NBA Draft 2022: Final Big Board of top 60 overall prospects

9. Jeremy Sochan – Baylor – Forward – 6’9, 230 lbs – May 2003 – Freshman

A swiss-army knife on defense, Sochan is the most versatile defender in this draft class. His ability to survive guarding across the board, and operate as a small-ball five, make him extremely interesting. He moves well laterally, has an understanding of driving angles and cutters as the low-man, and has good positional size at the four.

Offensively, Sochan showed some ball-skills later in the season when given more opportunity. He’s not going to be a primary, nor do I expect him to score or a ton/create his own looks, but there are a ton of ways to utilize his dribbling and passing in NBA actions. The jumper didn’t look great, especially combined with just okay indicators, but he’s still young and if it becomes passable then that should open up more driving lanes.

Championship-caliber teams in the NBA are filled with smart role players that can guard multiple positions, and be versatile on both ends and it wouldn’t surprise me if Sochan is playing in May or June when he hits his prime.

10. Adrian Griffin Jr. – Duke – Wing – 6’6, 222 lbs – August 2003 – Freshman

One of the better high-school prospects, Griffin took some time to find his footing after missing his senior season of high school with an injury and a chunk of Duke’s preseason. By January though, Griffin was unlocked and showed off elite catch-and-shoot skills. His jumper looks funky, with an incredibly wide base, but Griffin shot 44% on good versatility.

The other parts of Griffin’s game ebbed and flowed between viewings. He has some handling, but a lack of foot speed and shake didn’t allow him to create much. I was impressed with his willingness as a cutter and he has good touch around the rim, he just needs to regain some of the athleticism he showed in high school. Griffin is also incredibly strong in person, but he didn’t always use that strength functionally. Again, the hope would be that more game reps will help him find that strength.

Griffin has the build and shooting to be a three-and-D wing, but the defense was encouraging in his lone season at Duke. He got beat too frequently on the ball and struggled to maintain focus off of it.

He’s incredibly young, strong, and has shown flashes of plus athleticism and ball skills, making his theoretical ceiling higher than some in this group. But I’m worried the package will always be more theoretical than actual with him. The shooting and positional size do make him a safe bet to stick in rotations.

11. Benedict Mathurin – Arizona – Wing – 6’6, 204 lbs – June 2002 – Sophomore

A three-and-D wing in the most prototypical sense, Mathurin is one of the best shooters in the class. He’s got plus shot-prep, and mechanics, and has good elevation to rise over defenders. The biggest jump from freshman to sophomore year (aside from volume), was the difficulty and versatility of his shots. Defensively, Mathurin is a good athlete with positional size. He’s not going to be an All-NBA defender but I don’t think he’s going to be targeted either.

Mathurin showed some improved playmaking towards the end of the year, but the handle leaves a lot of room to be desired. He’s unlikely to initiate offense, but should straight-line drive and finish off of moving defenses and hard closeouts. Mathruin feels like a safe bet to be a plus rotation player and that warrants a lottery grade in this class.

12. Blake Wesley – Notre Dame – Guard – 6’4, 187 lbs – March 2003 – Freshman

Wesley pressured defenses arguably more than any top-five prospect in this class. He gets to the rim and paint with ease, using a creative handle and craftiness with the ball. Wesley doesn’t have true point guard chops, oftentimes playing “score first” but the paint touches generate open looks for shooters.

Wesley got to the rim, but had a tough-time as a finisher. He isn’t a bad athlete but struggled to use strength and timing at the rim effectively. He’s also prone to early pick-ups, but I think these are workable habits. The jumper could use improvement as well. His shot form is inconsistent depending on the type of shot, and the defensive coverage. He did showcase some interesting pull-up flashes that make me think he will be a good shooter.

I think Wesley’s defense is underappreciated. He should be able to match-up with both guard spots. He has quick feet, opens his hips well, and fights around screens-well.

I’m probably higher on Wesley than most, but advantage creation is an uncommon and coveted skill and I believe in Wesley’s ability to do that at the next level while ironing out some of the kinks.