utah’s preseason game and had to be helped off the court near the beginning of the third quarter due to a leg injury, according to Mavs.com’s Eddie Sefko (Twitter link). The Jazz said George was out with a mild left knee sprain, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon confirms he will get an MRI later on Friday but adds that the Jazz are optimistic he won’t miss much, if any, regular season time (Twitter link).

Northwest Notes: Jokic, George, Ayton, Blazers, Gobert

January 18th, 2024 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

Sixers star Joel Embiid racked up 41 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds in a comeback victory over the Nuggets on Tuesday, but after the game he had nothing but praise for opposing center and fellow MVP Nikola Jokic, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes.

Embiid joked that there’s a “war” on Twitter between Sixers and Nuggets fans about which player is better, but suggested that Jokic has earned that honor, at least for now, after leading Denver to a championship in 2023.

“He deserves (the title of best in the NBA),” Embiid said. “Until you knock him down, that’s the best in the league, and he’s the Finals MVP. So until someone else takes that away, then you can claim that.

“But then again,” Embiid continued, with a smile. “I also believe in myself. … I’ve just gotta get there.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Following a victory over Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Paul George said the 2019 trade that sent him from the Thunder to the Clippers for a package that included Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and several first-round picks has been a win for both sides — and acknowledged that it may have been a bigger win for OKC. “I just think both sides won. I did think it was quite a lot that the Clippers were willing to give up, but their commitment to me is my commitment to them,” George said (Twitter video link via Joey Linn of SI.com). “… We knew Shai was gonna be really, really good, but he’s special. In a way, Oklahoma won that trade with picks and a future MVP. Great trade for both sides.”
After missing the Trail Blazers‘ past 11 games due to a knee issue, starting center Deandre Ayton was on track to return Wednesday vs. Brooklyn, but icy conditions in Portland prevented him from getting to the game, as Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report tweets. Ayton will presumably be available on Friday vs. Indiana.
Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups tried a new starting lineup on Wednesday, with Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, Malcolm Brogdon, Duop Reath, and Jabari Walker making up the 19th starting five the team has used this season. After the game, Billups explained that he wanted to make a change due to the slow starts the Blazers had been having (Twitter link via Highkin). The original plan, Billups added, was to move Shaedon Sharpe into Scoot Henderson‘s starting spot, but Sharpe is sidelined with an abdominal injury.
While Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert has been lauded for a bounce-back season on defense, he lauded his teammates for making things easier on him at the end of the court, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “We got people that can guard. We got people that can move their feet and take the challenge,” Gobert said.

Trail Blazers To Guarantee Jabari Walker’s Contract For 2023/24

July 19th, 2023 at 12:23pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Trail Blazers have decided to guarantee forward Jabari Walker‘s $1.7MM contract for the upcoming season, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link). The team faced a July 20 deadline to decide whether or not to keep Walker’s salary on the books.

According to Highkin, the decision to guarantee Walker’s salary was a formality after the forward’s strong showing in Las Vegas this month. In five Summer League games, Walker averaged 12.4 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 62.9% from the floor.

The Blazers selected Walker, a forward out of Colorado, in the second round (No. 57 overall) in the 2022 NBA draft. He averaged 3.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 56 games as a rookie.

Walker didn’t play much for most of the season, but closed the year on a high note after the Blazers shut down many core rotation pieces. In his final 10 appearances of the season, he averaged 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per contest.

Portland appears to think highly of Walker, having opted to keep him around on a standard contract for a second straight season. Since the inception of the two-way contract, many late second round picks begin their careers on two-way pacts rather than standard deals. The Trail Blazers signed Walker to a standard contract despite him being the second-to-last pick in the 2022 draft. Now, he appears locked in to a 15-man roster spot and a potential rotation role for the upcoming season.

Walker has a non-guaranteed contract for the 2024/25 season at $2.01MM, which would become fully guaranteed on July 20, 2024. He’ll become eligible for restricted free agency in 2025 if he’s not extended before then.

Portland now has 12 players on guaranteed standard contracts and another, Jeenathan Williams, on a non-guaranteed standard contract. Williams’ $1.7MM non-guaranteed salary becomes fully guaranteed on Aug. 1. The Trail Blazers also have two players on two-way contracts (John Butler and Ibou Badji).

Northwest Notes: Watford, Walker, K. Johnson, KCP, Bolmaro

July 23rd, 2022 at 9:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

Strong showings by Trendon Watford and Jabari Walker in the Las Vegas Summer League may have eased any concerns the Trail Blazers have about front court depth, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian.

