Here we go. There are 222 players ranked in this iteration of my 2022 NBA Draft big board. But before we start, I have a few notes.
This class is one of the most unpredictable I’ve seen in years. I spent so much time splitting hairs between guys that could end up being deep sleepers and trying to slot as many guys into a tier as possible. Speaking of tiers, I have split my board into 12 different tiers with the aim of narrowing my margin of error on a prospect. The first tier is my top-four guys, the second is top-of-the-lottery guys, then so on and so forth. Even with the existence of the tiers, I am very ready for a guy I ranked say, 147th, to end up being a top-50 guy from this class.
I will also be editing, updating and adding to this board until the draft tomorrow night. I don’t have complete scouting reports written for every player I have ranked but for the ones I do, I have linked their breakdown below their name. I’ll be continuing those breakdowns even after the draft, where I’ll focus on their fit with whatever team drafts them. Also, these are not the only players I scouted. I am planning on releasing the tracking spreadsheet I used throughout this draft cycle at some point down the road and that has over 400 ranked players. I only included these guys because the remaining players would be arbitrary rankings, though I will likely add more before tomorrow night’s draft.
Lastly, thank you to everyone who has read my work over the last few weeks and has followed along with this journey. In under 29 hours, we will be watching the draft unfold and I couldn’t be more excited. Without further ado, here are my official 2022 rankings.
Tier 1: The big four.
Even though these are my tier one guys, I don’t have a firm star designation on any of them like I did with last year’s Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley and Jalen Green. I still enjoy these guys and believe they are the best of the best in this class.
1. Chet Holmgren, center, Gonzaga
Read the scouting report here.
2. Jabari Smith, forward, Auburn
Read the scouting report here.
3. Paolo Banchero, forward, Duke
4. Jaden Ivey, guard, Purdue
Tier 2: The next four up.
These are the guys I feel most confident in becoming All-Stars outside of the top four. Mathurin, Daniels and Sharpe could end up as top-five guys in this class and if Sharpe wasn’t such a mystery man, he could've been in the mix for the top overall pick. And even though Murray is the “safe” pick, his floor looks something like Tobias Harris, which is still a solid career trajectory.
5. Bennedict Mathurin, wing, Arizona
6. Dyson Daniels, guard, G League Ignite
7. Shaedon Sharpe, wing, Kentucky
8. Keegan Murray, forward, Iowa
Tier 3: High lottery-level guys.
There are other lottery-level guys under this for sure, but I don’t think these guys should go any lower than this spot. Griffin and Eason are the most polarizing of this bunch, but I went with upside over anything. Sochan is an elite defensive prospect and Davis is a guy that will always punch above his weight class.
9. Jeremy Sochan, forward, Baylor
Read the scouting report here.
10. Tari Eason, forward, LSU
Read the scouting report here.
11. A.J. Griffin, wing, Duke
Read the scouting report here.
12. Johnny Davis, guard, Wisconsin
Tier 4: Lottery upside
These are the guys that could round out the lottery, with Terry, J. Williams, Washington and Branham my favorite of the bunch. I’m not as high on M. Williams or Duren as others are unless their perimeter defense comes along. Centers are the most replaceable position in the league and I’d rather use a lottery pick on a wing with defensive and playmaking upside than a guy that is limited to one position. This of course changes if either center makes a big jump in their game.
13. Dalen Terry, wing, Arizona
Read the scouting report here.
14. Jalen Williams, forward, Santa Clara
Read the scouting report here.
15. TyTy Washington Jr., guard, Kenucky
Read the scouting report here.
16. Malaki Branham, guard, Ohio State
Read the scouting report here.
17. Mark Williams, center, Duke
Read the scouting report here.
18. Jalen Duren, center, Memphis
19. Ousmane Dieng, forward, New Zealand Breakers
20. Ochai Agbaji, wing, Kansas
Tier 5: First-round grades
This is a collection of guys I’m high on. I lump LaRavia, Braun, Moore and Beauchamp together as high-character, playmaking wings that come with a good package. Hardy may end up being a Sixth Man of the Year candidate one day and I love the upside of Jović and Kamagate. I’m higher on Rollins than most and lower on Wesley than most, who you would be drafting for what he could be rather than what he is.
