With the end of the 2022 draft, several major foreign draft websites have set their sights on the 2023 draft. On the latest prediction list, in addition to the "Spider Man" Wen Banyama from France, The people who appear on the list are basically five-star high school students who were all-powerful in high school. When you are named a "five-star high school student" by a well-known draft website, your basketball talent will be recognized by the United States. At the same time, , there will be many strong schools at the D1 level waiting to recruit you, and you may become a lottery favorite in the next draft. However, high school leagues and college leagues are fundamentally different. There will always be people who have dreams but then feel sad. Even if you are talented, there is no guarantee that your NBA road will be smooth sailing. There are several such people in this draft. The prices of some of them have fallen sharply, and they have not achieved the expectations they wanted to achieve, or are even far from their expectations. However, their names were still read and they had the opportunity to prove themselves on the NBA stage. Many low-ranking rookies will say things like "making the team that didn't select them regret" during interviews, but how many rookies can do that? This article will focus on these five-star high school students whose draft rankings have drastically declined, and let’s talk about their stories.
Little Taitai. Washington’s 2021 ranking is ranked 14th. Expected lottery pick - middle section - 29th pick.
Before the start of this draft, the famous NBA draft reporter Jonathan Givony has made three draft predictions. The first time and the third time were given to Tali Ethan. The Rockets' need for a full-sized forward is well known, and on the day of the lottery, the management of Rockets had already contacted Ethan. It is worth mentioning that in Givony's second prediction list, he predicted that the Rockets would select Taytay Washington with the 17th pick. Because in addition to the forward position, the Rockets are also looking for a role similar to a commander. Fans have long questioned Porter's organizational ability, so choosing Washington with the 17th pick is also a good choice. Everyone knows the results of the draft. The Rockets won a big victory. I want both fish and cake.
Washington was just an unknown person in his senior season. In his senior season, he suddenly broke out and averaged 24+ points per game. With 7+6 statistics, he ranked among the top 15 in the United States. He chose to join and Kentucky among the old and powerful schools. As a 5-star high school student, he has no explosive talent. He reminds people of the old school with basic skills and solid skills. Position 1. The most eye-catching thing about him is his excellent wingspan and excellent passing vision and skills. Of course, the most popular in the NBA now is combo guard . Washington's shooting is not outstanding, and his relatively mediocre sports The talent does not seem to meet the requirements of some lottery teams, including previous exposure to trials with several teams near the lottery, including the Hawks, Spurs, Thunder and other teams, but Taitai's performance does not seem to cause these Team interest. In addition to not having particularly outstanding talent, he also has a history of injuries in college, which may be another consideration for many teams considering whether to choose Washington. In the Rockets, because of the presence of Jaylen Green , Washington only needs to do what she is best at. After all, he once had 17 assists in a single game at Kentucky. If Green and Smith are outstanding, He has good touch and can accurately find his teammates, so his assists will be guaranteed. In the Rockets' system, he may be a "blessing in disguise."
Kennedy Chandler is ranked 10th in the 2021 class. Expected mid-range - late pick - 38th pick
Kennedy Chandler averaged 22 points per game in his senior season, ranking among the top ten on the three major rookie websites, and was honored as the current draft pick. The number one point guard, with a height of 1.85 meters and a weight of 77 kilograms. His characteristics are somewhat similar to Lowry during the Rockets period. They are both fast and impactful. In Tennessee , Chandler certainly belongs to the super star category. player, played 34 games during college, averaging 13.9 points, 4.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Although this data is not particularly eye-catching, it is definitely not bad. The characteristics of Xiao Kuailing should be considered incisively and vividly. In the second round of March Madness this year, Chandler scored 19 points, but facing the University of Michigan , Chandler was still powerless. After the game, Chandler cried sadly and lay on the floor of "Uncle Huo" "The picture of Crying on the shoulder made the headlines on the NCAA pages of many websites.
Chandler works hard enough. Although he is known as the number one point guard in this class, his playing style may have destined him to only play as a surprise player more of the time without having a high ceiling. Although he had the highest jumping height of this year measured on his side, this did not add too many chips to his draft prospects. People are subject to great variables. After the Mavericks drafted Jaden Hardy with the 37th pick, the Grizzlies got a more capable backcourt player. The Grizzlies continue to build their Youth Storm. Among the Grizzlies' official summer league roster just announced, last year's rookies Zaiwei and Adama, as well as the four rookies selected this year, as well as "Little Fat" Kenneth and Lofton will all be included. join. As for Chandler himself, he still needs continued efforts.
JD Davidson is ranked 15th in the class of 2021. He is expected to be picked in the middle and late stages - early 2nd round - 53rd overall.
