2022 NSL Draft � Results and thoughts

 

Round one is done, and on to Round 2! Here of course we are all just hopeful that a guy gets a deal, and ever plays in the league. We see stashes, we see GMs taking shots in the dark at guys who were NBA undrafted, but already have 2way deals in place, and we see just straight claiming of Rights for the future. It�s a lottery!

 

Pick 31 � Kennedy Chandler � A+

The Lakers came out swinging in the 2^nd round. I believe they have their pick still here, so this is for them, and Chandler despite being pick 38 in the NBA already signed a 3 year deal with the Grizzlies prior to our draft so was expected to go higher than that. He�s a tenacious PG with his only knock being his height. If he can overcome that, he might just make a role for himself in the wake of DeAnthony Melton being traded.

 

Pick 32 � Jaylin Williams � A+

The Jazz selecting for themselves, too, and they went for the logical choice in grabbing the big man they so very much need. Williams was drafted right around here in the NBA too, and is a young big man in OKC in the NBA so will get plenty of run given their lack of bigs. He�s a high IQ player and draws comparisons to Kevon Looney, who has made a nice career for himself in GS.

 

Pick 33 � TyTy Washington � B+

The old Wizkid special with the early selection in the 2^nd round, catching a falling 1^st rounder. Not much thought, if any goes into these catches with good reason as Wiz himself says �The NBA should know more than myself��it�s logical. Too logical for my liking. As if the NBA knows more than us�Anyway, TyTy went 29^th in the NBA to the Rockets so it�s not too far of a drop and he�s in a loaded young NBA backcourt. He was projected to go a little earlier in the draft, but his lack of explosiveness and him showing up out of shape and �dinged up� to workouts hurt him, but he�s a smart player and might yet find a niche.

 

Pick 34 � Josh Minott � A

I will confess, I may have given this a slightly lesser grade had it not been for Summer League. Not because I think it�s a bad pick, but it�s a bit of a reach from NBA pick 45 to here and I didn�t know a lot about the guy, and David Roddy and Peyton Watson were falling. However, he was drafted by Jase here and he promptly went out and got 22-10 in his Summer League debut hours later and he looks like a really nice blend of size and skill to translate well to the NBA and 2k game.

 

Pick 35 � Andrew Nembhard � B+

This may have been a little of a homer pick too I fell, but he was Mr 31 in the NBA and still on the board 5 picks later here, so it�s also starting to creep in value. Nembhard doesn�t have the ceiling of some of the other prospects, but his floor is high and he has a heap of experience for the Canadian team and against a variety of comp, with a 4 year college career to boot, so you know what you�re getting and he can fill a reserve role for years most likely.

 

Pick 36 � David Roddy � A+

The longest slide in the draft, Roddy went 23^rd in the NBA after the Grizz traded into the spot using DeAnthony Melton, and yet no one here liked what they saw until Pick 36 and Phoenix (via NY) were on the clock. Laddas didn�t know a tonne either, but 13 slots for an NBA 1^st rounder was too far to pass up and he�s already been vindicated in Summer league and Roddy has looked like a true baller. This could be one of the biggest value picks in the draft (long term, let alone right now).

 

Pick 37 � Gabriele Procida � B+

I was going to give this a B originally because the Procida types don�t seem to have a good track record of coming over and doing much in the NBA, but then Boston are looking dire for roster spots and stashes are right in the wheelhouse, so I bumped it up. If you�re targeting stashes, why not take the highest drafted NBA stash rather than relying on yourself entirely. He has good size and IQ, and can put the ball on the floor, as well as shoot from outside, so in theory he could be a player to watch to come over in the coming years. And if not, like all stashes, you played that lottery and it�s only a 2^nd. Hell, look who�s writing here!

 

Pick 38 � Gui Santos � B

Gui was drafted for the Pistons here by NY and it�s the biggest reach of our draft as he was taken 55^th in the NBA. Warriors picks get a lot of attention, and Gui came out in Summer league with a splash, and also fell right into the heart of a fellow countryman in Sheed, so all of this makes sense. The kid has shown he can play a bit, but won�t be over for a year or 2 at the earliest you�d think the way he performed for the rest of Summer League and it will all depend on his development.

 

Pick 39 � Kendell Brown � B

Brown is an athletic freak and this could translate great to 2k if he can get himself into a position to play in the league. There�s a handful of guys on the board that have contracts and still Peyton Watson floating around, so I�m not 100% on reaching down to NBA 48 for Brown, but he is a highlight reel waiting to happen.