Watford, who signed a two-way contract with Portland last summer and was converted to a standard deal in February, was outstanding late in the season when injuries to teammates pushed him into a more prominent role. He remained productive in Las Vegas, averaging 13.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks per game as the Blazers captured the Summer League title.

Walker didn’t have flashy statistics in Vegas, but he showed he can be a valuable role player, Fentress states. Walker rebounded, played defense, set screens and did other things that will be necessary for him to earn consistent minutes in the NBA.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Trail Blazers shooting guard Keon Johnson also stood out during Summer League, Fentress adds. Johnson, who was acquired from the Clippers in February, looked like a former first-round pick, leading Portland’s squad in scoring at 14.2 PPG. Fentress doesn’t expect Johnson to be part of the rotation this season, barring injuries, but said he could see spot duty.
Although Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has found a new home with the Nuggets, who gave him a two-year extension last week, he didn’t expect to be traded by the Wizards, per Mike Singer of The Denver Post. It marked the second straight offseason that Caldwell-Pope has been part of a significant trade. “My initial reaction was surprise because what me and my team and the Washington Wizards was talking about and communicating was different,” he said. “It was a surprise.”
Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune examines what the Jazz can expect from Leandro Bolmaro, who was part of the return in the Rudy Gobert trade. Bolmero, a 21-year-old swingman, is a 2020 first-round pick who made his NBA debut last season with the Timberwolves. Larsen notes that Bolmaro is an outstanding defender and a capable rebounder and playmaker, but there are questions about his ability to score.

Trail Blazers Sign Second-Rounder Jabari Walker

July 13th, 2022 at 6:27pm CST by Rory Maher

The Trail Blazers have signed second-round pick Jabari Walker to a standard contract, the team announced in a press release.

Walker, who turns 20 later this month, was the 57th pick of last month’s draft after two seasons at Colorado. In 33 games (28.1 MPG) for the Buffaloes last season, Walker averaged 14.6 PPG and 9.4 RPG on .461/.346/.784 shooting, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors in the process.

The 6’9″ forward has had a stellar Summer League with Portland thus far, posting averages of 13.0 PPG and 8.3 RPG on .682/.375/.667 shooting in three games (19.6 MPG).

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Blazers had a small portion of their mid-level exception remaining to give Walker a contract that exceeds two years if they wanted to. Most of their mid-level was used to sign Gary Payton II.

Portland now has 15 players on standard deals, with one two-way spot still open. Although his last name is quite common, it’s worth noting that Walker is the son of former NBA player Samaki Walker.

As Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report tweets, the younger Walker recently said his father taught him one of the keys to having a long career is to understand his role.

“My dad taught me that a ‘role player’ isn’t a bad thing. You can make a lot of money being a role player. You can be a starter being a role player. A lot of people don’t embrace that. So that’s going to be an advantage for me,” he said.

Draft Decisions: J. Williams, Braun, J. Walker, Scheierman

May 25th, 2022 at 7:49am CST by Luke Adams

Early entrants Jalen Williams (Santa Clara), Christian Braun (Kansas), and Jabari Walker (Colorado) are all keeping their names in the 2022 NBA draft, notes Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). The three prospects have signed with BDA Sports and WME Sports for representation, rendering them ineligible to return to college.

Williams, a junior guard, is a potential first-round pick, currently ranking 24th overall on ESPN’s big board. When he first entered the draft, he was at No. 48 on ESPN’s list, so he has clearly improved his stock in the last couple months.

Braun, also a junior guard, isn’t far behind Williams at No. 30, while sophomore forward Walker is at No. 74 and isn’t a lock to be drafted.

Here are a few more updates on early entrants deciding to either remain in the draft pool or return to school:

After declaring for the draft following his junior season, forward Baylor Scheierman has decided to withdraw and return to school for at least one more year, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Scheierman, the No. 86 prospect on ESPN’s board, is transferring from South Dakota State to Creighton.
As expected, after securing a lucrative NIL deal to play for Miami, Nijel Pack has opted to withdraw from the NBA draft, according to Rothstein (Twitter link). The guard spent his first two college seasons at Kansas State.
Nevada junior guard Grant Sherfield will withdraw from the draft and is transferring to Oklahoma to play for the Sooners next season, tweets Goodman. Sherfield made the All-MWC team in each of the last two years after transferring from Wichita State in 2020.

Full List Of 2022 NBA Draft Combine Participants

May 10th, 2022 at 8:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has revealed its list of 76 players who have been invited – and who are expected to attend – next week’s draft combine in Chicago. The combine workouts will take place from May 18-20.