21. Jake LaRavia, forward, Wake Forest
22. Christian Braun, wing, Kansas
Read the scouting report here.
23. Wendell Moore Jr., forward, Duke
Read the scouting report here.
24. MarJon Beauchamp, wing, G League Ignite
Read the scouting report here.
25. Jaden Hardy, guard, G League Ignite
Read the scouting report here.
26. Ismaël Kamagate, center, Paris Basketball
Read the scouting report here.
27. Nikola Jović, forward, Mega Basket
28. Blake Wesley, guard, Notre Dame
29. Ryan Rollins, guard, Toledo
Tier 6: The in-betweeners
These are guys I wouldn’t hate a team swinging on in the first round but could end up slipping to the second. I absolutely love Kessler and Liddell but their upside may not be as tantalizing as guys like Christie, Minott, McGowens or Watson. Some of those upside guys are scary to draft because teams could be developing them for someone else and would have to allocate a roster spot for several years in order to fully develop them. Someone like Minott is a prime example of a guy who could be good by his fourth year but might be on another team at that point.
Chandler is someone whose talent and on-court presence absolutely warrant a first-round selection. I learned my lesson last year with Sharife Cooper, who went in the second round despite having just as impressive stats. Chandler will just get relentlessly hunted on defense for his size. Procida is the first guy in this class that I would stash and feel good about. Brown has phenomenal upside but has to put it together. Nembhard is a guy who can be a backup point guard for several years.
30. Walker Kessler, center, Auburn
Read the scouting report here.
31. E.J. Liddell, forward, Ohio State
Read the scouting report here.
32. Max Christie, guard, Michigan State
33. Josh Minott, forward, Memphis
Read the scouting report here.
34. Kendall Brown, forward, Baylor
35. Kennedy Chandler, guard, Tennessee
36. Trevor Keels, guard, Duke
Read the scouting report here.
37. Bryce McGowens, guard, Nebraska
38. Caleb Houstan, forward, Michigan
Read the scouting report here.
39. Andrew Nembhard, guard, Gonzaga
40. Gabriele Procida, wing, Bologna
Read the scouting report here.
41. Peyton Watson, forward, UCLA
Tier 7: Second-round grades
These are guys I firmly have in the second round. There is one or more glaring holes in their games that makes it hard to take them in the first, but I would give all of these guys standard contracts or sign them to two-way deals after taking them in the second. Guys like Seabron and A. Williams are prime candidates for two-ways.
42. Patrick Baldwin Jr., forward, Milwaukee
Read the scouting report here.
43. Jaylin Williams, center, Arkansas
44. Dom Barlow, forward, Overtime Elite
Read the scouting report here.
45. Jabari Walker, forward, Colorado
46. Dereon Seabron, guard, N.C. State
Read the scouting report here.
47. Justin Lewis, forward, Marquette
48. JD Davison, guard, Alabama
49. Isaiah Mobley, forward, USC
50. Alondes Williams, guard, Wake Forest
51. Keon Ellis, wing, Alabama
Read the scouting report here.
52. Julian Champagnie, wing, St. John’s
Read the scouting report here.
53. Trevion Williams, center, Purdue
54. David Roddy, forward, Colorado State
55. Aminu Mohammed, forward, Georgetown
Read the scouting report here.
56. Matteo Spagnolo, guard, Vanoli Cremora
Tier 8: Second-round upside, priority UDFA
I’m a big fan of these guys for the most part and them being selected in the second round would not be a bad thing. I’m lower on Koloko than most but super high on guys like V. Williams and Bouyea. Harper and Days are other guys to watch.
57. Vince Williams Jr., wing, VCU
58. Jamaree Bouyea, guard, San Francisco
Read the scouting report here.
59. Ron Harper Jr., wing, Rutgers
60. Christian Koloko, center, Arizona
61. Michael Foster Jr., forward, G League Ignite
Read the scouting report here.
