2022 NBA Draft

[JasonEvans]

The big questions for Kentucky are Shaedon Sharpe and Oscar Tshiebwe. Both are foreign-born and I believe on F1 Visas. That F1 visas block players from taking money they may earn from NIL deals. That means that the players cannot access the funds, not that they cannot sign NIL deals. At least, that's how I interpret what is happening. I might be wrong on that one. At any rate, if either wants to get paid sooner rather than later, they may be forced to go pro.

The way I understand it, Oscar (and any foreign born kid in the US on the F1 Visa) is not allowed to have a "job" in the US. Essentially, the visa is for them to get an education, not earn money. But, it appears Tshiebwe's agent found a workaround that has allowed Oscar to make some pretty decent NIL money already. I believe the very first step was for Oscar to get a Porsche:



That said, the workarounds are somewhat complex and does restrict Oscar's earnings to some extent. There are many folks who think he may turn pro so he can convert to a work visa and not have to worry about silly rules and regulations that pretend he is a normal college student any longer.

-Jason "as for Shaedon Sharpe, he'd have to be a lunatic not to turn pro... he can make mid-lottery money without every risking playing against college-level players... why would he put that in jeopardy by actually suiting up in a college game?!?!" Evans

[UrinalCake]

Kennedy Meeks? Brice Johnson? Luke May? Garrison Brooks? Every scrub they turn into a double double machine by the time they are a upperclassman.

I believe Garrison Brooks transferred for his super senior year. He is unlikely to be drafted or even pick up a contract this summer. But they do have a record of keeping big men four years or at least three who then have little to no NBA career. Some of them were even ranked fairly highly out of high school - Bacot was a five star, Meeks was a McD AA, Isaiah Hicks was a five star (he might still be in the league), James Michael McAdoo was top 5. Going back further you have Sean May, Ed Davis, Deon Thompson as examples. That’s not even considering all the wings they bring in as 5 stars and keep for multiple years.

[JasonEvans]

I believe Garrison Brooks transferred for his super senior year. He is unlikely to be drafted or even pick up a contract this summer. But they do have a record of keeping big men four years or at least three who then have little to no NBA career. Some of them were even ranked fairly highly out of high school - Bacot was a five star, Meeks was a McD AA, Isaiah Hicks was a five star (he might still be in the league), James Michael McAdoo was top 5. Going back further you have Sean May, Ed Davis, Deon Thompson as examples. That’s not even considering all the wings they bring in as 5 stars and keep for multiple years.

Dear lord, Harrison Barnes was the #1 recruit in the class, he had a fine freshman year where he averaged better than 15ppg (2nd team All-ACC and ACC ROY) and he chose to come back for a second season!??!?!

Of course, they have also had guys like Day'ron Sharpe and Tony Bradley who turned pro very quickly and without doing all that much in college... but if you are looking for a school that brings in potential OAD players and manages to keep them far longer than expected, UNC is the one.

[CDu]

I believe Garrison Brooks transferred for his super senior year. He is unlikely to be drafted or even pick up a contract this summer. But they do have a record of keeping big men four years or at least three who then have little to no NBA career. Some of them were even ranked fairly highly out of high school - Bacot was a five star, Meeks was a McD AA, Isaiah Hicks was a five star (he might still be in the league), James Michael McAdoo was top 5. Going back further you have Sean May, Ed Davis, Deon Thompson as examples. That’s not even considering all the wings they bring in as 5 stars and keep for multiple years.

Yeah, Brooks was a low-tier recruit who actually benefited from his time at UNC. Their system inflated his prospects. Unfortunately for him, he didn't strike while the iron was hot as a junior, and with a less talented team last year he returned to earth a bit. And then he transferred to a lower-tier program and only further cemented his non-draft status this year.

[HayYou]

The way I understand it, Oscar (and any foreign born kid in the US on the F1 Visa) is not allowed to have a "job" in the US. Essentially, the visa is for them to get an education, not earn money. But, it appears Tshiebwe's agent found a workaround that has allowed Oscar to make some pretty decent NIL money already. I believe the very first step was for Oscar to get a Porsche:



That said, the workarounds are somewhat complex and does restrict Oscar's earnings to some extent. There are many folks who think he may turn pro so he can convert to a work visa and not have to worry about silly rules and regulations that pretend he is a normal college student any longer.