With a golden afro, you will definitely be impressed by him as long as you take a look at him. During high school, he was so explosive His playing style attracted people's attention. He played like a younger version of Westbrook . Until his senior season, he averaged 34.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. This basketball boy who came out of a small town became As a role model for his children, Davidson, who came to Alabama with the aura of the top talented guard in the United States, may have thought that he would face some difficulties, but perhaps he did not expect that the challenges he would encounter would be so great.
None of the three guards in this class (Ivey and Davis are sophomores) have performed to the expected level. If Washington is limited by relatively mediocre talent, Chandler's decline in the draft is because his style is too blue-collar. , then JD Davison is entirely due to his own reasons. Alabama's backline personnel are quite stable. Javan Quinerly, Jaden Shackelford and Keon Ellis are outstanding players on the team." Troika". Davidson will definitely not be able to shake the status of the three of them in a short period of time, and can only start from the bench. However, when he came on as the sixth man, it did not surprise people. Although he was a scoring maniac with a powerful body in high school, his skills were quite rudimentary after entering college. I once expected him to show the same explosive slam dunk scene as Westbrook, but to be honest, I have not seen him completely able to do so a few times. A chance to show off your physical talents. His performance on the court is not enough to qualify as a starter. Even in the middle of the season, team boss Quinerly took the initiative to give up his starting position in order to let Davidson get more training. Davidson's performance can only be described as satisfactory. His market has also been declining, all the way down to 53rd. He was selected by the Celtics with the first overall pick. He still needs to hone his skills more. It may be right to start in the development league first, slowly find the rhythm, and wait for the call of the team. path of.
Patrick Baldwin Jr./Caleb Huenstein, the top two strikers in the 2021 class
, these two must be mentioned together. At this time last year, the draft had just ended, and I was not ready. As a columnist who specializes in tracking rookies, the names of these two people at that time can be said to be very popular. Houstein led the team to kill all sides at the famous basketball school Montverde High School, with a three-point shooting percentage of more than 40% and a good wingspan. If things develop like this, Houston will be an excellent 3D prospect that many teams want to pursue, and Patrick Baldwin Jr. is ranked fifth in the United States by ESPN, and behind him is this year's No. 3 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr., two They are of similar height and have good three-pointers. Defensively, Smith seems to be more energetic. However, if normal development continues, Baldwin should not fall out of the lottery.
However, things did not develop so smoothly. After graduating from high school, Huenstein followed the U.S. U19 men's basketball team in the U19 championship. He seemed to have lost his shooting sights in the high school arena, making only 10 of 58 three-pointers. Among them, as an important supplement for the University of Michigan and Juwan Howard after Wagner Jr. left the team, Huenstein's performance can be said to be lagging behind Wagner Jr. in all aspects. He averaged only 10.1 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, and his shooting percentage was only 38.4%. Michigan's ability to go further in March Madness this year is the result of the team's joint efforts. It seems that the ability of this former five-star high school student is not too high. Big relationship. In this way, Hustein fell to the second round before being selected by the Magic. Although Hustein was not as good as before, for a team that has accumulated talent, being able to select a talented 3D prospect in the second round is definitely not a loss. of trading.
If Baldwin had to choose again, would he choose to follow "Old Coach K" to complete his final season, or go to his father's school to build a bigger core? We can't predict what he will be like if he goes to Duke, but we did see his performance at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I tried to increase my points but failed to do so, leaving me with dismal statistics and continuous truces due to injuries. As a player who was famous for his three-pointers in high school like Houston, his three-point shooting percentage was only 26.6%. When the team had no hope of entering "March Madness", Baldwin was also exempted from the game early. At this time, it is difficult for us to see Baldwin's name in the first round of major draft boards. In addition, due to injuries in the joint trial, all the physical test data were extremely poor, and Baldwin was unanimously looked down upon. However, the Warriors took a fancy to Baldwin's potential. It is true that Baldwin played like this. He has his own problems, but there are also problems with the team's style of play. For a non-traditional strong school, being able to recruit a fifth-ranked five-star high school student is something worth cheering for, and he will definitely be established as a player in the game. The core of the team, he has to hold the ball in singles, and he has to force shots against others. However, he is not a core player with the ball. He can catch the ball and shoot three-pointers better than holding the ball in the game. If he can control injury risks as much as possible and find his position in a fast-paced ball-conducting system like the Warriors, he should still be able to produce good results. Of course, it is probably a required course to be transferred to the Development League to play games. In short, From "double star on the front line" to "double pulling the hips", I still hope they can perform well.
