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  1. #1

    2022 NBA Mock Draft

    The day after the 2021 NBA Draft is the first official day of the 2022 NBA Draft speculation. It's like waking up to a big mess in your kitchen after having guests over the night before.

    Sam Vecenie of The Athletic posted his way-too-early 2022 NBA Mock Draft this morning and it includes a number of items relevant to Duke fans.

    A few news and notes:
    - Vecenie starts by saying he likes Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren a lot, but he would put them below the top 4 taken in the 2021 NBA Draft. That seems reasonable to me given that we haven't seen either play college ball yet. There's still a lot of time to reevaluate them and the entire class. It also is an indication that the draft class for 2022 is not as well-regarded as the 2021 crop.
    - Paolo Banchero is #1 with Vecenie praising his basketball IQ, his perimeter skills and ability to take players off the dribble, and his improved jumper. He does have a slight concern about Banchero's lateral quickness, but obviously thinks very highly of the Duke freshman.
    - AJ Griffin is #10 and Vecenie notes that he is a tough evaluation at the moment. Griffin physically looks the part at 6'6-7" and a 7'+ wingspan with a good-looking jumper and is athletic and nifty around the rim. But he hasn't played organized basketball for most of the pandemic. He could be a top 5 guy or a late 1st rounder depending on how things go for him this year in an organized team setting.
    - Mark Williams is at #38

    The ACC as a whole is under-represented. There are no players from UNC, Virginia, Florida State, Syracuse, Louisville, or any other program besides Duke in the top 50. I am a little surprised that Keve Aluma isn't in the Top 50. Aluma is a pretty good shooter at 6'9" and does a lot of little things well. I suppose that he's older and isn't a great shooter or great at any one thing.

    As far as talent relative to the rest of the conference, Duke is head and shoulders ahead of the pack.

  2. #2
    Now Jonathan Givony of ESPN has his mock draft for 2022 out, including the complete 2 rounds of picks. I don't have access to ESPN+/Insider. Anyone able to see where they have Duke players and others of note?

    https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/sto...hero-else-no-1

  3. #3
    Paolo #2
    Griffin #8
    M. Williams #30

    No one else from Duke is mentioned on the ESPN article, including round 2.

    -

    The only other ACC player mentioned in the first two rounds is Caleb Love from that heel hole @ #29.

    Wow - Gonzaga's entire starting five projected to be drafted in first two rounds next year.
    Last edited by WannabeDukie; 07-30-2021 at 12:14 PM.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by WannabeDukie View Post
    Paolo #2
    Griffin #8
    M. Williams #30

    No one else from Duke is mentioned on the ESPN article, including round 2.

    -

    The only other ACC player mentioned in the first two rounds is Caleb Love from that heel hole @ #29.

    Wow - Gonzaga's entire starting five projected to be drafted in first two rounds next year.
    Thanks!

    That's not overly surprising to me. I think Caleb Love has the talent to be a 1st round NBA Draft pick eventually. He's a bigger lead guard, good defender, good athleticism for the position. It will take a dramatic improvement in his efficiency for him to be a 1st rounder, though. Having a couple of bigs that can stretch the floor will help by creating more space for driving lanes. There were so many times last year where Love would literally run into a wall of his own teammates and the guys defending them. He didn't have anyone that he could consistently pass to that could make a jumper. Kerwin Walton came on about halfway through the season and helped, but not enough to really change the situation for Love. Outside of the two Duke games, he was a negative to the team on offense.