62. Jean Montero, guard, Overtime Elite
63. Darius Days, forward, LSU
Read the scouting report here.
64. Jared Rhoden, wing, Seton Hall
Read the scouting report here.
65. Ziga Samar, guard, Fuelenbrada
66. Moussa Diabaté, center, Michigan
67. Khalifa Diop, center, Gran Canaria
Tier 9: Two-way contract level
These are guys that should be on a two-way contract to start the year. Butler needs time to build strength with a ridiculously skinny frame at 7-foot-1, 175 pounds. Lee Hyun-jung could be extremely interesting and I was close to putting him in the next-highest tier. The rest of these guys deserve to be on a roster one way or another.
68. Lee Hyun-jung, wing, Davidson
69. Tyrese Martin, forward, UConn
Read the scouting report here.
70. John Butler Jr., center, Florida State
71. Collin Gillespie, guard, Villanova
72. Bryson Williams, wing, Texas Tech
Read the scouting report here.
73. Michael Devoe, guard, Georgia Tech
74. Jordan Hall, forward, St. Joseph’s
75. Scotty Pippen Jr., guard, Vanderbilt
76. Jeenathan Williams, wing, Buffalo
77. Tevin Brown, guard, Murray State
78. Giordano Bortolani, wing, Treviso
79. Gui Santos, wing, Brazil
80. Johnny Juzang, wing, UCLA
81. Iverson Molinar, guard, Mississippi State
Tier 10: Exhibit-10 to two-way upside
These are guys I would invite to training camp and have battle it out for a two-way deal. McGusty, Akinjo, Arms Boeheim, Williamson, Bean, T. Brown and G. Brown are guys that teams like. Guys like Makoundou, Maker, Besson, Nzosa, etc. are prime stash candidates. I’m not as big a fan of Besson and Nzosa as candidates because they seem destined to be stuck overseas. I like Makoundou, Mikhailovskii, Zeng and Maker quite a bit. This is the spot where I expect a couple guys to outplay my ranking for them.
82. Marcus Bingham, forward, Michigan State
83. Gabe Brown, forward, Michigan State
84. Yoan Makoundou, forward, Cholet
85. Kam McGusty, wing, Miami
86. James Akinjo, guard, Baylor
87. Kofi Cockburn, center, Illinois
88. Orlando Robinson, center, Fresno State
89. Karlo Matkovic, center, Mega
90. Buddy Boeheim, wing, Syracuse
91. Lucas Williamson, guard, Loyola-Chicago
Read the scouting report here.
92. Justin Bean, forward, Utah State
93. Kenneth Lofton Jr., forward, Louisiana Tech
Read the scouting report here.
94. Adonis Arms, wing, Texas Tech
95. Brady Manek, forward, UNC
96. Quenton Jackson, wing, Texas A&M
97. Jamal Cain, forward, Oakland
Read the scouting report here.
98. Taz Sherman, guard, West Virginia
99. Javon Freeman-Liberty, wing, DePaul
100. Stanley Umude, wing, Arkansas
101. Luke Travers, forward, Perth
102. Jermaine Samuels, wing, Villanova
103. Tyson Etienne, guard, Wichita State
104. Donovan Williams, guard, UNLV
105. Ibou Dianko Badji, center, Senegal
106. Izaiah Brockington, forward, Iowa State
108. Hugo Besson, guard, New Zealand Breakers
109. A.J. Green, wing, Northern Iowa
110. Teddy Allen, wing, New Mexico State
111. Yannick Nzosa, center, Unicaja Malaga
112. Pavel Savkov, wing, Iraurgi
113. Jules Bernard, wing, UCLA
114. Nikita Mikhailovskii, forward, Russia
115. Haowen Guo, guard, China
116. Amadou Sow, forward, UCSB
117. Fanbo Zeng, center, G League Ignite
118. Makur Maker, center, Sydney Kings
119. David McCormack, center, Kansas
120. Lester Quinones, guard, Memphis
121. Fabian White Jr., forward, Houston
122. Aleksander Balcerowski, forward, Mega Bemax
Tier 11: Exhibit-10 guys
These are guys that I would bring to training camp but probably wouldn’t roster for one reason or another. Foster is the closest thing to rosterable in my opinion and I absolutely love T. Flowers, Barcello and Yat. A majority of these guys have the stats to be drafted but are simply too undersized, many of them being 6-foot-1 or under. The margin for undersized guys to be successful is so slim, so it’s hard to give them anything higher than this. There are quite a few guys I believe in in here though, like Andrew Jones, Golden and Toney. Turell is a really interesting player I’m rooting for but there are physical limitations in place that would make it hard for him to play on Shabbat.
