Before reclassifying, Kentucky Wildcats guard Shaedon Sharpe was the top recruit in his class. Now, he is eligible for the 2022 NBA draft.
Sharpe, a hyperathletic 6-foot-6 prospect from Canada who is still just 18 years old, hasn’t yet played his first game for the Wildcats. But before his debut, I wanted to share a quick barometer on how Sharpe stacks up in his new class. So I ranked him — as well as one hundred other players.
Why did I decide to rank so many prospects when only 58 players will hear their names called in the 2022 NBA draft? The reason is fairly simple: Depth has never mattered more in the NBA.
Oklahoma’s Austin Reaves was not selected in the 2021 NBA draft and he has appeared on the floor for more than 25% of all possible minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Ohio State’s Duane Washington Jr. was also undrafted and he has started seven games for the Indiana Pacers this season — he has already scored 15 points four times this month.
New Orleans’ Jose Alvarado, Brooklyn’s David Duke Jr., and Milwaukee’s Javonte Smart have all started games despite going undrafted as well.
So with that in mind, here is how I would rank the top prospects I expect to appear in the 2022 NBA draft. Note that several notable names (Ousmane Dieng, Peyton Watson, Daimion Collins, and Matthew Cleveland) were not included because I’d predict they will wait another year before declaring.