Tag: Jonathan Givony

Order of top three in 2022 NBA draft unclear as ever, per ESPN

The only thing certain is that the top three will be made up of Jabari Smith Jr., Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero.

In his latest 2022 NBA mock draft, ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony wrote that the order Auburn forward Jabari Smith Jr., Gonzaga forward Chet Holmgren and Duke forward Paolo Banchero will be taken remains as uncertain as it has been since the lottery.

“While the Big Three of Auburn’s Jabari Smith, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren and Duke’s Paolo Banchero have remained consistent, the order in which those three players are selected remains less than locked in as private workouts continue.”

For the longest time, the majority opinion held Smith Jr. would go to the Orlando Magic, Holmgren would go to the Thunder and Banchero would go to the Houston Rockets.

But that opinion has been shaken, and betting lines have shifted from Smith Jr. being the overwhelming favorite to Smith Jr. and Holmgren being a toss up for the first pick.

Givony, though, still has Smith Jr., Holmgren and Banchero going in that order in his latest mock. The 2022 NBA draft is just a week away on June 23, so the rumors and reports out there are only going to get louder.

 

Thunder conducted workouts with Chet Holmgren and Jaden Ivey in pre-draft visits, per ESPN

While it was a safe assumption to make, it’s now been officially reported.

In his latest mock draft, ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony confirmed that the Oklahoma City Thunder have worked out or plan on working out top prospects Gonzaga forward Chet Holmgren and Purdue guard Jaden Ivey.

“The Thunder will conduct workouts with all of the top prospects in the class, including Smith, Holmgren, Banchero, Sharpe, Jaden Ivey and others.”

While it was a safe assumption to make that the team with the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft worked out and met with all of the top prospects, this is the first time it’s been officially confirmed by a draft expert that the Thunder have met with Holmgren and Ivey.

Both players are expected to go in the top five, with Holmgren penciled in with the Thunder for the majority of the draft process. Although, that’s a bit less of a guarantee now in recent days due to changing Las Vegas odds and Givony himself admitting that the top three can go in any order.

With the draft just a little over a week away on June 23, it will be interesting to see how things shake out.

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Thunder aggressively trying to trade up in 2022 NBA draft for Shaedon Sharpe, Jaden Ivey, per ESPN

Would you trade Lu Dort if it meant getting one of Shaedon Sharpe or Jaden Ivey?

In his latest mock draft, ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony reported that the Oklahoma City Thunder are aggressively trying to move up from No. 12 in the 2022 NBA draft in hope of being able to snag someone like Shaedon Sharpe or Jaden Ivey.

“The Thunder are said to be aggressively pursuing trade conversations for this pick, seeking to package it with future assets or existing OKC players in order to move into the mid-lottery, with players including Jaden Ivey and Shaedon Sharpe believed to be among the potential prospects they covet.”

In the same article, Givony has the Sacramento Kings taking Ivey fourth overall but adds that the Kings are not Ivey’s preferred destination. Givony then listed several teams who are interested in moving up to No. 4 with the Thunder being one of them.

Rival teams think a trade package that centers around Lu Dort could potentially entice the Kings to accept a deal as they are looking to contend for the playoffs this upcoming season.

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Vasilije Micic ready to play for the NBA but not for the Thunder, per ESPN

It appears that Vasilije Micic’s interest in the NBA is legit this time around.

There has been recent speculation surrounding former EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic finally wanting to make the jump to the NBA this upcoming season and ESPN’s Jonathan Givony confirmed those reports in his recent article that details the perfect 2022 NBA draft for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“Those 15 contracts don’t include draft rights OKC holds in 28-year old Vasilije Micic, arguably the best point guard in Europe, who is intent on making his way to the NBA, a source told ESPN, but isn’t an ideal fit with the Thunder’s timeline considering the plethora of young talent the team already has in the backcourt.”

While Micic being interested in joining the NBA next season has been floated around several times throughout the years, Givony reporting it makes it essentially true this time around and isn’t just a ploy from Micic’s camp during contract negotiations with EuroLeague clubs.