123. Kyle Foster, wing, Howard
124. Anthony Duruji, forward, Florida
125. Ty Flowers, guard, LIU
126. Alex Barcello, guard, BYU
127. Jaden Shackelford, guard, Alabama
128. Kok Yat, forward, Overtime Elite
129. Isaiah Whaley, forward, UConn
130. Keve Aluma, forward, Virginia Tech
131. Drake Jeffries, wing, Wyoming
132. Evan Battey, forward, Colorado
133. Gaige Prim, forward, Missouri State
134. Kyler Edwards, guard, Houston
135. JD Notae, guard, Arkansas
136. Alfonso Plummer, guard, Illinois
137. Michael Weathers, guard, SMU
138. Malik Osborne, forward, Florida State
139. Cole Swider, forward, Syracuse
140. Akoldah Gak, forward, Illawarra Hawks
141. Bryce Hamilton, guard, UNLV
142. Collin Welp, forward, UC Irvine
143. Terrell Brown Jr., guard, Washington
144. Kellan Grady, forward, Kentucky
145. Luka Brajkovic, forward, Davidson
146. Darryl Morsell, guard, Marquette
147. Abu Kigab, forward, Boise State
148. Au’Diese Toney, wing, Arkansas
149. Sasha Stefanovic, guard, Purdue
150. Dallas Walton, center, Wake Forest
151. Jalen Adaway, guard, St. Bonaventure
152. Andrew Jones, guard, Texas
153. Payton Willis, guard, Minnesota
154. Kenny Baptiste, wing, Le Mans Sarthe
155. Carlos Alocen, guard, Real Madrid
156. Shareef O’Neal, forward, LSU
157. Grant Golden, forward, Richmond
158. Ryan Turell, wing, Yeshiva
159. Anthony Polite, wing, Florida State
160. Remy Martin, guard, Kansas
161. Eric Ayala, guard, Maryland
162. A.J. Reeves, wing, Providence
163. R.J. Cole, guard, UConn
164. Eli Brooks, guard, Michigan
165. David Jean-Baptiste, guard, Chattanooga
166. Jacob Gilyard, guard, Richmond
167. Peter Kiss, forward, Bryant
168. DeVante’ Jones, guard, Michigan
169. Michael Flowers, guard, Washington State
170. Tavian Dunn-Martin, guard, FGCU
171. Kai Sotto, center, Adelaide
172. George Conditt IV, forward, Iowa State
173. Tyson Jolly, guard, Iona
174. Jaden Jones, wing, Rutgers
175. Taze Moore, forward, Houston
176. Daeqwon “Daedae” Plowden, guard, Bowling Green
177. Alonzo Verge Jr., guard, Nebraska
178. Jimmy Boeheim III, forward, Syracuse
179. Malik Williams, center, Louisville
180. Silvio De Sousa, forward, Chattanooga
181. Justin Minaya, wing, Providence
182. Paul Atkinson, forward, Notre Dame
183. Koby McEwen, guard, Weber State
184. Isaiah Mucius, guard, Wake Forest
185. Javante McCoy, forward, Boston University
186. Geo Baker, guard, Rutgers
187. Jaylen Sims, guard, UNC-Wilmington
188. Marko Pecarski, center, Borac Cacak
Tier 12: Overseas/G League upside guys
There are a few guys in here I like, such as Randolph and Hawkins, but ultimately, there are too many holes in their respective games to put them much higher. Those guys could end up being good in the G League though.