NBA Draft 2022: NBA Draft Combine notebook and takeaways
Jalen Williams (Santa Clara)
Another popular pre-draft riser, Williams flew under the radar during the season, despite a wildly productive year at Santa Clara. Williams had impressive measurements, standing just under 6’6 in shoes, but a wingspan over 7’2 and a 39-inch vertical.
Williams was incredibly efficient as a scorer, going for 30 points in the two games combined on 81% shooting (13-16), and 3-4 from three. Williams has a smooth-looking shot with good mechanics and while he’s not an elite pull-up shooter yet, he can make opponents pay if they go under. Williams has good touch around the rim and he’s not overly strong or athletic yet, but I think there’s growth potential in both those areas for him.
Williams is also a plus playmaker at his size, and while that wasn’t optimized at the combine, I buy that he’ll create for others in a secondary role and in designed pick-and-roll sets at the next level. Williams looks the part defensively too.
His length provides a pathway to guard multiple positions and from going back and watching some Santa Clara, he has a good feel of where to position himself and is an elite screen navigator.
Finally catching up on Williams, I understand the buzz. I’m glad he played and cemented himself even further. I’m sure he has plenty of fans amongst NBA teams and he winds up as a first-round pick. He’ll likely end up top-25 on my board.
Christian Braun (Kansas)
Arguably the highest-rated prospect to scrimmage entering the combine, Braun used the scrimmages to showcase his a little bit of everything. He struggled from the field in scrimmage one, but showed his value as a secondary creator with six assists, while also nabbing seven rebounds. He shot it a bit better in scrimmage two going for 17 points. Braun’s defense was largely good throughout the week as he was active in passing lanes, and comfortable switching onto guys across the perimeter.
Braun’s athletic and anthro testing also helped him a bit. He measured in way taller than I initially thought at 6’7 in shoes, and I knew he was a good athlete, but his 40-inch vertical was third-highest across all that tested. Braun was receiving late-first round buzz entering the combine and it’s not like he was hidden throughout the season, playing a key role for the national champion Jayhawks. So the fact that he played shows me he wants to compete and has a love for the game.
I was lower on Braun all season than consensus but I wasn’t sure he was big enough to play on the wing. I’d still like him to be comfortable as a shooter and I’m not sure he’s ever great in that regard. But as long as he can hit open shots, Braun has enough tools, feel, and ancillary skills to stick in an NBA rotation as a wing.