It looks like Micic, who is 28 years old, does not want his waste time being in a backcourt logjam on a rebuilding team and would prefer to be on a contender. The feeling is probably mutual with the Thunder as it doesn’t make a ton of sense to add Micic onto the roster as player development will be the top priority next season. So a trade is the only solution to this predicament.

The only question left is figuring out what Micic’s trade value exactly is. The answer is probably worth around the same as a late first-round pick to a couple of second-round picks. While Micic is an accomplished basketball player, it’s unknown how he would play against NBA competition.

The Thunder acquired Micic in the Al Horford trade from the Philadelphia 76ers, who drafted him 52nd overall in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft.

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Shaedon Sharpe would love to be drafted by the Thunder, per ESPN

If Sharpe is there after 6, should the Thunder trade up?

In his recent article detailing the perfect 2022 NBA draft for the Oklahoma City Thunder, ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony. At the 12th spot, Givony surprisingly mentioned Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe being there and the Thunder taking him. The most interesting part of his analysis is the fact that Givony has heard that Sharpe welcomes being drafted to the Thunder for basketball reasons.

“Sharpe is conducting competitive 3-on-3 workouts for most, but not all of the teams picking in the top 10, with his floor likely being this spot for the Thunder, who will be getting a visit and have studied him more closely than any team in the NBA. Sharpe dropping to 12th on draft night would be surprising, but not unimaginable. Not every team picking in the 5-10 range has a great handle on what Sharpe’s game is, and not all would be willing to give him the freedom and reps he’d need to learn on the fly and make up for the experience he missed by skipping his senior year of high school, opting not to play at Kentucky and heading straight to the NBA. Sharpe’s camp also doesn’t sound overly concerned with where he’s picked, preferring to take a long-term view in steering him to an advantageous development situation in which he can maximize his significant potential and become an All-Star, with the Thunder being at the top of their list.”

Hearing that Sharpe — the biggest mystery of the draft — has the Thunder at the top of his list of preferred teams to be drafted by must be music for the fanbase’s ears. While second overall is too rich for taking Sharpe, having him available at No. 12 is way too good to pass up on. One can even argue that if Sharpe is available after No. 6, then the Thunder should give max effort in attempting to trade back up.

The 2022 NBA draft is scheduled to be held on June 23.

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ESPN reports most within the league believe the Thunder will take Chet Holmgren second overall in 2022 NBA draft

Most teams within league believe Jabari Smith Jr. and Chet Holmgren will go first and second, respectively, in 2022 NBA draft.

In his latest article, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reports those within the NBA expect the Orlando Magic to select Jabari Smith Jr. first and the Oklahoma City Thunder to select Chet Holmgren second.

“Tuesday’s lottery removed one of the big questions from the 2022 NBA draft — who is picking first? — and cleared a path for Smith to make a short trip from Atlanta to join what’s becoming one of the most interesting young rosters in the NBA in the Orlando Magic. While Magic executives have made it clear they will conduct a thorough process — even extending beyond the widely believed top three prospects in Smith, Holmgren and Paolo Banchero — most NBA teams firmly believe that’s a formality and that Smith is all but assured to become the top pick. Smith, for his part, appears thrilled with that development. So is Holmgren over his looming marriage with the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is also the overwhelming expectation from NBA executives with whom we spoke at the draft combine.”

All the pieces to the puzzle were there for one to safely conclude that Holmgren was going to be taken by the Thunder. Following the 2022 NBA draft lottery, most draft experts had Holmgren going to the Thunder in their post-lottery mocks. Givony — one of the best NBA draft experts out there — just added a ton more legitimacy to this with his recent article that detailed many teams inside the league expect Smith Jr. and Holmgren to go first and second.

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Speculation surrounding the Thunder potentially promising former Michigan forward Caleb Houstan a draft selection

Caleb Houstan, who was once considered a top-10 prospect, could potentially go 30th overall by the Thunder in 2022 NBA draft.

In their article that dropped on Monday discussing the 2022 NBA draft combine, The Athletic’s John Hollinger and Sam Vecenie talked about the possibility of the Oklahoma City Thunder once again promising a draft prospect they will select them in the draft.

Michigan forward Caleb Houstan did not participate during the combine, leaving many league insiders to believe that he has gained a draft promise from an NBA team.

