NCAA Basketball: 5 winners and losers from 2022 NBA Draft deadline
By Bryan Mauro
Winners – Gonzaga Bulldogs
Heading into the offseason there were a ton of question marks surrounding the Bulldogs. They were already going to lose one of the rarest players in the sport in Chet Holmgren and their point guard Andrew Nembhard. Could they also lose the rest of their starting five with Rasir Bolton, Julian Strawther, and Drew Timme to the NBA draft? That was a real possibility and for the first time in the last five years, it looked like Gonzaga may not be a title contender heading into the season.
Then decision day came and Bolton, Strawther, and Timme all decided to come back to Spokane, and team up with two super sophomores in Nolan Hickman and Hunter Sallis to form what many believe to be the best team in the country yet again. Timme is one of the best college players ever and is going to be one of the preseason favorites for the Wooden Award.
Bolton is the shooting guard on the team and comes with a ton of experience as this is his final ride in the college game. He has played a lot of basketball and he is going to bring some much-needed shooting to the perimeter for Gonzaga. I do expect Bolton to take a giant leap this year.
Strawther is the one player that Gonzaga needed to return to be successful this season. The wing brings so much to the offense for the Bulldogs. He is a good shooter from deep, gets into the paint and can play in the post against smaller teams. Strawther isn’t going to put up the numbers that Timme will, as Gonzaga runs the offense through their big man, but the wing is the most important player on the floor for Gonzaga most every night. When he plays well the Bulldogs can survive a bad night from Timme and they will be able to let their big man get into the game.
If those three players returning were not enough, Gonzaga further cemented their hold on the top of the rankings when they received a commitment from Malachi Smith from Chattanooga. He is going to pair with the three returners and play in the backcourt to give Gonzaga one of the best starting fives in the country. They were the undisputed biggest winners of the week.