 

Pick 40 � EJ Liddell � A

Liddell was projected as a 1^st round pick, and yet he slid to 41 in the NBA. However, he was still projected to go much higher here and yet, here we are seeing him off the board around the same spot at 40 and this pick would seem to be a value pick for the Lakers, which is nice for them. Liddell is a dog with legit skills, with his main knock being a tweener type. Unfortunately, he did just have a serious knee injury in Summer League and we won�t be seeing him for another 12 months at least.

 

Pick 41 � Ismael Kamagate � B+

Boston going with the stash again, as expected, and they overlooked the higher drafted and more highly touted Khalifa Diop to roll out Kamagate who while also mobile, looks a lot more mechanical than Diop. That said, he plays with a good IQ and is in France alongside the likely #1 pick for next year so will get a lot of action and a lot of scouting along the way, so could be over sooner than later.

 

Pick 42 � Peyton Watson � A

Feels a little self serving giving myself an A grade for this, but Watson was the 30^th pick in the NBA draft�and I knew nothing about him at all. I didn�t scout anything very much above pick 40 and was fully prepared to go for my chosen guys, but Watson�s fall was too much to ignore. I�ve since realised, he�s a very 76ers pick as a 6�8 defensive minded wing and is only 19 to boot. He�s raw, but he must have gone in the 1^st round for a reason? I�ll take it.

 

Pick 43 � Bryce McGowens � B+

Bryce looks like a very Chicago pick. He has a clear path to the NBA as a floor spacer and attacking bench scorer with upside size and this reminds me directly of a Cam Thomas from last year (of course with different styles on the whole). If he can wade through the logjam in Charlotte on the wing, he might carve out a career. His Summer League has been solid.

 

Pick 44 � Max Christie � A

Hard to go past another faller here for Denver grabbing NBA pick 35, max Christie, who looks like a solid wing with good size and a 2way potential. The Lakers will have court time for some of these types if they win roles due to having to fill out the roster so sparingly, so it�s a decent bet. See Talen Horten-Tucker. He fits that Denver mould, too.

 

Pick 45 � Isaiah Mobley � B

Mobley here is a little higher than the NBA, but I liked that he already had a 2way contract in place and his potential as a role playing big man that can do a bit of everything, with a high likelihood of sticking with the Cavs even just to help his brother bloom, made him a target for me. He has good size and a decent skillset all round to hopefully become a rotational big, but he doesn�t have the upside of some of the other guys left on the board.

 

Pick 46 � Khalifa Diop � A

I considered trying to trade up a handful of times to select Diop myself, but eventually decided I didn�t like his prospects of ever getting to the league which is why by this stage I had passed up on him twice. That said, he went 39 in the NBA and moves like a wing but is a big man, which means even if his NBA career doesn�t get too far, he�s likely to be a 2k darling everytime he�s available. I should also say, he can really play and defend using that athleticism so there�s plenty of shot of him coming over and making it. Memphis likes these types, with good reason.

 

Pick 47 � Scotty Pippen Jr. � A

The 1^st undrafted guy off the board! It would seem odd to be giving an A grade to a selection of an NBA undrafted guy at pick 47, when there�s 11 more NBA drafted guys on the board, but Pippen Jr had already started to show out in Summer League, was a 20-4-4 player through college and already had a 2way contract in place for the Lakers with a professional game and high IQ. That makes this a fairly logical and smart pick and I love it.

 

Pick 48 � Kenny Lofton Jr. � B

The 2^nd undrafted guy off the board, a pick after the 1^st, I will confess that before Summer league, the most I knew about Kenny was that he was the heaviest guy in the draft�I know cause I created all the rookies and had to enter that info! But watching him play I noticed he is very skilled, knows how to use his body, his weight doesn�t seem to slow him down (though he will of course lose weight with an NBA trainer), he has a developing shot, can handle and will bully inside. Basically, he looked like an NBA player and already had a 2way deal locked in, so I chose him.

 

Pick 49 � Trevor Keels � B+

We�re getting to that time in the draft where it really is a hit and hope, as we see undrafted guys going, there�s falling stashes, there�s falling others and taking the guy that goes 42 in the NBA is as good a shot as any, and probably better than most. He�s a solid wing and the youngest guy in the draft, so literally his entire career is ahead of him and why not take a flier on that?