    The big thing for Love is that he isn't a distributor. He only averaged around 3 assists a game as a high schooler and, lo and behold, he averaged 3.6 as a freshman in college (3.3 when you take out the 2 Duke games, his absolute best performances of the year). He turned the ball over A LOT (even in the games against Duke, he averaged more than 405 TOs a game). He'll need to demonstrate to NBA front offices that he can run a team. Otherwise, he's an athletic guard that isn't a reliable shooter and can't create for his teammates. He's reminds me a lot of a player like Kris Dunn, the former Providence PG. Dunn got drafted with hopes that his shot would develop in the NBA and allow him to use his size and athleticism to be a premier defender at the PG spot. Dunn did become a premier defensive PG, but he never was able to run a team and his shot never showed up. Dunn also turned the ball over a lot in college, but he had a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Love had a 1:1 A:T ratio last season. He's not going to get drafted with that kind of limited playmaking at the PG spot.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by DavidBenAkiva View Post
    (even in the games against Duke, he averaged more than 405 TOs a game).
    Yikes. If he continues turning the ball over 400 times a game, I don't think anybody will draft him.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Kedsy View Post
    Yikes. If he continues turning the ball over 400 times a game, I don't think anybody will draft him.
    that period looks very large

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by WannabeDukie View Post
    Paolo #2
    Griffin #8
    M. Williams #30

    No one else from Duke is mentioned on the ESPN article, including round 2.

    -

    The only other ACC player mentioned in the first two rounds is Caleb Love from that heel hole @ #29.

    Wow - Gonzaga's entire starting five projected to be drafted in first two rounds next year.
    Bacot not even a second-rounder after his junior year?

  8. #8
    scottdude8's Avatar
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    Obviously we're all well aware of the huge grain of salt we should take a mock draft at this stage with, but I do think they're illustrative to gauge the overall perspectives/expectations of draft experts at the moment. For instance, it seems like Keels isn't a surefire OAD like most 5*s who are projected somewhere in the draft tend to be as of late. The absence of Wendell or Jeremy on these boards indicate that it'd probably take a stellar year for them to gain draft traction, and for those type of guys I remain of the mindset that if they play their way into the draft, it means good things for the team, and I'll take the tradeoff.

    It'll also be very interesting to see how NIL affects early-entry decision making next year. We all know Mark is a gregarious, affable fellow with a great social media presence... if he's projected as a second rounder, but can make 6 figures in NIL money at Duke, does he return for a year 3? In the not-too-distant past, we often viewed being a first round pick as the cutoff for leaving school early since it meant a guaranteed contract. As things have evolved, the practical difference between a late first and early-to-mid second round pick has shrunk, greatly expanding the realm of guys who consider leaving early... they're betting on maximizing their earning potential in terms of the number of years they can play in the league. But with NIL, if you're in a position where you can improve your draft stock and still make solid money (maybe even more than you would in the G-league), it may significantly change that calculus.

    Thought experiment: let's say Wendell has a great year and plays himself into the second-round conversation as a defensive specialist with some point-forward potential. The maximum you can make on a two-way contract is about $500k, and I think that's only if they hit a certain number of days on the NBA roster... the salary is closer to $100k if most of your time is in the G-league. Let's posit that if Wendell is projected as a mid-second round pick, there's a 75% chance he gets himself a two-way contract as either a second round pick or an UDFA, and his likely salary would be in the middle of the two-way range... let's put it at $200k. Let's also posit that he might make $100k immediately going overseas if he didn't get a deal (the other 25%). That would put his expected first year earnings at 200*.75+100*.25=175k. In NIL world, though, he could potentially make near 6 figures (potentially more!) as the face of the Duke program as a senior captain. Let's be conservative and say he could make $75k as a senior at Duke. The question becomes, would he develop better at Duke than he would in the G-League/Europe to potentially improve his overall career earnings, and make up that $100k? If he used that senior year to become a solid 3 point shooter (say, 35-39%), then I'd say the question would be a resounding yes, especially if he makes his way into the late first round.

