Top 10 NBA Draft Prospects 2022 Rankings

Ranking the best NBA Draft Prospects of 2022

By admin | May 24, 2022

The 2022 NBA Conference Finals have arrived as the final few weeks of the NBA season is here. With the season set to wrap up in just a few weeks, the excitement for many NBA fans and experts is the upcoming NBA Draft on June 23rd, 2022, while watching their potential teams rebuild to compete within the NBA. As the Top 2022 NBA Draft Prospects continue to put in the work including at the Microsoft Surface NBA Draft Combine 2022 in Chicago, the debate continues who deserves a spot as on the Top 10 NBA Draft Prospects 2022 rankings.

At the top of the NBA Draft Prospect debate is a solid group of studs including a trio of freshmen who are expected to go within the top five picks.

This trio includes the Auburn Tigers power forward Jabari Smith, the Duke Blue Devils power forward/center Paolo Banchero, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs center Chet Holmgren.

Along with those three freshmen, Jaden Ivey, Keegan Murray, Bennedict Mathurin and Johnny Davis are all set to fight for a top five spot as well.

With that said, here is our list of the Top 10 NBA Draft Player Rankings:

Honorable Mention

Shaedon Sharpe

School: Kentucky Wildcats

Position: Shooting Guard

Coming in just outside of the Top 10 NBA Draft Prospects 2022 rankings is the former top ranked recruit Shaedon Sharpe who committed to play for the Kentucky Wildcats.

However, Sharpe never suited up for the Wildcats, hurting his potential as a top three pick during the upcoming 2022 NBA draft. Sharpe is a tremendous athlete who can play on both sides of the ball as well as above the rim.

In addition, with his ability to throw down dunks, Sharpe has shown the ability to hit shots during high school. Sharpe will need to demonstrate he is as good as hyped at the upcoming NBA combine.

Ochai Agbaji

School: Kansas Jayhawks

Position: Shooting Guard

Fan Rankings Accolades

Only thing holding Ochai Agbaji back from landing a top 10 spot or higher is the fact that he is the old wise veteran among the group after finishing his senior season with the Kansas Jayhawks.

However, it is hard to take anything away from Agbaji’s talent, his ability to play the game and his knack for being a team leader. Agbaji is a pure shooter who can score at will while being a tremendous outside scorer posting a 39.7% percent mark from behind the three-point line.

The Jayhawks senior finished his career averaging 18.8 points per game to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists while leading the team in the NCAA Tournament to another NCAA Championship.

Top 10 NBA Draft Prospects

10. TyTy Washington Jr.

School: Kentucky Wildcats

Position: Point Guard

The freshman guard from Phoenix, Arizona is an intriguing NBA draft prospect based on his size and speed at the guard position.

Washington, who was expected to be joined by Sharpe in an explosive Kentucky Wildcats rotation, put together a strong freshman season averaging 12.5 points per game to go with 3.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds.

While his numbers looked solid, Washington did not control the offense for most of the season but showcased his ability in a Wildcats win against the Georgia Bulldogs as he broke John Wall’s single game assist record by posting 17 assists.

9. Johnny Davis

School: Wisconsin Badgers

Position: Guard

Fan Rankings Accolades

#2 Ranked College Player of 2022

For any team looking to add a pure game changer and scoring threat, they need not look any farther as Johnny Davis fits that bill.

The sophomore guard from the Wisconsin Badgers finished the 2021-22 NCAA Season ranked 25th in scoring averaging 19.7 points per game while also adding 8.2 rebounds per game and 2.1 assists.

Davis can shoot from both the outside and mid-range levels while making his own shot off the dribble. In addition, Davis has shown a solid work ethic and continues to improve as a defender.

8. Jalen Duren

School: Memphis Tigers

Position: Center

Anytime you have size, speed and athleticism while showing your ability to play at the collegiate level, you have the chance to be noticed by NBA teams. This is the case with the Memphis Tigers freshman Jalen Duren.

Duren, who lists at six-foot 11 inches is a tremendous shot blocker who averaged 2.1 blocked shots per game last season for the Tigers.

While he has holes in his game including lack of focus and being careless with the ball, Duren makes up for it with his ability to attack the glass and scoring down low.

7. A.J. Griffin

School: Duke Blue Devils

Position: Guard/Forward

One of two Duke Blue Devils freshmen to land on the Top 10 NBA Draft Prospects 2022 rankings list. As a freshman, Griffin showed consistency, poise and leadership qualities while averaging 10.4 points per game to go along with 3.9 rebounds and one assists.

