Shaedon Sharpe Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Ivey, Murray, Sharpe, Daniels, Roddy, Minott, Segu

May 26th, 2022 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

While Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith and Paolo Banchero are the consensus top three prospects in this year’s draft, it’s rare that the top three picks in a draft end up being the three players who enjoy the best pro careers, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz.

The ESPN duo identifies Jaden Ivey, Keegan Murray, Shaedon Sharpe and Dyson Daniels as the other prospects who are the best bets to emerge as top-three players from the 2022 draft class, breaking down the strengths of that quartet and considering which lottery teams might benefit the most from their talents.

We have plenty of draft-related news to pass along:

Colorado State’s David Roddy has worked out for the Magic, Nuggets and Rockets, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. The power forward is ranked No. 47 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
Memphis forward Josh Minott has workouts lined up with the Magic, Raptors, Hawks, Spurs, Bulls and Hornets, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com tweets. Minott is ranked No. 48 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
Buffalo guard Ronaldo Segu will continue to pursue professional opportunities and forgo his remaining year of college eligibility, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. He averaged 14.9 PPG and 5.1 APG last season.
Nathan Mensah is withdrawing from the draft and returning to San Diego State, the school announced in a press release. Mensah is the reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.
Josh Mballa is pulling out of the draft and transferring from Buffalo to Ole Miss, Jeff Goodman tweets. Mballa averaged 13.0 PPG and 8.6 RPG last season.
Texas Tech guard Adonis Arms has workouts scheduled with the Nuggets, Pistons, Pelicans, Magic and Jazz, Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets.
Northern Colorado’s Bodie Hume will remain in the draft, Rothstein adds in another tweet. The senior forward averaged 11.0 PPG and 6.2 RPG last season.
Potential top-10 selection Johnny Davis wants to model his game after Devin Booker. Another potential top-10 pick, Daniels, believes he’s a combination of Tyrese Haliburton offensively and Alex Caruso or Lonzo Ball defensively. Numerous draft prospects told The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov which NBA players they most closely resemble or strive to be.

Eastern Draft Notes: Pistons, Pacers, Nets, Knicks

May 23rd, 2022 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

Assuming Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, and Paolo Banchero are the top three picks in next month’s draft, the Pistons are expected to zero in on four potential targets at No. 5, sources tell James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Those players are Jaden Ivey, Keegan Murray, Shaedon Sharpe, and Bennedict Mathurin.

All four prospects intrigue the Pistons, according to Edwards, who says that Murray is considered the most well-rounded of the four, while Sharpe is viewed as a “high-upside gamble.” Edwards adds that some sources believe Mathurin is the best wing in this year’s draft class, while there’s little consensus on Ivey, who is regarded as a top-three prospect by some evaluators and is outside the top five for others.

Here are a few more draft-related notes from around the Eastern Conference:

James Akinjo (Baylor), Keon Ellis (Alabama), Justin Lewis (Marquette), and David Roddy (Colorado State) are participating in a pre-draft workout with the Pacers on Monday, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter links). Gonzaga’s Andrew Nembhard and UCLA’s Johnny Juzang had also been scheduled to take part, but were unable to make it due to weather-related travel issues.
Villanova’s Collin Gillespie has worked out for the Nets and has about 10 more pre-draft workouts on tap following the draft combine, tweets Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com.
According to Zagoria (Twitter link), Michigan State’s Gabe Brown has workouts with the Hornets and Magic on tap this week after previously auditioning for the Celtics, Nets, and Knicks.
Marc Berman of The New York Post explores whether Malaki Branham could be a legitimate target at No. 11 for the Knicks, who met with the Ohio State sharpshooter at last week’s combine.

Draft Notes: Combine, Draft Traders, Withdrawals

May 20th, 2022 at 5:52pm CST by Rory Maher

In his article about the 2022 NBA Draft Combine, Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated says that while some rival teams think the Thunder will pick Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren No. 2, he’s heard “quite a few educated theories” that they might favor Duke’s Paolo Banchero instead — assuming the Magic take Auburn’s Jabari Smith No. 1, which isn’t a given.

