2022 NBA Draft Breakdown - Julian Champagnie, Keon Ellis, Lucas Williamson, Jamal Cain
Mini scouting reports.
Author’s note: I wrote these evaluations for a piece I wrote for Hot Hot Hoops. This edition includes the pure scouting reports for these players, not the Miami Heat-affiliated notes that are in the full article. Check out the full article for more in-depth breakdowns of these guys.
Lucas Williamson, guard, Loyola-Chicago
Williamson is an intriguing guard prospect standing at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds. Williamson averaged 13.7 points, five rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game in his final season at Loyola-Chicago, shooting 44% from the field and 39% from downtown on 5.7 attempts per game. Williamson was a contributor on the 2017-18 Loyola-Chicago team that went to the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four.
Williamson improved greatly in his last collegiate season, putting his three-point shot together after several years of hitting at a high clip on a lower output. The 6-foot-4 guard is a two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Year. Williamson had a 2.5% steal percentage, 19.1% assist percentage and a tremendous 38.2 free-throw rate, taking 3.8 shots from the charity stripe per game.
As a defender, Williamson is patient and puts himself in the right positions, using his strength and high basketball IQ. Williamson isn’t a one-dimensional guard defender and there’s a role for him at the next level. And as a shooter, Williamson has a nice form and hit 73 total threes this season, as well as 223 for his career at Loyola-Chicago.
There’s definitely league interest in Williamson, who has had workouts with at least 12 known teams.
Jamal Cain, forward, Oakland
Cain is one of my favorite sleepers in this class and I’ve told many around me that his game reminds me of Terry Taylor’s of the Indiana Pacers, a guy who wasn’t on many draft boards last year that ended up working his way into a standard contract.
Cain has absolutely elite collegiate stats, being one of the only NCAA Division I players to average a double-double on the year. The Oakland product averaged 19.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game, shooting 49.9% from the floor and 29.9% from deep, though his 84.1% free-throw percentage indicates great touch. That free-throw percentage is all the more impressive considering the fact that Cain took five attempts per game.
Cain is a lean 6-foot-7, 191-pound wing/forward who can rebound the heck out of the basketball and has the athleticism to push the pace and defend multiple positions, angling well for steals. I’m also impressed by the fact that Cain went to Marquette for four seasons, played well enough there and then decided to show the world how well he could do in a featured role, breaking out with Oakland.
Even though he didn’t end up securing a G League Elite Camp invite like others, Cain was a standout at the Portsmouth Invitational where he showed an ability to guard one through five well enough and had a ridiculous chase-down block. Cain won the 2022 Horizon League Player of the Year award and led Oakland to a 20-12 record.
If he can develop a shot, Cain will be an offensive threat to watch as someone that thrives in transition and can make cuts at a high level, as well as being a threat from the dunker spot.
Julian Champagnie, wing, St. John’s
Champagnie is a 6-foot-8 wing out of St. John’s who averaged 19.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, two assists, two steals and 1.2 blocks per game. Like his brother Justin, Julian put up elite stats against one of the better basketball conferences in the nation. Justin went on to go undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft but was picked up on a two-way deal by the Toronto Raptors and is heavily expected to re-join the team on a standard deal this offseason.
Champagnie is a guy that will get buckets all over the floor, being a solid three-level guy who can extend his game out to the arc or punish defenders on drives. The St. John’s product can hit shots off the dribble, can pull up in the mid-range and can hit step back after step back. Teams will be in high demand for Champagnie’s services due to the fact that he hits all the big shots. Champagnie isn’t just a jump shooter, as he can really cut to the basket and has a versatile game at the rim, potentially setting himself up as a mismatch post player at the next level.
While his offensive stats are obviously nothing to sneeze at, Champagnie has fans in the NBA due to the fact that he can really dominate on the defensive side of the ball. Champagnie’s 3.1 stocks per game are among the best such marks in the class and it’s all the more impressive considering his size. Champagnie has quick hands and can bother drives but can also stand firm at the rim to block shots. There are times when Champagnie can look like a cornerback in the open court, intercepting passes like a few others in the class.
In all, Champagnie has all the traits necessary to be a high-level three-and-D role player in the NBA. While he needs to work on finishing his shots, his consistency and his playmaking if he wants to make any kind of jump, Champagnie would still be a welcome addition to any team.
Keon Ellis, wing, Alabama
Ellis is an athletic three-and-D prospect, able to finish at the rim at a high clip and can knock down the three-ball, hitting 36.6% of his 5.5 deep-ball attempts per game. Although he didn’t operate much as a three-ball shot-creator, he’s exceptional in the corners as a catch-and-shoot guy, a player trait that Miami fell in love with with P.J. Tucker. Ellis averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game last season at ‘Bama, operating as a high-level on-ball threat.
Ellis can defend one through three, using his long arms to disrupt players one-on-one and is capable of switching down. He’ll be 22 when the draft rolls around and you can tell how smart a defender he is, playing with a high level of anticipation. Ellis isn’t easy to shake on dribble moves. Ellis has fans due to the sheer amount of times that he outright bothers opposing players, an annoying presence to play against for sure.
Then offensively, Ellis can finish at the rim at a high level and his three-point shot has an excellent form. A good sign that Ellis’ shot will translate is his exceptionally high 88.1% free-throw clip that he achieved on over three free-throw attempts per game. All of this combined with the bouncy athlete Ellis is at the rim makes for an intriguing second-round level prospect.
In my opinion, Ellis has some of the fewest weaknesses in this class and would be well worth a gamble in the early second, let alone as an undrafted free agent. If his playmaking or self-creation comes along, Ellis would be a deadly steal that people would regret letting fall.