March Madness

2022 - 4 - 5

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Image courtesy of "SB Nation"

NBA mock draft 2022: Updated first round projection after March ... (SB Nation)

There are four players who have emerged at the top of this draft class. Which players are the biggest risers and fallers on the board after the NCAA tournament?

Malaki Branham, G, Ohio State: A 6’5 wing with a 6’10 wingspan, Branham is an excellent shooter who hit 41.6 percent of his threes and 83.3 percent of his free throws as a freshman. The 6’9 freshman forward raised the level of intensity every time he took the floor, showing the ability to switch onto smaller players, wall up around the rim, and cover a ton of ground with his mobility. Ochai Agbaji, G, Kansas: Agbaji was always a big-time athlete on the wing, but it took him four years at Kansas to grow into the shooter he needed to be to attract serious NBA attention. Dieng remains rail thin and needs to develop quickly as a shooter, but his height and flashes of perimeter skill make him a worthy upside swing. A pair of 18-year-old wing prospects with international pedigrees offer raw but enticing upside that could be tough to turn down in the lottery. I’ve been lucky enough to cover every NBA draft since 2014, and this is the first time I’ve ever had four players in the top tier. He finished top-30 in the country with a 9.9 percent block rate this season as one of the nation’s youngest freshmen. I guess I’ve learned some humility over the years — having the public receipts on all your hits and misses will do that to a man. We put Smith ahead of Ivey in this mock based on fit with the Pistons. We published a lengthy breakdown of why Duke forward Paolo Banchero is our top player in the 2022 NBA draft class over the weekend. While he should be a solid defender, he doesn’t project as be as impactful on that end as Holmgren or Smith. Read our full breakdown on Banchero here. This mock draft was mostly crafted off our personal big board, but fit was taken into consideration for a few of the selections.

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Image courtesy of "Sporting News"

NBA Mock Draft 2022: Did Paolo Banchero reclaim No. 1 overall ... (Sporting News)

After a whirlwind of a couple of weeks, it's time to take a look at how the NCAA Tournament reshaped the 2022 NBA Mock Draft board. Were players like Duke's ...

He has a quick and powerful burst when he attacks the basket and he also knocked down a pair of clutch 3s. Koloko has the agility and athleticism to hold his own on switches at the NBA level and he's still growing his offensive game. He's a capable passer off the bounce, making him a pick-and-roll threat, but he has a tendency to force it and turn the ball over at times. It was a disappointing freshman season for Baldwin. The No. 5-ranked player in his high school class elected to take his talents to mid-major Milwaukee to play for his father and didn't dominate at that level the way he was expected to. At 6-foot-9 with a reported 7-foot wingspan, Sochan can hold his own in the paint but he's also quick enough to guard on the perimeter. He finished at the rim and flashed a reliable floater, but also knew when to dish it off to his teammates when the defense collapsed on him. Mathurin had one of the best individual games of March Madness with his 30-point performance in an overtime win over TCU. He was the fastest and most explosive player on the floor, blowing by defenders to attack the basket. Griffin slides down a few spots following the NCAA Tournament. The freshman wing had a slow start to his freshman season but eventually found his groove as a scorer. He has proved to be a long and versatile defender who can comfortably guard four positions and his ability to score from all three levels of the floor, on or off the ball, makes him a plug-and-play player in the NBA. Holmgren silenced some of his critics, but there will always be doubters who don't see how he projects as a top prospect in the NBA. He was dominant on the glass as well, recording two double-doubles while coming up just one point and one rebound shy of a third against Memphis. Holmgren also flashed some confidence as a ball-handler and knocked down a couple of jumpers that made you see why he's in consideration for the top pick. His agility at his size made for a mismatch any time bigs tried to defend him on the perimeter.

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