    All of that is MASSIVE speculation, but it's worth recognizing that everything about college sports has changed with NIL. My guess is that schools that can pitch borderline draft picks that A) They can develop better in school than in the G-league, B) Their quality of life will be better at school than in the G-league, and C) They can make money on the same order of magnitude from NIL than they would in the G-league/on a two-way contract will be able to retain players longer than we've grown accustomed to. It's definitely a storyline to track for the 2022 draft.
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  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by jimsumner View Post
    Bacot not even a second-rounder after his junior year?
    He does not have an NBA skillset. He's a good college player and might even improve, but unless he suddenly develops a jumper and can defend guards in the pick-and-roll, he's not going to get an NBA contract. He can't score beyond 10 feet of the rim, can't really generate his own shot, can't defend the rim, doesn't pass the ball once he get it - that's one that is a real killer because if he could just run, rebound, pass and block shots, he might get a flyer from a team - or do many of the other things an NBA team expects of its centers. The lack of rim protection is a real wart in his game. Bacot had 15 fewer blocked shots last season than Brandon Ingram did as a freshman. Jalen Johnson had a higher blocked shot rate and blocks per 40 than Bacot. He's the center. He's big and tall. How is so bad at defending the rim? Anyway, that's why he's not on an NBA radar.

  10. #10
    Would love to see this same "WAY TOO EARLY" Mock Draft for this year and compare the end results.

    Will do the legwork this weekend and post if kids allow me the time...

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by WannabeDukie View Post
    Would love to see this same "WAY TOO EARLY" Mock Draft for this year and compare the end results.

    Will do the legwork this weekend and post if kids allow me the time...
    Here is the NBADRaft.net 2021 Mock Draft from early August of 2020: https://web.archive.org/web/20201101...year-mock=2021

    1. Cade Cunningham - perfect
    2. Jalen Green - yup
    3. Evan Mobley - exactly
    4. Jonathan Kuminga - not a bad miss, still went in the lottery
    5. Jalen Johnson - I don't think leaving Duke early cost him 15 spots, but it probably cost him a handful
    6. Zaire Williams - moved down a bit but still made the lottery
    7. Mojave King - who? He plays in New Zealand and did not declare for this year's draft
    8. Terrence Shannon - ouch. He had an ok season for Texas Tech, declared for the draft, and then opted to return to school
    9. Jalen Suggs - close to where he actually went
    10. Will Richardson - Will be back at Oregon for his senior year
    11. Terrence Clarke - such a sad story
    12. Brandon Boston - the Kentucky freshmen had a really bad year
    13. Usman Garuba - he went later in the first round
    14. James Bouknight - pretty close to his actual spot
    15. Bryan Antoine - ouch, had a really poor first year at Villanova

    Seems like they did pretty darn well...
    Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?

  12. #12
    scottdude8's Avatar
    scottdude8 is online now Moderator, Contributor, Zoubek disciple, and resident Wolverine
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    Quote Originally Posted by JasonEvans View Post
    Here is the NBADRaft.net 2021 Mock Draft from early August of 2020: https://web.archive.org/web/20201101...year-mock=2021

    1. Cade Cunningham - perfect
    2. Jalen Green - yup
    3. Evan Mobley - exactly
    4. Jonathan Kuminga - not a bad miss, still went in the lottery
    5. Jalen Johnson - I don't think leaving Duke early cost him 15 spots, but it probably cost him a handful
    6. Zaire Williams - moved down a bit but still made the lottery
    7. Mojave King - who? He plays in New Zealand and did not declare for this year's draft
    8. Terrence Shannon - ouch. He had an ok season for Texas Tech, declared for the draft, and then opted to return to school
    9. Jalen Suggs - close to where he actually went
    10. Will Richardson - Will be back at Oregon for his senior year
    11. Terrence Clarke - such a sad story
    12. Brandon Boston - the Kentucky freshmen had a really bad year
    13. Usman Garuba - he went later in the first round
    14. James Bouknight - pretty close to his actual spot
    15. Bryan Antoine - ouch, had a really poor first year at Villanova

    Seems like they did pretty darn well...
    Great evidence that the NBA still drafts primarily off potential and less off of performance. How scouts view your potential doesn’t change too much in one year of college/G League...
       