-Jason "as for Shaedon Sharpe, he'd have to be a lunatic not to turn pro... he can make mid-lottery money without every risking playing against college-level players... why would he put that in jeopardy by actually suiting up in a college game?!?!" Evans

I agree wrt Sharpe. Probably. Based on what we KNOW at this moment in time. But.....
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Where are the reports of SS tearing up UK's practice? I expected to hear a tsunami of whispers or gossip about how well SS was doing in practice. Followed closely by gentle (or not so gentle) pressure for him to join UK THIS SEASON to shore up their perimeter play and shooting.
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But I never saw proof of this. If someone else did see proof of this, I'd love to see it. But I follow recruiting and the draft fairly closely, and I never saw much talk of this. But, again, would love to be proven wrong and that there were plenty of reports that he tore it up.
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Because if he DID NOT tear it up in practice, the draft process might not be so kind. He might not show out in draft workouts.
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I know he was "number 1" when he went to UK mid season. But it wasn't with a bullet. There was open talk that any (or all) of our 3 recruits might pass him. There was even talk about Nick Smith passing him (Having seen more of Smith, I concur, I really like him). So while SS is undoubtedly good, there is a reasonable chance that he might have ended up outside the top 5, and possibly closer to 10 than 5, by the time this class shook out. So maybe he's not quite as eager to try out for the pros. Or he's eager to get drafted on rep before he has to prove anything. But UK is like Duke in that pro scouts basically have unfettered access to our program's practices. Given that, I'm just surprised at the lack of info about SS, but that could go either way.
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Side note: In recruiting, I'm generally less and less impressed with the guys who've been atop a class since their soph years. Occasionally there is a Zion, Durant, or LeBron, who dominate early and stay dominant. Too often these top kids simply get closer to their ceiling early.
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I've come to really be more enamored of the late riser. Kyrie's, Jabari Smith's, and other late risers seem to impact more in college and beyond. Kyrie was a top 25 kid at the end of his Jr year. Top 15 by the start of his Sr year. Top 5 after the All Star circuit, and number 1 in his class and on the draft boards by Christmas of his frosh year. Jabari Smith was borderline top 10 heading into his Sr year, top 5 by the end of the year, and probably a top 2 pick in a few months.
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Sharpe climbed suddenly as well, but it seems like his climbs were more off some great events last summer, and less about his Sr year of HS. Once his HS play started, that was when his hold on the top spot got shaky. Just saying. DW has been highly ranked for years, but there are 4-5 guys ranked behind them who are likely to pass him on draft boards unless he gets his 3pt stroke going (Which seems to be trending in the right direction). Lively and Flip are trending up and have been for a year. They are going to hit the ACC like a ton of TNT next year.

[subzero02]

Dear lord, Harrison Barnes was the #1 recruit in the class, he had a fine freshman year where he averaged better than 15ppg (2nd team All-ACC and ACC ROY) and he chose to come back for a second season!??!?!

Of course, they have also had guys like Day'ron Sharpe and Tony Bradley who turned pro very quickly and without doing all that much in college... but if you are looking for a school that brings in potential OAD players and manages to keep them far longer than expected, UNC is the one.

Barnes wasn't just the #1 recruit, he was the first freshman to make the preseason AP All American team.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...merican-honors

[HayYou]

Dear lord, Harrison Barnes was the #1 recruit in the class, he had a fine freshman year where he averaged better than 15ppg (2nd team All-ACC and ACC ROY) and he chose to come back for a second season!??!?!

Of course, they have also had guys like Day'ron Sharpe and Tony Bradley who turned pro very quickly and without doing all that much in college... but if you are looking for a school that brings in potential OAD players and manages to keep them far longer than expected, UNC is the one.

Ol Roy seemed to really beat the bushes for guys that were flawed in some way in the eyes of the NBA. Guys who could be good in college, but that lacked some vital THING that would doom their NBA draft status. And he was pretty good about finding them and convincing them to come to UNCheat. From there he managed to convince them that going pro if you weren't a surefire lottey pick was stupid. And Roy would then do everything possible to depress their draft status to get them back on campus. Sometimes it blew up in his face, but sometimes it worked. Frankly, it worked about as well as Duke's OAD strategy. But the UNC thing was a fine line to walk. If you miss, at all, it blows up in your face.

[Daddylawman]

From USA Today:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ck/9471126002/

[jv001]

From USA Today:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ck/9471126002/

In this mock draft, Paolo and Jabari Smith are both listed as 6'10" and 250 lbs, forwards. Chet Holmgren is listed 7'-0" 195 lbs. Center. In the top ten on this list, Chet is only heavier than one player who is listed at 194 lbs. I just don't see how he's rated as high as he is. Especially at the center position. The top ten is made up of freshmen and sophomores. Duke has Paolo #1, AJ#9, Mark #15, Trevor #25 and Wendell #28.

