N.B.A. Draft Preview: A Deep Field Could Yield Surprise Stars

When the Orlando Magic hand their draft card to N.B.A. Commissioner Adam Silver, on Thursday evening at Barclays Center, they’ll settle a debate that has raged in draft circles for the higher a part of a yr: Who must be the No. 1 decide?

The front-runner is Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, a rail-thin however nail-tough seven-footer who can shoot, dribble, cross and defend with aplomb. But there are equally sturdy circumstances to be made for the Auburn large man Jabari Smith, who spent this previous season sinking seemingly unattainable pictures, and for Duke’s Paolo Banchero, a artistic shotmaker who’s as polished within the paint as he’s on the perimeter.

“All three guys are incredibly talented,” mentioned Jonathan Givony, founding father of the scouting service DraftCategorical an N.B.A. draft analyst at ESPN. “This draft has really great players at the top and really good depth, too.”

Here are 5 extra prospects to know.

Nikola Jovic

6-foot-11, 223 kilos, ahead, Mega Mozzart (Serbia)

People ask Nikola Jovic about Nikola Jokic on a regular basis. And it is smart. Jovic and the Denver Nuggets star have fairly a bit in widespread: They’re each Serbian large males who performed for a similar membership, Mega Mozzart, and solely a single letter separates their final names. But the comparability doesn’t trouble Jovic, who is predicted to be the primary worldwide participant taken on Thursday.

“People bring that up all the time,” he mentioned. “I’m really cool with that. I think it’s pretty funny also because the chances of something like that happening are really low. At the same time, I feel good because people are comparing me to a two-time league M.V.P.”

As a boy, Jovic needed to be an expert water polo participant. He spent his summers together with his mom in Montenegro and cherished swimming within the Adriatic Sea. When he was 13, his father launched him to basketball. What began as a yard pastime quickly turned an obsession and a occupation. “I was getting bigger and bigger,” Jovic mentioned, “and it was pretty easy to see that basketball would be a better choice than water polo.”

Although many N.B.A. groups monitor European stars from their early teenage years, Jovic didn’t turn out to be an enormous identify on draft boards till he broke out on the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Belgrade in March 2021. Offensively, he might develop right into a floor-spacing 4 who can shoot 3s, lead quick breaks and make sensible passes. He mentioned he’s keen to stay in Europe after being drafted, however he hopes to land with a staff that wishes him to play immediately.

“Even if I need to play in the G League, that’s cool,” he mentioned, referring to the N.B.A.’s developmental league. “But right now, I think the perfect fit for me is the N.B.A.”

Dominick Barlow

6-foot-9, 221 kilos, ahead, Overtime Elite

When N.B.A. evaluators visited Overtime Elite this yr, it was with a watch towards the long run. The start-up league has potential top-10 gamers within the 2023 and 2024 drafts. But one participant from the 2022 draft class took benefit of all that additional scouting consideration and has labored his approach from being an unheralded 3-star highschool prospect to a possible first-round draft decide: Dominick Barlow.

“The fact that this was OTE’s first year intrigued scouts,” Barlow, 19, mentioned. “And once the scouts were in the building, they were able to see what I could do.”

Barlow performed for Dumont High School, a small public highschool in Dumont, N.J. He didn’t land with a powerhouse Amateur Athletic Union program till the summer time earlier than his senior yr, when a coach for the New York Renaissance noticed him taking part in at a public park. He shocked most basketball insiders in September when he left a prep program and declined a number of high-major gives to signal with Overtime Elite. It gives a six-figure wage to boys’ and males’s basketball gamers who’re not less than of their junior yr of highschool.

Barlow hopes his story evokes different ignored gamers to maintain working. “I came in as a 3-star kid, and I’m leaving as an N.B.A. draft pick. Some 5-star kids struggle with getting to the N.B.A. one year after high school,” he mentioned.

Keegan Murray

6-foot-8, 225 kilos, ahead, Iowa

When Keegan and Kris Murray had been going by the recruiting course of for faculty basketball, the dual brothers instructed each coach that they weren’t a bundle deal. Their father, Kenyon, had performed school basketball at Iowa within the early Nineties, and he inspired them to every discover their very own path.

Their father’s religion and data helped the brothers stay buoyant even after they ended their highschool careers with only one scholarship provide, to Western Illinois, a Summit League college that has by no means been to the Division I N.C.A.A. match.