Banchero is more physically ready for the NBA than Holmgren and has displayed impressive perimeter skills and passing for a power forward, but Oklahoma City plays its cards close to the vest, so don’t expect to know which player the Thunder will wind up picking until draft night, Woo writes.

Within the same piece, Woo says Shaedon Sharpe, who’s considered a wild card in the lottery due to not playing at all for Kentucky, is a near-certainty to be picked in the top five or six, as his “unusual talent and athletic ability has successfully captured the attention of the entire NBA this week.”

Woo also lists a handful of scrimmage standouts from Thursday who may have boosted their draft stocks, including North Carolina State’s Terquavion Smith, Santa Clara’s Jalen Williams, and Purdue’s Trevion Williams, among others.

Here are some more draft-related notes:

Within his aggregate mock draft, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto says rival executives believe the Hornets and Timberwolves are among the teams who might be draft traders. Charlotte controls the 13th, 15th and 45th picks, while Minnesota holds the 19th, 40th, 48th and 50th picks.
Three juniors, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, Dayton’s Toumani Camara and Saint Louis’ Yuri Collins, are withdrawing from the draft and returning to their respective schools, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (All Twitter links). Jackson-Davis had a strong season for the Hoosiers in 2021/22, averaging 18.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. However, he tested positive for COVID-19 and was unable to attend the combine, which may have contributed to his decision. He’s ranked No. 66 on ESPN’s big board, while Camara and Collins are unranked.
Souley Boum has also withdrawn from the draft, as Rothstein relays (via Twitter). Boum played for UTEP last season, averaging 19.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals, but will transfer to Xavier for his final collegiate season.

Fischer’s Latest: Magic, Holmgren, Bamba, Kings, Sharpe

May 20th, 2022 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

Rival executives and league personnel view Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren as the most likely pick for the Magic at No. 1 in next month’s draft due to the front office’s affinity for length, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond have gravitated toward lanky players with huge wingspans since arriving in Orlando and did the same during their days in Milwaukee, Fischer observes, citing Giannis Antetokounmpo, John Henson, Thon Maker, Jonathan Isaac, and Mohamed Bamba as examples.

Fischer also points to Holmgren’s good relationship with last year’s No. 4 overall pick Jalen Suggs – they played together at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis – as another reason why the Magic may be leaning toward the Gonzaga star.

Whether the Magic end up drafting Holmgren or another top big man prospect like Auburn’s Jabari Smith, league personnel increasingly believe that Bamba is increasingly likely to leave the team this summer, Fischer says. Bamba is eligible for restricted free agency, but there may not be room for him in a frontcourt that would include Holmgren or Smith, Wendell Carter, and the returning Isaac.

Here’s more from Fischer:

There’s a “strong belief” among rival executives that the Kings, who badly want to get back to the playoffs, will explore trading the No. 4 pick, according to Fischer. Holmgren, Smith, and Paolo Banchero are the consensus top three players in the draft class, but a number of prospects are in play at No. 4, so there may be a team that feels compelled to move up to snag its preferred target, Fischer writes.
League personnel view the Trail Blazers at No. 7 and the Pelicans at No. 8 as other good candidates for trades among lottery teams, per Fischer. The Thunder, Grizzlies, and Spurs, all of whom own multiple first-round selections, are worth monitoring for possible trade-up scenarios, and there are a few teams that may want to move their first-rounders for future picks due to salary cap or luxury tax concerns, Fischer adds.
Shaedon Sharpe is considered the wild card of the lottery and could come off the board as high as No. 4, Fischer says. Some executives told Bleacher Report that Sharpe could realistically have been a candidate for No. 1 overall if he had played at all at Kentucky. Given how little Sharpe has played in the last year, he’s regarded as a high-risk, high-upside pick.

Central Notes: Murray, Sharpe, Pistons, Bulls, Irving

May 19th, 2022 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons fell from the No. 3 slot to No. 5 in the draft lottery. If Iowa’s Keegan Murray drops to that spot, the Pistons could take him, James Edwards III of The Athletic writes. The Hawkeyes forward is a player that intrigues Detroit.

As Edwards details, Arizona swingman Bennedict Mathurin is another player that has caught the Pistons’ attention and Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe, who didn’t play college basketball this past season, could slot in well next to Cade Cunningham in the backcourt.