  13. #13

    Wink

    Quote Originally Posted by Bacot had [I
    15 fewer[/I] blocked shots last season than Brandon Ingram did as a freshman.
    Yeah, but Brandon Ingram had "Go Go Gadget arms," so not a fair comparison.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by DavidBenAkiva View Post
    He does not have an NBA skillset. He's a good college player and might even improve, but unless he suddenly develops a jumper and can defend guards in the pick-and-roll, he's not going to get an NBA contract. He can't score beyond 10 feet of the rim, can't really generate his own shot, can't defend the rim, doesn't pass the ball once he get it - that's one that is a real killer because if he could just run, rebound, pass and block shots, he might get a flyer from a team - or do many of the other things an NBA team expects of its centers. The lack of rim protection is a real wart in his game. Bacot had 15 fewer blocked shots last season than Brandon Ingram did as a freshman. Jalen Johnson had a higher blocked shot rate and blocks per 40 than Bacot. He's the center. He's big and tall. How is so bad at defending the rim? Anyway, that's why he's not on an NBA radar.
    But, but, but North Carolina is BIG Man U. This can't be true.)

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by DavidBenAkiva View Post
    He does not have an NBA skillset. He's a good college player and might even improve, but unless he suddenly develops a jumper and can defend guards in the pick-and-roll, he's not going to get an NBA contract. He can't score beyond 10 feet of the rim, can't really generate his own shot, can't defend the rim, doesn't pass the ball once he get it - that's one that is a real killer because if he could just run, rebound, pass and block shots, he might get a flyer from a team - or do many of the other things an NBA team expects of its centers. The lack of rim protection is a real wart in his game. Bacot had 15 fewer blocked shots last season than Brandon Ingram did as a freshman. Jalen Johnson had a higher blocked shot rate and blocks per 40 than Bacot. He's the center. He's big and tall. How is so bad at defending the rim? Anyway, that's why he's not on an NBA radar.
    I have two comments -- on eis serious and one is not -- but I'm not sure which is which.

    1. Let's get rid of personal pronouns and use actual names when commenting on a post. This one was obvious because the sub-thread was fairly short. Others have gone or for several messages without mentioning the name of a player. I mean, WHO are we talking about?

    2. One of his problems is being named Bacot. If it were "Bacon," he would attract a lot of interest.
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  16. #16
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    I was randomly surfing on NBADraft.net, which I know is not the most well-respected mock out there but is at least one data point. They have not updated their 2022 board since 7/13 but it has Mark Williams at #11. And as a side note, that sends him to Charlotte where he would be competing with Mason Plumlee and Vernon Carey for playing time (I do realize this mock came out before those roster moves were made). Anyways, this is the highest I have seen Mark projected by a wide margin. They also have Banchero at #2 and Griffin all the way down at #21.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by UrinalCake View Post
    I was randomly surfing on NBADraft.net, which I know is not the most well-respected mock out there but is at least one data point. They have not updated their 2022 board since 7/13 but it has Mark Williams at #11. And as a side note, that sends him to Charlotte where he would be competing with Mason Plumlee and Vernon Carey for playing time (I do realize this mock came out before those roster moves were made). Anyways, this is the highest I have seen Mark projected by a wide margin. They also have Banchero at #2 and Griffin all the way down at #21.
    Thanks for the info, however I hope he does not go to Charlotte. Not as long as MJ has anything to do with the team.

    GoDuke!

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kedsy View Post
    Yikes. If he continues turning the ball over 400 times a game, I don't think anybody will draft him.
    The only player in Division 1 history that turned the ball over more than 400 times a game was Drew II.
    Coincidentally, he is also first in 'most passes thrown to 60-year-old women seated in the second row.'
       

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by rsvman View Post
    The only player in Division 1 history that turned the ball over more than 400 times a game was Drew II.
    Coincidentally, he is also first in 'most passes thrown to 60-year-old women seated in the second row.'
    I would have wagered on JP Tokoto having those records.
       

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 View Post
    I would have wagered on JP Tokoto having those records.
    He was second.
       

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