Over the course of the week, players will conduct interviews with NBA teams, participate in five-on-five games, and go through shooting, strength and agility drills.

While several of the prominent names at the top of the draft likely won’t participate in scrimmages, those top prospects are still expected to attend. That group includes Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero, and Jaden Ivey.

A handful of standout players from the G League Elite Camp could be invited to participate in the combine as well.

Here’s the full list of 76 names announced by the NBA today, in alphabetical order, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link):

Ochai Agbaji, G/F, Kansas (senior)
Patrick Baldwin Jr., F, Milwaukee (freshman)
Paolo Banchero, F, Duke (freshman)
Dominick Barlow, F, Overtime Elite (auto-eligible)
MarJon Beauchamp, G/F, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
Hugo Besson, G, Australia (born 2001)
Malaki Branham, G/F, Ohio State (freshman)
Christian Braun, G, Kansas (junior)
Kendall Brown, F, Baylor (freshman)
John Butler Jr., F/C, Florida State (freshman)
Julian Champagnie, G/F, St. John’s (junior)
Kennedy Chandler, G, Tennessee (freshman)
Max Christie, G, Michigan State (freshman)
Kofi Cockburn, C, Illinois (junior)
Dyson Daniels, G, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
Johnny Davis, G, Wisconsin (sophomore)
JD Davison, G, Alabama (freshman)
Moussa Diabate, F, Michigan (freshman)
Ousmane Dieng, F, Australia (born 2003)
Khalifa Diop, C, Spain (born 2002)
Jalen Duren, C, Memphis (freshman)
Tari Eason, F, LSU (sophomore)
Keon Ellis, G, Alabama (senior)
Michael Foster, F, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
Collin Gillespie, G, Villanova (super-senior)
AJ Griffin, F, Duke (freshman)
Jaden Hardy, G, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)
Ron Harper Jr., F, Rutgers (senior)
Chet Holmgren, C, Gonzaga (freshman)
Harrison Ingram, F, Stanford (freshman)
Jaden Ivey, G, Purdue (sophomore)
Trayce Jackson-Davis, F, Indiana (junior)
Nikola Jovic, F, Serbia (born 2003)
Johnny Juzang, G, UCLA (junior)
Ismael Kamagate, C, France (born 2001)
Trevor Keels, G, Duke (freshman)
Walker Kessler, F/C, Auburn (sophomore)
Christian Koloko, C, Arizona (junior)
Jake LaRavia, F, Wake Forest (junior)
Justin Lewis, F, Marquette (sophomore)
E.J. Liddell, F, Ohio State (junior)
Bennedict Mathurin, G/F, Arizona (sophomore)
Matthew Mayer, F, Baylor (senior)
Bryce McGowens, G, Nebraska (freshman)
Leonard Miller, F, Canada (born 2003)
Josh Minott, F, Memphis (freshman)
Aminu Mohammed, G/F, Georgetown (freshman)
Iverson Molinar, G, Mississippi State (junior)
Jean Montero, G, Overtime Elite (auto-eligible)
Wendell Moore, F, Duke (junior)
Keegan Murray, F, Iowa (sophomore)
Andrew Nembhard, G, Gonzaga
Scotty Pippen Jr., G, Vanderbilt (junior)
Gabriele Procida, G/F, Italy (born 2002)
Orlando Robinson, F/C, Fresno State (junior)
David Roddy, F, Colorado State (junior)
Ryan Rollins, G, Toledo (sophomore)
Dereon Seabron, G, NC State (sophomore)
Shaedon Sharpe, G, Kentucky (freshman)
Jabari Smith, F, Auburn (freshman)
Terquavion Smith, G, NC State (freshman)
Jeremy Sochan, F, Baylor (freshman)
Matteo Spagnolo, G, Italy (born 2003)
Julian Strawther, G/F, Gonzaga (sophomore)
Dalen Terry, G, Arizona (sophomore)
Drew Timme, F, Gonzaga (junior)
Jabari Walker, F, Colorado (sophomore)
TyTy Washington Jr., G, Kentucky (freshman)
Peyton Watson, G/F, UCLA (freshman)
Blake Wesley, G, Notre Dame (freshman)
Alondes Williams, G, Wake Forest (super-senior)
Jalen Williams, G, Santa Clara (junior)
Jaylin Williams, F/C, Arkansas (sophomore)
Mark Williams, C, Duke (sophomore)
Trevion Williams, F/C, Purdue (senior)
Fanbo Zeng, F, G League Ignite (auto-eligible)

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.