“Having a D-I player be your coach and teach you everything and guide you through the recruiting process is really helpful,” Keegan, 21, mentioned of his father, who was an assistant on his highschool staff in Iowa. “He told us we were going to be pros, and we believed him.”

After declining the Western Illinois provide and decamping to Florida for a yr at a prep college, Keegan and Kris signed with their father’s alma mater, Iowa. Keegan confirmed exceptional effectivity as a freshman and began garnering N.B.A. draft buzz, however he wasn’t thought of a top-flight expertise till this previous season. As a sophomore, Murray was the top scorer amongst Power 5 convention gamers, he had the second most rebounds in the Big Ten, and he shot 55.4 % from the sphere and a stable 39.8 % from 3.

“He was the most productive player in college basketball this year,” Givony mentioned, including that he was good in transition and on protection. “Everybody’s looking for a player like him.”

Keegan is projected to be a top-five decide, whereas Kris has determined to return to Iowa for one more season. “Thinking about where I was three years ago and where I am today is surreal,” Keegan mentioned. “I didn’t always know where or when all this hard work would pay off, but I knew it would pay off eventually.”

Ryan Rollins

6-foot-3, 179 kilos, guard, Toledo

Ryan Rollins has heard individuals say that he ought to have returned to the University of Toledo for his junior season. With one other yr of expertise, he would challenge as a possible first-round decide in 2023. But Rollins rejects that concept. He doesn’t see any motive to attend.

“I feel like I’m one of the better players in the draft,” Rollins mentioned. “If I don’t get picked first round, that’s fine. In the long run, I’m going to be very good for a very long time in this league. Whenever and wherever I end up going, I’ll be proud to be there.”

A Detroit native, Rollins performed for a outstanding A.A.U. program, the Family. But the stacked roster, mixed with some nagging accidents and his choice to commit to school early, stored him beneath the recruiting radar. “I always had the mind-set that I was where I was for a reason,” he mentioned. “I kept working, kept trying to perfect my craft. I didn’t worry about the politics of basketball. I knew if I got good enough, the N.B.A. would find me.”

Over two seasons at Toledo, he emerged as a mid-major showstopper, with a clean deal with, fluid footwork and a lethal midrange recreation. Now he’s more likely to be a second-round decide with the potential to sneak into the primary spherical. But he’s extra nervous about what he does when he arrives within the N.B.A. He hopes he may be the following mid-major participant to turn out to be a celebrity.

He’s impressed by former mid-major gamers who’re within the N.B.A., akin to Ja Morant (Murray State), Damian Lillard (Weber State) and CJ McCollum (Lehigh University).

“They went to small schools but have been able to make names for themselves,” Rollins mentioned. “I feel like I’m next.”

Shaedon Sharpe

6-foot-5, 198 kilos, guard, Kentucky

There is not any participant extra mysterious within the 2022 draft than Shaedon Sharpe. Although he’s listed as a Kentucky prospect, Sharpe by no means suited up for the Wildcats. In reality, he hasn’t performed in a aggressive basketball recreation in nearly a yr.

The Ontario, Canada, native moved to Kansas to play for Sunrise Christian Academy in his sophomore yr of highschool, then transferred to Arizona’s Dream City Christian in 2020 for his junior season, when he was unranked within the class of 2022. Then a dominant efficiency with the UPlay Canada staff within the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League final summer time made everybody take discover. The match is usually a proving floor for future N.B.A. stars, and Sharpe averaged 22.6 factors, 5.8 rebounds and a pair of.7 assists in 28.3 minutes per recreation over 12 video games.

Sharpe graduated from highschool a yr early and enrolled at Kentucky this spring. Although there have been rumors that he would be a part of the staff on the court docket, or return for the 2022-23 season, he has as an alternative entered the N.B.A. draft. And there’s good motive: He will nearly actually be taken within the prime 10.

“In terms of physical ability and sheer talent, it’s all there,” Givony mentioned. “He’s a dynamic shot maker, an aggressive defender, a smart passer.”

N.B.A. groups haven’t been capable of see a lot from him, however his 6-foot-11 wingspan, explosive athleticism and polished taking pictures stroke might have most N.B.A. groups outdoors of the highest 5 able to take the chance.