Kendall Brown is ranked 17th in the class of 2021. Midway through the first round - 48th pick
If the previous market declines can be regarded as "gradual", then Kendall Brown's market can be regarded as a "cliff-like drop". His market has been falling. Before stabilizing at the 25th pick, he immediately dropped to the 48th pick and was selected by the Pacers . Last season, under the leadership of coach Scott Drew, Baylor University defeated the invincible Gonzaga. The most commendable thing about the university is the team's restriction on the opponent's core players. This year, Baylor University has recruited two forward players with excellent size and willingness to defend: Kendall Brown and Jeremy Sohan.
In the draft prediction list at the beginning of the season, Brown was ranked before Sohan. The roles of the two sides are different. Brown is the team's starter, while Sohan's role is the sixth man. Why Coach Drew likes to use him? It's because he does have good tactical qualities. As for why he was overtaken by Sohan in the limelight later? It's not that Brown's defense isn't good enough, it's that Sohan's defense is better. Sohan's shooting percentage and three-point shooting percentage are both substandard. It is not unreasonable to say that he is like Sakuragi Hanamichi . However, wouldn't it be great for such a player to be trained under Pop for a year or two? But Brown took fewer shots in the game. Sometimes he only took three or four shots in a game, averaging less than ten points per game, and there were no particularly explosive statistics. However, what really affected his draft stock may be his poor performance in trials and physical training. Since he did not take many shots in the team, he was even more confused when facing the NBA-level three-point line. Players with above-average defense do not have 3-pointers, so the expectations for this pick are basically conceivable. If his shooting and basic skills reach the point where "the scouts of all teams will shake their heads after seeing it", coupled with his unexpected hip stretch when standing on the side of his body, it will intuitively make people feel that he will defend the big man. It's quite difficult. Then there is a basis for his falling to the 48th pick. The Pacers are in a rebuilding period, and there is a certain amount of room for development for Brown. After all, Brown is still a player who plays with his brain. I still prefer this.
Jaden Hardy is ranked 2 in the 2021 class. He has fallen from the previous 3rd pick to the 37th pick.
A year ago, he was the proud son of heaven. Except for unicorn players like Chet Holmgren, he was the best player in the current class. The strongest, his scoring ability is explosive. Before the draft, he was invited into the little green room. Watching the players in the little green room leave one after another, Hardy couldn't hide his loneliness. It wasn't until the 37th pick that the Mavericks finally selected Hardy. At this time Hardy seemed to be relieved. Xiao Hua applauded him. When shaking hands with Mark Tatum, he was even a little dull. The second-highest high school student in the United States became a second-round pick in just one year, which made people feel a little bit. Sad.
Hardy's performance in high school was indeed outstanding. Perhaps it was Jaylen Green's success that made him plan to imitate him. He refused recruitment from many D1 strong schools and joined the Ignite. Whether it is in terms of strength or reputation, he is well-deserved No. 1. The meaning of the Ignite team's existence is to export high-ranking first-round picks to the league. It seems that Hardy wants to follow the path of Jaylen Green. Hardy's high-quality In fact, he didn't play much in the fourth season, and the NBA-level three-point line greatly reduced his proud three-point shooting ability. After being unable to start the first few games of the season, he seemed even more impatient. After all, he is the face of the Ignite players and he must get good data. Coupled with the lack of tactics of the Ignite team, Hardy becomes even more unique. If we say he is like Jaylen Green, it seems that he is more like Green who just entered the league, and he is even more unique than him. Hardy is not that fast. In the first step, he mainly relies on shooting to finish. Once the touch is not good, it will be in trouble. As the game progressed about 10 games, Dyson Daniels, who preferred to connect teams, gradually attracted more attention. Looking at Hardy's performance in the G League, it can be summed up in two words: inefficiency. The hit rate is low and the defensive effect is low. The explosive assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.5:0.9
has mentioned so many of his shortcomings, so why did the Lone Ranger choose him? Is it to raise Gu? Of course not, as the saying goes: "A skinny camel is bigger than a horse." Although his shooting percentage in the Ignite team is a bit disastrous, he will seek changes after experiencing some setbacks. Maybe he can't change his "independent" nature, but really When it comes time to come off the bench to grab points, it may be miraculous. His luck control is very solid, which will give him space to take shots.Maybe there is a big gap from the cornerstone of the team to a point-grabber or even a G-League player. However, all he has to do is forget the past and work hard to move forward until he is getting closer and closer to his goal.
These newcomers have all become famous, but they have not reached the heights they want to achieve due to various reasons. Some of them failed to transform their high school talents into college and professional competitions. Some are trapped by injuries, while others are trapped by tactics and style of play. They once stood high, and their lives were always ups and downs. Now, they are starting again. The order is just a number.
(Text/Diamond Generation Observer)
