Houston’s options expand as Shaedon Sharpe declares for 2022 NBA draft

Since the Rockets are guaranteed a top-five selection — but not a top-four pick — the addition of Shaedon Sharpe to the 2022 NBA draft pool is significant.

Heading into the May 17 lottery to determine the top picks in the 2022 NBA draft, the Rockets are guaranteed a top-five selection. But the odds are 47.9% — in other words, a near-coin flip — that Houston’s pick will be at No. 5 overall (pick odds), rather than one of the top-four lottery slots.

That could be problematic, in that the 2022 draft pool has long had a clear top four in Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, Auburn’s Jabari Smith, Duke’s Paolo Banchero, and Purdue’s Jaden Ivey. But an announcement Thursday could potentially be turning the “big four” into a “big five,” and thus securing peak value for the Rockets regardless of lottery results.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, Kentucky freshman Shaedon Sharpe will declare for the 2022 draft and stay in. According to Rivals and 247 Sports, Sharpe was the No. 3 overall recruit in the 2021 high-school class, trailing only Holmgren and Banchero in the final rankings.

There is some risk factor with Sharpe, 18, in that NBA teams will not have any college statistics or film to analyze prior to the draft.

Sharpe, who is from Canada, was once ranked as the top overall recruit in the class of 2022. However, he opted to graduate early from high school and enroll in Kentucky for the 2022 spring semester. While he was eligible to play, Sharpe and the Wildcats decided mutually against throwing him into the 2021-22 campaign at the halfway point.

Prior to Kentucky, the 6-foot-6 guard was enrolled at Dream City Christian in Arizona. Sharpe turns 19 years old on May 30, and the draft is on June 23, which means he will be one year out of high school and meet the league’s age eligibility requirements to apply for draft eligibility.

Sharpe averaged 22.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 36.1% on 3-pointers on the Nike EYBL circuit in 2021, per Cerebro Sports. He added 18.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks when competing in The Grind Session. Sharpe was also a strong contributor for Canada when he participated in FIBA youth tournaments, according to For The Win’s Bryan Kalbrosky.

Here is the complete scouting report on Sharpe from Eric Bossi, national basketball director at 247 Sports:

A product of Canada, Sharpe is an explosive athlete with a nose for the rim. He loves to catch, face and is tough to stop because of an electric first step and his ability to get downhill, into the lane and then finish around the rim.

Over the last year, Sharpe has improved tremendously as a ball handler, pull-up jump shooter and shot maker from beyond the three point line. The improved ball handling has allowed him to be much more creative as a scorer and playmaker for others. Sharpe has long arms, moves well laterally and has all of the tools to develop into a player who is just as disruptive on the defensive end of the floor as he is on offense.

Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine is listed as an NBA comparison.

Generally speaking, most draft analysts see Sharpe as having more upside than other options outside of the consensus top four, and The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker reports that Sharpe “crushed it” in a recent private workout for NBA scouts. If Sharpe was not available, leading options at No. 5 would have included Iowa big man Keegan Murray, Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin, and Duke wing AJ Griffin, per most mock drafts.

Even with Sharpe’s sudden availability, most draft experts are still listing him behind Holmgren, Banchero, Smith, and Ivey, since those four have shown flashes of stardom at a higher level (NCAA) than Sharpe has. But even if he’s less proven, Sharpe appears to have star potential similar to that top group. For a team like the Rockets with nearly a 50/50 shot of landing at No. 5 in the order, his draft inclusion clearly boosts the outlook.

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