This article we will discuss the surprises and disappointments of high-profile rookies in the 2022 NBA Draft.
In our latest mock draft, we added a player to the top ten picks who didn't even appear in the first round before the start of the season. In addition, some of the senior rookies completed their metamorphosis without warning.
On the other hand, some of the young players who had high expectations before the start of the season did not live up to expectations.
SURPRISE: Johnny Davis (Wisconsin, quarterback, sophomore)
Scouts have begun to discuss the possibility of Johnny Davis making it to the top ten picks. As a freshman last season, he averaged 7.0 points per game, while at this summer's U19 World Championships, he shot just 32.1 percent from the field.
Davis has gone from being a role player with no-ball offense to a top scorer with autonomous offensive ability. Tall at 6'5, the athletic Davis has an explosive straight-line breakthrough, and scouts have seen that he has mature ball-holding skills and the ability to create shots, as well as the physical fitness and defensive conditions that match the NBA level.
His explosive power and ability to stop jump shots make him the nation's top ball-handling blocker (91% ahead of all players in the United States). He shot 44.7 percent from the jump shot and made 21 shots in nine games, some of which were difficult and creative singles moves.
In his past seven games for Wisconsin, Davis has averaged 22.6 points per game, and as long as his three-point shooting percentage (4.1 shots per game, 37.8 percent) continues to be stable, he has the potential to evolve into an all-around scorer.
Surprise: Marjung Beauchamp (G-League Ignition, Quarterback/Small Forward, 2001)
Considering Marjuna Beauchamp's unique draft journey — he declined an offer to the I-league before he finally played for a prep school — scouts don't have any expectations for his development league season. So it's a surprise to see him averaging 15.1 points per game with an efficient 57.1 percent shooting percentage.
The 20-year-old became a hit in scouting circles with a 46-point performance on 30 shooting after the team's Rick Salt Lake City Stars and Grand Rapids Gold Nuggets.
Beauchamp excelled at near-basket jumpers, shooting 68.0 percent from within his three-point range. Confrontation and physical contact did not bother him. With just 16.8% of the usage, he was able to produce well, which showed that he could seize offensive opportunities without having to create space and dribble too much.
His 24.2 percent three-point shooting percentage and 65.0 percent free-throw shooting percentage could be alarming. The 6'7 winger's efficiency and understanding of the attack in recent drafts at the time gave scouts a real interest in him.
If there are enough signs that his future shots still have potential to tap, he will generate some interest in the first round.
Disappointment: Payton Watson (UCLA, small forward, freshman)
No one expected Payton Watson to be a leader in UCLA. Scouts know that his draft selling point is mainly his potential, especially in the case of Johnny Chuzang and Jacques Jr. returning to school.
Even if he doesn't get a reasonable chance to play, averaging 3.9 points per game and shooting 29.8 percent from the field still shows that he is still far from a worthwhile investment.
Watson is still attractive. He's a 6'8 winger with excellent athletic finishing ability, all-rounder potential on the defensive end, and highlights of his high school days: self-directed offense and self-directed shooting. But at the moment, he can't create enough quality shooting opportunities or be a threat to stability outside the three-point line (1-of-10 shooting).
Unless his role suddenly increases, Watson will either need to give a new impression on the trial side or enter his sophomore year to play a more characteristic role.
SURPRISE: Wendell Moore Jr. (Duke University, Quarterback/Small Forward, Junior)
Wendell Moore Jr. has always had a lot of potential. Before the start of his freshman season, we had predicted he would be selected with the 16th pick in the 2020 preseason mock draft, but after two seasons of poor performance, he disappeared from draft discussions.
Now that Moore is back, he's Duke's number one offensive initiator and has a 38.6 percent three-point shooting percentage, and it looks like he's completely transformed as a score-scoring wing. By the end of the draft, he had just turned 21, much like many sophomores.
Moore's assist rate (28.4 percent) more than doubled compared to his freshman season, making duke's most efficient assist. His possession skills and passing IQ have improved. He also shot 73.3 percent from the basket, showing physical control at the end of a strong confrontation that seems to be delivered to the NBA as well.
Moore made 4-of-4 three-pointers against Appalachian State University on Thursday, his sixth 2-pointer in the first 10 games of the Duke university season. Projection is his most prominent flanking technique.
