NBA Draft Prospect Watch: Jaden Ivey, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Keegan Murray, Drew Timme
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.
NCAA Upperclassmen: First Impressions
On Wednesday I broke down the debuts of the top NBA prospects among college freshmen.
This week, let’s check in on the five upperclassmen we’ve ranked on our Big Board as well as two outside our top 30 who are making a strong case to move onto Big Board 2.0.
Jaden Ivey
Purdue
Sophomore
SG
6’4” | 200 | Wingspan: 6’9”
Age on draft night: 20.4
Big Board 1.0 Rank: 7
2022 Draft range: 3-12
2 games: 19 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.5 spg, 3-9 3P
Ivey is the upperclassman with the best chance of going in the top 10 and potentially the top five in the 2022 draft. Blessed with NBA athleticism, length and defensive intensity and terrific scoring instincts off the bounce, he’s a consistent jump shot away from being a future NBA star.
His season got off to a rocky start versus Bellarmine before he exploded for 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists against Indiana State on Saturday. So far this season he’s taking about the same volume of 3s (4.5 per game) and shooting at a better clip (33% compared to 26% his freshman season). If he can get that number up to around 37%, he should be in the mix to be the first guard off the board on draft night.
Bennedict Mathurin
Arizona
Sophomore
Wing
6’7” | 210 | Wingspan: 6’9”
Age on draft night: 20.0
Big Board 1.0 Rank: 18
2022 Draft range: 12-25