With the 2022 NBA Playoffs and college basketball season concluded, the focus for top-tier college basketball players and fans turns to the NBA Draft. College basketball is one of the few college sports that allow student-athletes to declare for the professional league whenever they want. That means that even if the athlete is a freshman, they can declare for the draft, which makes for a broad range of competitive draft picks each summer. Throughout this article we will go over the projected top 10 picks in the upcoming draft which will take place tomorrow.
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Holmgren is a 7'0” center who is declaring for the pros after just his freshman year at Gonzaga. The big man has all of the tools to be a successful NBA player at the next level if he adds more muscle to his build. The 19 year old averaged 14.1 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game, and 3.7 blocks per game in the 2021-22 season at Gonzaga.
- Jabari Smith, Auburn (Orlando Magic)
At just 18 years old, Smith has also declared for the draft after only his freshman season. Smith stands at 6'10” and is a versatile player for his size. He can score in the paint and space the floor and knock down open shots. At Auburn, he averaged 16.9 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game. He will make an immediate impact at the next level.
Banchero is another phenom freshman who declared for the draft. The 19 year old was terrific at Duke in his one season, where he averaged 17.2 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. Banchero is 6'10” and weighs in at 250 pounds. Be on the lookout for him to make an impact from his first day in the NBA.
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- Jaden Ivey, Purdue (Oklahoma City Thunder)
The first guard on this list, Ivey is a super athletic and fast 6'4” combo guard out of Purdue. The 20 year old sophomore has turned his eye to the pros. Ivey was the leader of a solid 2021-22 Purdue team in which he averaged 17.3 points per game, 5 rebounds per game, and 3 assists per game.
- Keegan Murray, Iowa (Indiana Pacers)
Murray, similarly to the top 3 picks, is a forward. He stands at 6'8” and really took college basketball by storm this past season. The 21 year old sophomore averaged a whopping 23.5 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game. He is an all around player who can score in bunches and from anywhere on the court.
- AJ Griffin, Duke (Portland Trailblazers)
The second Duke player on this list already, Griffin, like Banchero, is going pro after his freshman year. The 18 year old 6'6” shooting guard can fill it up any given night. While he only averaged 10 points per game at Duke, the stats do not give justice to his potential impact to a team. At Duke, Griffin oftentimes came off of the bench and knocked down big time clutch shots to give his team an energy boost.
Sharpe is one of the most, if not the, most interesting prospects in the 2022 NBA Draft. Sharpe did not play in a single game at Kentucky, but has set his sights on the pros already. The 18-year-old freshman forewent his senior high school season and enrolled at the university early. Due to this, he wasn't cleared to play for Kentucky until late in the season. He ultimately didn't play at all. However, the 6'6” shooting guard was a top 5 recruit coming out of high school and has a lot of potential to be great. Any NBA team would love to get the opportunity to draft him.
- Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona (New Orleans Pelicans)
Mathurin exploded in his sophomore season at Arizona. The 19 year old Canadian shooting guard stands at 6'7”, but his athleticism allows him to play any position on the court. Mathurin took his game to a new level in the 2021-22 season, leading Arizona to being a number one seed in March Madness. He averaged 17.7 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. He will make an immediate impact for whichever team drafts him.
- Johnny Davis, Wisconsin (San Antonio Spurs)
At 6'5”, the shooting guard of the year in college basketball averaged 19.7 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game during his sophomore year at Wisconsin. Davis can score from anywhere on the court and is probably the best pure scorer in the entire draft. He can shoot the ball from any range and will surely be a terrific scorer at the next level.
- Tari Eason, LSU (Washington Wizards)
Eason was an underappreciated player at LSU and was not talked about enough. The 6'8” sophomore forward was LSU's best player, averaging 16.9 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game. Eason is an extremely athletic prospect who only continues to get better over time.
The NBA Draft is impossible to predict, but these 10 athletes will surely be selected at some point! Notice how all of the top 10 prospects on this list are freshman or sophomores. The NBA values potential far more than other professional sports do. It's interesting to see how young some of these student-athletes are when they become a professional athlete.
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* Originally published on June 22, 2022, by Ashton Grenon
