The league office released the official list of early entry candidates for the 2022 NBA draft, and there weren’t too many surprises.
For the most part, most of the players who appeared had already announced their intentions beforehand. While some prospects are still testing the waters and may eventually opt to go back to school, other notable names decided to skip the process entirely.
Players can gain a ton of valuable knowledge and experience from the pre-draft process, but it’s also hard to resist the clarity that comes with knowing exactly where they will be next season.
Some may even make more money in the college ranks than they would have on an NBA contract due to their newfound ability to profit off name, image, and likeness. Others are looking for a fresh start and have entered their name in the transfer portal.
Most players in a comfortable draftable range have opted to turn pro. But there are still plenty of notable names who did not, and we’ve included them below.
When we made this list last season, the two top names we highlighted were Jaden Ivey and Bennedict Mathurin. Both are now projected lottery picks in the 2022 NBA draft. Several others, however, did little to improve their draft stock.
As always, the year-over-year improvements and developmental pathways are fascinating. This list may serve as a helpful resource to track some of those changes.