 

Pick 50 � Yannick Nzosa � B

This pick gets that middle ground B. Nzosa had been touted as a lottery pick for a while there but really really struggled against, everyone overseas last year. He has good size and skillset in theory but something just wasn�t working. He�s a value pick down here though to maybe put it together going forward as a stash overseas and maybe he comes over in a year or 2 and looks more like that lottery guy again. Solid pick for the Nets.

 

Pick 51 � Vince Williams Jr. � B+

Vince was drafted pick 47, but was projected 75^th overall on the big board, but does have NBA measurables and shot it 40% from deep in college. He�s 22 already, and does lack athleticism, but he is exactly the type of mould that all NBA teas draft currently, so maybe he finds a home. Drafted for the Warriors, he�s trying his luck with another Memphis Williams who he sent off cheap last year.

 

Pick 52 � Moussa Diabate � B

The Wolves bought into this pick on draft day to make this selection and went for the falling Diabate who was drafted 43 in the NBA. He looks like an energy big man with average feel for the game, which is why I thought he looked and compared to Mfiondu Kabengele�which Ethan hated me mentioning cause look where he is now. Mind you, he�s still beating up the Summer League circuit this year. Can he walk a different path?

 

Pick 53 � JD Davison � B+

The little man drafted to NBA Boston already had a 2way deal in place and that makes him a step above a handful of the guys left on the board, so could be a very solid pick for the Lakers. He�s shown flashes as a scorer and playmaker and has some upside in those departments. There�s not a lot of court time available as a rookie in Boston, but they do develop guys well overall and he has that contract.

 

Pick 54 � Jabari Walker � B+

Me again and this is my final pick. I originally wanted two guys in the 2^nd round with my picks, Walker and Mobley, and I just had to decide which way to drat to get them both. I decided Walker wasn�t on the radar for most and eventually watched as there were guys still on the board that would allow me to take Walker here instead of in the 40s. Great success. He has size, range, athleticism and a high IQ. His stock has only risen through Summer league too, and he now has a standard NBA deal�from pick 57!

 

Pick 55 � Luke Travers � B

We�re really getting there now. The pool is drying. Travers is a large wing who will be stashed in his native Australia another year and maybe he makes it overseas eventually? If you want certainty here there were a few 2way contracted guys kicking round. Or, you can look to the stash route. Neither is wrong. Memphis by reports wanted Lofton here, which was only known after he was off the board at 48, so this ended up being a shot in the dark hopeful.

 

Pick 56 � Johnny Juzang � B

The Cavs traded into here for another shot at lottery glory, all for the cost of some points, and they went with another undrafted guy who has signed a 2way deal. Juzang has some big game upside and was a solid scorer in college and already has a deal in place, so seems like a solid option to take a flier on late for what is effectively free.

 

Pick 57 � Alondes Williams � B

The Nuggets wanted no part of this 2way or stash madness and sold this pick to the Suns who selected Alondes Williams who was a dominant college player but went undrafted and signed on with the Nets for a 2way deal already. Hey, down here, that�s all you can ask really. He�s a big PG and had a great college career, so he would seem to be a decent bet down this low.

 

Pick 58 � Ryan Rollins � A

This had to get an A grade simply because Rollins by this time had slid 14 spots from NBA pick 44 and he�s in Golden State where they have a habit of taking guys like this and turning them into something. Despite his slight frame, he�s a solid scoring type and maybe can carve a role like a Jordan Poole now has, if he�s lucky.

 

Pick 59 � Karlo Matkovic � B

Matkovic was drafted 52^nd in the NBA after showing some great shooting and explosiveness in the draft process and that must have caught the eye of Josh and the Wizards who owned this pick at draft time I believe. He�ll likely be stashed, but maybe he has a future as one of those athletic big euros that come across in a couple years.

 

Pick 60 � John Butler � C+

The pelicans needed size so they went with a undrafted 7�1 big man with the final pick of the draft who as yet hasn�t secured any contract for next year. He�s only 19, and is 7�1, but only 180 pounds which is clearly going to be his main problem going forward, trying to fill out and develop strength to match NBA bigs. Flip the coin down here, so no real knock, but there were some solid looing guys who went undrafted and had 2way deals already in place that could have been chosen.

 

 

Hope everyone strikes gold with their picks!