2022 NBA Draft Part II

[WargamesX]

The Ringer's Big Board has a Dyson Daniels comparison of Derrick White as an oversized secondary ballhandler with solid defense and questionable shooting.

Does this feel accurate to you guys?

So I like Dyson, but the more I watch of him the more I think I get why they might be accurate from a role perspective. I think they are off base on that comparison to White though from a player perspective. Even though they are defining Dyson’s game well.

White is enough of a playmaker to operate as a PnR PG and drive to the hoop and dish to a big who rolls to the hoop next to him. Dyson has more in common with big PG’s like Lonzo, Draymond, and Haliburton but unlike those guy his outside shot isn’t good enough to keep his defender from help defending any rollers in the paint and clogging the paint in general. However, Dyson looks and acts stronger than both Lonzo and Haliburton and is willing to post and drive into contact more than both of them. I also expect most his passes to be like theirs to guys on the perimeter or players in the corners shooting the three or transition. Dyson is not going to collapse defenders by driving to the hoop often. He’s going to operate mostly from the perimeter, and has to be able to keep his defender honest with a threat to shoot the three.

I don’t know if Dyson operates as a PG in the league, especially at the beginning of his career. I think he operates as a combo SG guard who could do very well next to ball dominant players but he would need time to get that C&S 3pt shot to be automatic. Without a outside shot to keep his defender on him he is a liability. White isn’t a great shooter, but a good enough overall scorer that defenders can’t play off of him and help defend on Tatum and Jaylen. If Dyson gets his shot right, and finds himself on a team with scorers…. He could evolve into a PG sort of how Draymond is the PG on the warriors, or Haliburton is on the Pacers.

Honestly I think White is a better scorer now that Dyson will likely ever be. However, if that shot doesn’t come around or he gets asked to do too much offensively, he’s not even a PG in this league, he’ll be forced to operate as a Wing.

Delon Wright might be a good comp, given size and skillset.

But I'll be honest, it's real hard to take KOC serious after the boner he had for Hayes and the way he turned out.

That is a really good comp of who he will be if the 3pt shot never becomes consistent.

[CP War Hawks]

So I like Dyson, but the more I watch of him the more I think I get why they might be accurate from a role perspective. I think they are off base on that comparison to White though from a player perspective. Even though they are defining Dyson’s game well.

White is enough of a playmaker to operate as a PnR PG and drive to the hoop and dish to a big who rolls to the hoop next to him. Dyson has more in common with big PG’s like Lonzo, Draymond, and Haliburton but unlike those guy his outside shot isn’t good enough to keep his defender from help defending any rollers in the paint and clogging the paint in general. However, Dyson looks and acts stronger than both Lonzo and Haliburton and is willing to post and drive into contact more than both of them. I also expect most his passes to be like theirs to guys on the perimeter or players in the corners shooting the three or transition. Dyson is not going to collapse defenders by driving to the hoop often. He’s going to operate mostly from the perimeter, and has to be able to keep his defender honest with a threat to shoot the three.

I don’t know if Dyson operates as a PG in the league, especially at the beginning of his career. I think he operates as a combo SG guard who could do very well next to ball dominant players but he would need time to get that C&S 3pt shot to be automatic. Without a outside shot to keep his defender on him he is a liability. White isn’t a great shooter, but a good enough overall scorer that defenders can’t play off of him and help defend on Tatum and Jaylen. If Dyson gets his shot right, and finds himself on a team with scorers…. He could evolve into a PG sort of how Draymond is the PG on the warriors, or Haliburton is on the Pacers.

Honestly I think White is a better scorer now that Dyson will likely ever be. However, if that shot doesn’t come around or he gets asked to do too much offensively, he’s not even a PG in this league, he’ll be forced to operate as a Wing.

Delon Wright might be a good comp, given size and skillset.

But I'll be honest, it's real hard to take KOC serious after the boner he had for Hayes and the way he turned out.

That is a really good comp of who he will be if the 3pt shot never becomes consistent.

I'd have to side with Jimmy Butler. If he's growing to 6-7 or bigger you can surmise he may gain mass like Jimmy. Length and athleticism seem to be on par. The big physical difference is about 50 pounds from their respective draft combines.

They both have the same mentality on taking the challenge of guarding the top guys. I'm not a believer in Dyson's ballhandling to be a secondary playmaker but his passing seems to be right there with Butler.

[Jamaaliver]

Who's more likely to successfully carve out a niche for himself in the NBA:

Luka Garza or Drew Timme?

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[Chi town]

Kris Murray entering draft. Think he goes 25-30

[Chi town]

So is Branham Gary Trent Jr 2.0?

[shangrila]

So is Branham Gary Trent Jr 2.0?

I’d say he’s more Malik Beasley.

But then I don’t buy him as a finisher.

[SelfishPlayer]

Malaki Branham compares well to Tyler Herro and is still only 18 years old.

[Roger Murdock]

Cavs need a wing who can shoot and score.

Who do you expect to be in their wheelhouse at 14?

Mathurin is the dream. Eason, Branham, Ogbaji, Jovic

[jman3134]

Love Branham's game. Probably the most underrated player in this draft class not named Gui Santos or Koloko.

[SelfishPlayer]

Christian Koloko looks like a long term solution at center his rookie season. He is an athletic shot blocking rim runner that can hit free throws with added upside due to less experience with the game of basketball. The center position has been devalued, but not guys that can do what he does already.

Jabari Walker looks like another long term solution, although at PF. He fits into that Rudy Gay/Tobias Harris mold, but he seems to naturally display aggression when attacking rebounds, which is a plus.

