Prospect Watch: What's the draft stock of Jaden Hardy and the other G League Ignite prospects?
Plus our Rookie, Sophomore and Draft Prospect of the Week
During the NBA, college and international seasons, my Tuesday newsletter will focus on NBA rookies and sophomores as well as prospects for the 2022 NBA Draft, especially those who have helped or hurt their stock in the past week.
My reports will be based on my own observations as well as information I receive from NBA scouts, executives and agents.
G League Winter Showcase
NBA scouts and execs descended upon Las Vegas this week to check out the top G League prospects in the annual G League Winter Showcase. While in this case many of the scouts have been looking for replacement players for COVID-ravaged NBA teams, this was also one of the best opportunities for scouts to see the five young draft-eligible prospects on the G League Ignite, especially in the team’s back-to-back games Sunday and Monday.
On Sunday, the Ignite beat the Grand Rapids Gold 123-106 for their third straight win. On Monday, the Ignite lost to the Austin Spurs 118-89. While the top prospects impressed on Sunday, most of the them struggled on Monday.
Highlights from Sunday:
Highlights from Monday (including Spurs rookie Joshua Primo in action):
Now 14 games into the Ignite’s season, let’s check on Jaden Hardy, Dyson Daniels, MarJon Beauchamp, Michael Foster Jr. and Fanbo Zeng. (Scoot Henderson is the best prospect on the Ignite, but he’s not eligible for the NBA Draft until 2023 because of his age.)
JADEN HARDY
SG
6’4” | 190 | Wingspan: 6’8.5”
Age on draft night: 19.9
12 games: 17.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.3 bpg, 3.5 tpg, 35.1% FG, 26.9% 3P
Coming into the season, NBA scouts saw Hardy as a candidate for the No. 1 pick, and he ranked No. 3 on our first Big Board 1.0. Hardy drew comps to Jalen Green — Hardy is less athletic but more versatile — and was widely regarded as the best guard prospect in the draft.
The results have been mixed.