Basketball

Vecenie’s 2022 NBA Draft Big Board 2.0: Top tier stays intact; Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis rises into top 5


For the first time this year, I’ve updated my 2022 NBA Draft Big Board with in-season movement. Unsurprisingly, there is a significant amount of movement from where we started this year. But there is not much movement is at the top. Three of the top-four players on the preseason board — Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero — have consolidated their positions at the top, with most teams considering them the group from which the team that selects No. 1 overall will choose. And indeed, 10 of the 14 players initially slotted in the lottery in the preseason remain in those positions.

In general, the sentiment surrounding this class remains the same. Unlike last year, when the consensus from teams was that at least three players — Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green and Evan Mobley — would have been reasonable No. 1 picks in most classes, this season, Smith, Holmgren and Banchero are all seen as the typical quality of player found in the No. 3 to No. 5 range of a typical NBA Draft class. That’s not to say they aren’t exciting prospects; they are, and could all make All-Star Games if things continue to go right with their development. Rather, it’s just that this class is still seen as one lacking a true franchise-altering talent. On top of that, the middle to latter portion of the lottery is seen as a group that is wide open right now, as fewer players than normal have stepped up to become what evaluators would qualify as consistent contributors.





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