2022 NBA Mock Draft – Early Scouting Reports
The draft class of 2022 is beginning to peek its way onto the radar of NBA personnel. Due to COVID-19, resuming normal in-person scouting has been difficult, and therefore, opportunities for these young athletes have been limited.
Because of this, players such as Patrick Baldwin Jr. and A.J. Griffin who are considered to be two of the top prospects and top-10 candidates, have hardly gotten any court time over the past 12-14 months. The currently high season only just began this past weekend for others, like Peyton Watson, who is slated for UCLA this fall.
Under normal circumstances, NBA teams would begin compiling player stats and building scouting files, amongst other things, at this time of year. However, because camps and showcases on a national level were extremely limited, and not to mention, the cancellation of the high school all-star game circuit, data and reputations now solely rely on college performance for players a part of the draft class for 2022.
With the NBA draft delayed and the high school season paused, evaluators have acquired additional time for prospect scouting. And with the class of 2021 around the corner, we’ve gathered three names, we recommend keeping an eye on come 2022.
Ousmane Dieng – 2022 NBA Draft Prospect (247sports.com)
OUSMANE DIENG, INSEP (FRANCE)
LABEL: 6’7” WING-SIZED SLASHER / WEAKSIDE DEFENDER
LAST REPORT: AUG/29/2019
SCOUTING REPORTS: https://basketballscouting.wordpress.com/tag/ousmane-dieng/
At the 2019 U16 European Championship, of players who logged at least 100 minutes, Dieng earned himself a top 20 mark while on the floor, by assisting in 29% of France’s scores. Although, per every 40 minutes of the match up, he averaged 4.1 turnovers.
Traits such as the capabilities to play make, an advanced skill set when it comes to shooting, and positional size, all create an immense potential for professional value in the future, despite his subpar percentages throughout his teenage years.
The 2022 lottery pick may be some time away to guarantee him as a shoe-in. It goes without saying, With Dieng’s 71 three-pointers while converting 81 percent of his free throws, we can see why NCAA colleges, like Arizona, Cincinnati, Oregon State and Washington State, all have shown interest him.
CALEB HOUSTAN, MONTVERDE ACADEMY
LABEL: 6’8” WING SHOOTER / WEAKSIDE DEFENDER
LAST REPORT: JUL/2/2020
SCOUTING REPORTS: https://basketballscouting.wordpress.com/tag/caleb-houstan/
As early as his sophomore year at Montverde Academy, Houstan was someone to watch out for, when he earned a starting spot on what is considered to be one of the greatest high school teams to ever play the game. He enrolled here after competing in the Bio Steel All Canadian Futures game.
Following his acceptance, Houstan led Canada to a second-place finish at the 2019 U16 Americas Championship, where he averaged 22.8 points on 44% shooting, and 8.8 free throws per game. His greatest strengths lie in his coordination, the fluidity of his spot location, and his body control when handling the rim protector. For the 2022 high school class, at this time he is a third-rank recruit.
Chet Holmgren – 2022 NBA Draft (zaqsblog.com)
CHET HOLMGREN, MINNEHAHA ACADEMY
LABEL: 7’0” STRETCH BIG / RIM PROTECTOR
LAST REPORT: OCT/13/2020
SCOUTING REPORTS: https://basketballscouting.wordpress.com/tag/chet-holmgren/
Holmgren is a player who is sure to get the attention of many scouters, standing in at 7 feet, and weighing only 183lbs, his rare defensive instincts combined with an innate ability to maintain a level of comfort around the perimeter, will pique their interest leading all the way up the 2022 draft night.
It appears as though the discussion around Holmgren has taken on a likeness similar to that of Kristaps Porzingis back in 2015. Questions surface and we must ask, will his perimeter skills remain consistent when facing competitors of greater speed? How will his body withstand the physical grueling work ethic? Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how his game evolves these next two seasons.