We have more from the Central Division:

It’s doubtful that the Pistons will trade out of the No. 5 spot, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com opines in his latest mailbag. Moving up from that spot would be costly and trading down or out of the lottery for an established player is unlikely for a team building around younger pieces. However, it’s conceivable they could add another lottery selection at No. 7 in a deal with Portland involving Jerami Grant.
The Bulls hold the No. 18 pick and Sam Smith of Bulls.com takes a look at five wing players that might be available at that spot, including Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji and Ohio State’s Malaki Branham.
Kyrie Irving admits his immaturity earlier in his career may have cost the Cavaliers additional titles, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Irving made his comments on an I Am Athlete episode. “If I was in the same maturity line and understanding of who I am, and I look back, we definitely, definitely would’ve won more championships, because there would’ve been a better man-to-man understanding about what I’m going through,” he said. “I didn’t know how to share my emotions. I didn’t know how to do that. So instead of sharing, I isolated myself.”

Northwest Notes: Cronin, Blazers Pick, Gobert, Bogdanovic, Presti

May 19th, 2022 at 7:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin didn’t hide his disappointment over the lack of luck in the draft lottery, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. Cronin called it a “mini-gut punch” when Portland wound up with the No. 7 pick.

“Then you say, ‘OK, we’ve got work to do,” said Cronin, who is unsure whether he’ll retain the pick or look to deal it. Cronin is now at the draft combine.

“We’ll get through this week and get through the interviews and see the guys play, and get the medicals,” he said.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Given that the Trail Blazers‘ stated intention of returning to playoff contention next season, dealing their lottery pick is the most likely scenario, Jason Quick of The Athletic opines. If they don’t make a trade, Shaedon Sharpe — who practiced but didn’t play for Kentucky this past season — could be the pick if he’s still on the board. It’s also a probability they’ll restart talks with the Pistons regarding a potential Jerami Grant deal, Quick says.
There are no untouchables on the Jazz roster, but league sources indicate that if they deal one of the All-Stars, it would more likely be Rudy Gobert than Donovan Mitchell, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News writes. Outside of that duo, Bojan Bogdanovic is the biggest trade asset the team possesses despite his age, Todd adds.
The Thunder wound up with the No. 2 and No. 12 picks in the first round. GM Sam Presti said it could come down to the wire what they’ll do with those selections, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “We don’t really even finalize those (ratings) until a little bit before the draft, to be honest with you,” Presti said. “They’re always changing.”

Draft Notes: Withdrawals, Pro Days, Turell, Minott

May 13th, 2022 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

UAB senior guard Jordan Walker, San Francisco senior guard Khalil Shabazz, and Auburn sophomore big man Johni Broome are among the players who have indicated that they’ll withdraw from the 2022 NBA draft class and return to college for at least one more year, according to a series of announcements.

None of the three were considered great bets to be drafted in 2022, so they’ll look to improve their stock in 2022/23 before potentially returning pro a year from now. Walker and Shabazz will have exhausted their NCAA eligibility at that point, while Broome – who recently announced that he’ll transfer to Auburn from Morehead State – will have the option of remaining in school.

Early entrants in this year’s draft have until the end of the day on June 1 to withdraw their names if they want to retain their NCAA eligibility. The NBA’s official withdrawal deadline is June 13.

Here’s more on the 2022 draft:

Earlier this week, the NBA sent teams a list of 17 Pro Days that will be run by agencies at next week’s draft combine in Chicago, per Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Shaedon Sharpe, Keegan Murray, Dyson Daniels, and Jeremy Sochan will be among the many prospects in attendance at those various agency-run Pro Days, Givony adds.
Yeshiva swingman Ryan Turell, a Division III star, has been forced to withdraw from next week’s NBA G League Elite Camp after suffering a minor injury in a workout, sources tell Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link).
Memphis wing Josh Minott has worked out for the Nets, Grizzlies, and Bucks early in the pre-draft process, a league source tells Zagoria (Twitter link).
Jeremy Woo of SI.com identifies five of his favorite under-the-radar prospects in the 2022 draft class, including NC State guard Terquavion Smith and UConn forward Tyrese Martin.

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.

Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe Entering 2022 NBA Draft

April 21st, 2022 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

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.