Griffin has solid size to play the forward position at the NBA level to go along with a great wingspan. The Blue Devils forward can control the ball to go along with solid dribbling and an excellent first step making it easy for him to get to the rim. Griffin also showcased his ability to hit shots from the outside, shooting 44.7 percent from behind the three-point line on his attempts.

6. Bennedict Mathurin

School: Arizona Wildcats

Position: Guard/Forward

Here’s a name that could climb the NBA Draft Board based on how he performs at the NBA Combine. Bennedict Mathurin, who helped take his team to the Sweet 16 during March Madness, finished the season as the Pac-12 Player of the Year and also took home First-Team All-Pac 12 honors.

Mathurin who has the skills to play the guard position also has the size (6’6”) to land on with an NBA team at the small forward position as well.

The Wildcats sophomore finished last season averaging 17.7 points per game while also shooting 76.4 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from behind the three-point line. Overall Mathurin has a solid jump shot, great length and ability to attack the glass on both sides of the floor.

5. Jaden Ivey

School: Purdue Boilermakers

Position: Shooting Guard

Fan Rankings Accolades

Rounding out the top five on the Top 10 NBA Draft Prospects 2022 rankings list is the Purdue Boilermakers sophomore guard Jaden Ivey.

Ivey who lists at six foot four inches has the size and ball handling abilities to be a tremendous guard at the NBA level. The Boilermaker’s guard is a plus defender, solid shot blocker based on his size and aggressive at attacking the rim with the ball in his hand.

Ivey lacks a consistent jump shot which will need to be worked on to make him a top tier scorer in the NBA. However, Ivey did show improvement from behind the three-point line improving to 35.8 percent up from 25.8 percent from his freshman season.

4. Jabari Smith

School: Auburn Tigers

Position: Power Forward

Fan Rankings Accolades

These top four basketball players landing on the top 10 can easily find their names at the one, two, three or four positions. That said, Smith has tremendous size (6’10’’) to make him a nightmare for opposing players especially if he can handle the ball from the forward position.

While we can easily see Smith going number one overall, his body weight might affect his ability to play the center position which could affect his overall draft position.

Nonetheless, Smith is a true athlete and one of the best players in the 2022 NBA Draft class. As a freshman, Smith averaged 16.9 points per game to go along with 7.4 rebounds and two assists per game while shooting 42 percent from behind the three-point line.

3. Keegan Murray

School: Iowa Hawkeyes

Position: Power Forward

Fan Rankings Accolades

You must love the Iowa Hawkeyes guard Keegan Murray as a true game changer and a potential big-time threat at the NBA level.

Murray who has the size (6’8”) to play the small forward position can also play the power forward position as he plays down at the shooting guard position. Murray ranked 4th in scoring last season averaging 23.5 points per game to go along with 8.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest.

Murray can play the post, shoot from mid-range, and control the ball as a big man ball handler. The Hawkeye’s star has also shown his ability to block shots, hit the glass for rebounds, and also make shots off his own ability to attack the rim.

2. Paolo Banchero

School: Duke Blue Devils

Position: Power Forward

Fan Rankings Accolades

#6 Ranked Power Forward of 2022

When it comes to Paola Banchero and Chet Holmgren, the two can be great big men for the foreseeable future in the NBA. That said, the slight advantage leads to Holmgren as the top overall NBA Draft prospect leading into the NBA Combine and the 2022 NBA Draft.

Banchero is a solid shooter with the ability to stretch the floor while giving potential teams a potential big man who can shoot from behind the arc. In addition, Banchero has solid moves down low and the ability to make plays with his ball handling skills.

As far as landing at number two, Banchero failed to showcase his ability to block shots on a consistent level despite having great size (6’10”).

1. Chet Holmgren

School: Gonzaga Bulldogs

Position: Center

Fan Rankings Accolades

Landing at number one on the Top 10 NBA Draft Prospects 2022 rankings list is the Gonzaga Bulldogs center Chet Holmgren.

Holmgren who lists at seven foot tall is a tremendous shot blocker who averaged nearly four blocked shots per game (3.7) for one of the top teams in all of college basketball. To go along with his shot blocking abilities, Holmgren averaged 14.1 points per game to go along with nearly ten rebounds per game (9.9).

The Bulldog’s star is a true athlete who can defend, attack the rim, and even set up his own scoring potential with his dribbling abilities down low. In addition, Holmgren showed his ability to hit shots from behind the line when called upon (39 percent).

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