“Finally, Oklahoma City’s pick at No. 30 was the topic of other speculation. Michigan forward Caleb Houstan was notably absent from the week’s proceedings, with many league insiders suspecting he had a promise from a team in return for shutting down his draft process. Suspicion immediately went to the Thunder, given their surplus of picks and long history of making their draft pick in April. Houstan wouldn’t even be the first Michigan guy they did this with. (Hello, Mitch McGary!)”

Like the article mentioned, the Thunder have a history of making promises to draft picks with Aleksej Pokusevski being the most recent notable example of this. With that said, this does not mean Houstan is a lock to go to Oklahoma City; plenty of other teams make draft promises too, it’s just that the Thunder are one of the more widely known teams to do so.

For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony also had Houstan mocked to the Thunder for similar reasons in his post-lottery mock draft article.

“The Thunder have precious few roster spots at their disposal and four draft picks (three first-rounders), meaning there is a decent chance they won’t be making this selection ultimately. One of the big mysteries surrounding the 2022 NBA draft will be where Caleb Houstan, a onetime projected top-10 pick, ends up. Houstan declined his invite to the NBA combine, indicating there might be something to the rumors of a first-round promise, or that Houstan has a landing spot he’s comfortable with. Houstan’s positional size, defensive awareness and perimeter shooting gives him a high floor as a prospect, despite his disappointing freshman season at Michigan.”

If the Thunder are to select Houstan, it will likely be with one of their latter picks at 30th overall or 34th overall.

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ESPN still views Notre Dame star freshman Wesley as 1st Round selection

What will Wesley do?

It wasn’t the way the Irish envisioned their season ending, but the gauntlet of winning three games in five days isn’t ideal for any team. The way Notre Dame finished their season will be remembered fondly, the wins over Rutgers then Alabama were unforgettable.

For star freshman Blake Wesley, he’s got a massive decision to make, to return to South Bend for his sophomore season or move on the the NBA. For the home-town star, it’s not going to be easy as many outlets, including ESPN believe that Wesley is first round material (insider).

As the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament has concluded, Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz still have Wesley getting selected early, 20th overall, despite struggling against Texas Tech. They viewed his as “the best prospect on the floor” during the game against the Crimson Tide.

The knock against Wesley was that “the game still moves too quickly” for him but that doesn’t mean the NBA front offices aren’t high on him. Schmitz believes that “with a strong pre-draft process, it’s not out of the question that Wesley gets looks throughout the teens, especially if he shoots the ball well.”

At this point in time it is still unknown what Wesley’s intentions are, if he returns the Irish are clearly a much stronger team. If it’s the NBA, then we will root him on as he continues his career away from home.

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ESPN projects one Notre Dame player to get selected in NBA Draft

WIll he stay or off to the NBA???

The Irish have been enduring a NBA Draft selection drought since 2016, when Demetrius Jackson was selected in the second round with the 45th overall pick by the Boston Celtics. The last first round selection was a year before with Jerian Grant going 19th overall to the Washington Wizards.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz believe that the drought will end this year. They have Irish guard Blake Wesley going 30th overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder in their latest mock NBA Draft (insider).

The Irish freshman has had a very solid season, averaging 14.7 points-per-game while chipping in 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Wesley is shooting 41.1% from the field and oozes with potential.

Wesley will have a big time decision to make at the end of the season, will he return to the Irish and improve on his draft stock or test the NBA waters after just one year in South Bend?

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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Aaron Henry listed as early second round pick in updated ESPN NBA Mock Draft

Michigan State forward Aaron Henry is on the fringe of being a first round pick, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

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Michigan State forward Aaron Henry is right on the fringe of being a first round pick, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Givony released a post-NCAA Tournament NBA mock draft on Thursday, with Henry sitting just outside the first round at No. 32. Givony has the Milwaukee Bucks selecting Henry.

Henry has yet to declare for the 2021 NBA Draft but all signs point to him entering his name into the draft. As Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal pointed out in the tweet above, Henry has been considered a late first/early second round pick by many so it would be hard for him to turn down that opportunity to return to Michigan State for another season.

Henry finished this past season averaging 15.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this season.

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