JD Davison may simply be a quality trainer away from quickly looking like he should have always been in the top 10. He needs to learn packages/moves that the pros are spamming. I've seen prospects change their games dramatically while preparing for the draft. He has John Wall's athleticism.

[WargamesX]

Cavs need a wing who can shoot and score.

Who do you expect to be in their wheelhouse at 14?

Mathurin is the dream. Eason, Branham, Ogbaji, Jovic

I doubt Mathurin would be there at 14 but Ogbaji would be a great fit for what they need. Their very much at that point where it’s better to get a solid contributor in the draft than swing for the fences and miss.

[CP War Hawks]

Someone convince me this isn't just a top 7 draft, and it starts to get wide open a selection or two afterwards...

[azcatz11]

Christian Koloko looks like a long term solution at center his rookie season. He is an athletic shot blocking rim runner that can hit free throws with added upside due to less experience with the game of basketball. The center position has been devalued, but not guys that can do what he does already.

Jabari Walker looks like another long term solution, although at PF. He fits into that Rudy Gay/Tobias Harris mold, but he seems to naturally display aggression when attacking rebounds, which is a plus.

JD Davison may simply be a quality trainer away from quickly looking like he should have always been in the top 10. He needs to learn packages/moves that the pros are spamming. I've seen prospects change their games dramatically while preparing for the draft. He has John Wall's athleticism.

Koloko isn't going to be a starting C in this league. His center of gravity is way too high and he gets pushed around by bigger guys. He is a good FT shooter but his touch isn't great around the basket. Most of his points were just dunks.

Now, you could argue that Tommy Lloyd never called his number for set plays and that's true and they never fed him the ball but that to me, speaks about his limited skill set.

He does have quick feet though and can probably be a decent guy in space for his size but I don't see him as a starting C. Hopefully I'm wrong because he's a great kid

[MemphisX]

Someone convince me this isn't just a top 7 draft, and it starts to get wide open a selection or two afterwards...

Agreed. Although there are players I like more than others, I think from about 8 to 35ish, it is in the eye of the beholder.

[SelfishPlayer]

Christian Koloko looks like a long term solution at center his rookie season. He is an athletic shot blocking rim runner that can hit free throws with added upside due to less experience with the game of basketball. The center position has been devalued, but not guys that can do what he does already.

Jabari Walker looks like another long term solution, although at PF. He fits into that Rudy Gay/Tobias Harris mold, but he seems to naturally display aggression when attacking rebounds, which is a plus.

JD Davison may simply be a quality trainer away from quickly looking like he should have always been in the top 10. He needs to learn packages/moves that the pros are spamming. I've seen prospects change their games dramatically while preparing for the draft. He has John Wall's athleticism.

Koloko isn't going to be a starting C in this league. His center of gravity is way too high and he gets pushed around by bigger guys. He is a good FT shooter but his touch isn't great around the basket. Most of his points were just dunks.

Now, you could argue that Tommy Lloyd never called his number for set plays and that's true and they never fed him the ball but that to me, speaks about his limited skill set.

He does have quick feet though and can probably be a decent guy in space for his size but I don't see him as a starting C. Hopefully I'm wrong because he's a great kid

Center of gravity isn't a thing in basketball with 7 footers. Of course his center of gravity is too high, and so is his standing reach, thankfully. Pushed around by bigger guys? Shaq is retired... It's more important to be able to close out on the perimeter. His touch is excellent, with both hands...

[SeattleJazzFan]

So is Branham Gary Trent Jr 2.0?

no. he can hit the three, but he's a mid-range guy all the way. trent is a three point gunner.

[SeattleJazzFan]

Kris Murray entering draft. Think he goes 25-30

very interesting. i can see 25 to 45. i'd love for the jazz to trade up into the early second to take him.

[MemphisX]

Playoffs once again showing that you need as many 6'6+ skilled dudes as you can get your hands on.

[NYPiston]

Agreed. Although there are players I like more than others, I think from about 8 to 35ish, it is in the eye of the beholder.

I'm curious, who are your top 7 that you have separated from the rest of the pack? I see it as a little more jumbled in the mid lottery.

Smith
Holmgren
Banchero
Ivey
Sharpe
Murray
Mathurin
Griffin

I see these 8 and am even inclined to include Davis who I think is getting a bit underrated then a bit of a drop off to the next group which could be a whole bunch of guys from 10 on. A lot of people have Duren solidly in the 2nd tier but I don't get it, I don't see what separates him from the other rim running bigs in this draft outside of being younger and having a Bam Adebayo esque frame.

It's a weird draft because I don't see a huge gap between 1-8. I don't remember the last draft in which that was the case. The 3 bigs are likely top tier but I could see some guys in the 2nd tier having better careers. In other words, I don't think there's a big "lottery winner" like there has been in years past, last year in particular.

[Hal14]

Some guys to keep an eye out for:

Shaedon Sharpe - can apply for eligibility to be drafted this year. will he? still waiting for an official announcement

Leonard Miller - eligible for 2022 draft. will he declare? According to this article he's mulling options. (college, g league, NBA) https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/leonard-miller-mulling-pro-college-options

Ausar and Amen Thompson - as of now, they're not eligible till 2023, but they turned 19 in January. They're older than a LOT of guys who are eligible for 2022 draft and are projected to be 1st round picks. If Sharpe and Miller are eligible, there's a chance the Thompson twins could become eligible too

If Sharpe, Miller and Thompson twins are all in this year's draft, all of a sudden this draft starts to look much better and more stacked.