If he can continue to shoot outside shots and convince scouts that he is a big threat in terms of projection, Moore will be more comprehensive and the NBA team will see him as a suitable candidate.
Disappointment: Yannick Enzosa (Malaga, center, 2003)
From the age of 16, Enzosa has been known for his unique defensive flexibility, and last year in the Europa League and Spain's ACB League, he began to show enticing technique. But this season, he hasn't allowed those flashpoints to be consolidated.
It's hard to like a player who's 7 feet tall but shoots just 38.6 percent, even though he has a lot to admire in terms of coverage, space skating and full-court sprints.
As a potential top-ten draft favourite before the start of the season, Enzosa dropped out of the first round of our latest mock draft because we thought his technique and body were too far behind our requirements.
But NBA teams will continue to track him. After all, he is only 18 years old, with the physical condition of the NBA and the ability to move that is difficult to adjust the day after tomorrow, he can impact the basket and change the anti-cover shooting.
Surprise: Christian Klock (University of Arizona, Center, Junior)
At this time last season, the only attraction for Klock was the defense. And now, he's also a threat on the offensive end and one of the top basket guards in the nation.
Klock hit just one shot outside the inside in his sophomore season. So far this season, he has shot 19-of-31 and shown more confidence, skill and patience.
Klock's shooting percentage also improved a lot, reaching 73.8%. He has scored in double figures eight times, compared to just two in his entire last season.
Still, the potential on the defensive end remains Klock's main selling point, especially now, when he has a staggering 14.9% blocking rate on the field (averaging 3.5 per game). Given his stats, mobility and physical fitness at 6'11, he convinces scouts that it doesn't take long for his defensive efficiency to materialize on the NBA (second in the nation on defensive BPM).
Disappointed by injuries
Andre Cuberro (University of Illinois, Point Guard, sophomore)
Ayo-Dosunmu's departure from school to enter the NBA opened the door for Andre Cubello, giving him the opportunity to fully express his creativity. But after suffering a concussion before the season, the second-year player had a lot of trouble with the task of controlling and leading the whole team.
Kubero shot just 30.2 percent from the field, and before the last game, he made just 2-of-12 three-pointers. His decision-making ability is equally embarrassing, with the 6'1-tall ball-handler conceding 16 goals in four games.
If his shooting level can be improved to a certain height, then coupled with his exciting organizational and passing ability, he still has the potential to reach the first round. But based on his tough start, it's hard to be optimistic.
Marcus Bagley (Arizona State University, Small Forward/Big Forward, Sophomore)
As a 6'8 shooting duo, Bagley showed a certain advantage in the skill pack last season. But he played just 12 games and shot just 34.7 percent from three-point range, failing to win the trust of scouts.
People want him to return to school more confidently and be more creative in his games. But a week later, he injured his knee again and has never played again.
Bagley still has time to get back on the field and build his draft prospects. But for an outside player who doesn't have the ability to attack on his own, his fault tolerance is small.
Surprise: E.J. Riddle (Ohio State, Big Forward, Junior)
E.J. Riddle made significant progress in the transition from a traditional inner line to a modern one.
Scoring on the inside (over 91% of players) is still his housekeeping skill, but after improving his physical condition and outside skills, he has become a targeted projection threat (more than 94% of players) and a fast-attack weapon that cannot be ignored. In 10 games, he shot 42.9 percent from the field and dribbled on 8-of-17 dribble shots, scoring 23 points for the conversion offense. In the whole of last season, he only made 6 stop jump shots and scored 27 points.
Riddle's differences in defensive organization are perhaps still the most surprising. The 6-foot-7 "inside line" block rate has more than doubled to 10.5% (3.0 beats per game). That could help an NBA team see him as a 240-pound small-ball No. 5 who can create opportunities for himself under the basket and could eventually become a space-type interior if shooting continues to improve (35.3 percent from three-point range).
Riddle, who has averaged 20.6 points per game and shot 56.0 percent from the field this season, began his dominance in his junior year. His influence and superb low-post skills signal his promise to become a more mobile, more confident player with a more confident face-to-frame offense and crazy defensive stats, and it doesn't sound like scouts need to worry about whether he can adapt to today's NBA.