GoDuke!

[SouthernDukie]

In this mock draft, Paolo and Jabari Smith are both listed as 6'10" and 250 lbs, forwards. Chet Holmgren is listed 7'-0" 195 lbs. Center. In the top ten on this list, Chet is only heavier than one player who is listed at 194 lbs. I just don't see how he's rated as high as he is. Especially at the center position.

One word: UNICORN

Every team is now fascinated by the possibility of finding one.

[jv001]

One word: UNICORN

Every team is now fascinated by the possibility of finding one.

I don't follow the NBA much. Are there many centers in the NBA that are as thin as Chet?

GoDuke!

[scottdude8]

In this mock draft, Paolo and Jabari Smith are both listed as 6'10" and 250 lbs, forwards. Chet Holmgren is listed 7'-0" 195 lbs. Center. In the top ten on this list, Chet is only heavier than one player who is listed at 194 lbs. I just don't see how he's rated as high as he is. Especially at the center position. The top ten is made up of freshmen and sophomores. Duke has Paolo #1, AJ#9, Mark #15, Trevor #25 and Wendell #28.

GoDuke!

I don't think there are many evaluators who think Holmgren will actually play center in the NBA long term unless his body really fills out... he's probably best suited as a power forward alongside a more traditional center (some mock drafts I've read have seen a potential fit of him alongside the Pistons Isaiah Stewart, who is a bruiser and great rebounder but has a limited perimeter game offensively).

[cbolden1]

In this mock draft, Paolo and Jabari Smith are both listed as 6'10" and 250 lbs, forwards. Chet Holmgren is listed 7'-0" 195 lbs. Center. In the top ten on this list, Chet is only heavier than one player who is listed at 194 lbs. I just don't see how he's rated as high as he is. Especially at the center position. The top ten is made up of freshmen and sophomores. Duke has Paolo #1, AJ#9, Mark #15, Trevor #25 and Wendell #28.

GoDuke!

No way JSJ is 250, as far I know he's 220 and looks maybe more like 215 but 220 is at least believable. 250 not a chance and pretty sure Auburn has him at 220 so don't know where that mock got 250

[DavidBenAkiva]

I doubt Chet plays C in the NBA unless a team wants to go small. He would be an ideal 4 IMO. Camps for Chet are Mo Bamba, who plays the 4 for the Magic opposite Wendell Carter, Jr. at the 5 and Evan Mobley of the Cavs, who plays the 4 opposite Jarrett Allen at the 5. Chet might split time unless or until he can add lower body strength.

[cbolden1]

I doubt Chet plays C in the NBA unless a team wants to go small. He would be an ideal 4 IMO. Camps for Chet are Mo Bamba, who plays the 4 for the Magic opposite Wendell Carter, Jr. at the 5 and Evan Mobley of the Cavs, who plays the 4 opposite Jarrett Allen at the 5. Chet might split time unless or until he can add lower body strength.

Bamba Yes I just don't see Mobley. I think he's better on the perimeter as a defender and better passer and also they have JA who's great. Chet would be like a better D version of Lauri

[rocketeli]

One word: UNICORN

Every team is now fascinated by the possibility of finding one.

one other word: white

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

one other word: white

Really, man?

[FerryFor50]

Really, man?

To be fair, when have you *ever* heard "unicorn" used for anyone who wasn't a super tall white guy who can shoot?

[DavidBenAkiva]

To be fair, when have you *ever* heard "unicorn" used for anyone who wasn't a super tall white guy who can shoot?

Evan Mobley, Giannis, and others have gotten the label.

I'll add that John Butler of FSU fits that description to a T. I'd say that Mo Bamba is also in the same category and you see the term applied to him from time to time.

The next "unicorn" is Victor Wembayana of France.

I think it's gross to throw race into this discussion.

https://theathletic.com/3139110/2022...obley-mondays/

[FerryFor50]

Evan Mobley, Giannis, and others have gotten the label.

I'll add that John Butler of FSU fits that description to a T. I'd say that Mo Bamba is also in the same category and you see the term applied to him from time to time.

The next "unicorn" is Victor Wembayana of France.

I think it's gross to throw race into this discussion.

https://theathletic.com/3139110/2022...obley-mondays/

I've never heard Giannis referred as that, nor Bamba/Butler. I agree they fit that description, but I've generally only heard guys like Holmgren and Porzingis referred to as that. Never saw the Mobley description until now.

I don't disagree that it's gross to throw race into it, but it's just something that seems to happen.