College freshmen lead early NBA Draft rankings, but list is light on Kentucky players
A couple of days following Kentucky’s annual Pro Day event and just three days before the basketball season unofficially begins with Big Blue Madness, a new ranking of the top 100 NBA prospects for next year’s draft has been posted.
ESPN updated its list of the top 100 prospects Tuesday, with just two Wildcats — freshmen TyTy Washington and Daimion Collins — making the cut.
Washington — a 6-foot-3 point guard from Phoenix — is ranked at No. 16, just two spots outside of lottery range, on ESPN’s list. Washington was the No. 14 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
Collins — a 6-foot-9 forward from Atlanta, Texas — is No. 19 on the ESPN list. He is a super-athletic, high-upside player, though he’s currently listed at 202 pounds and has a thin frame for the college level. Collins was the No. 15 recruit in the 2021 class.
No other Kentucky players were listed in ESPN’s top 100.
The Wildcats’ roster also features junior big man Oscar Tshiebwe, junior forward Keion Brooks, and junior point guard Sahvir Wheeler, among other draft hopefuls. (UK will also have two players, guards Davion Mintz and Kellan Grady, who will be out of college eligibility after this season).
With a star-studded freshman class due in Lexington next summer — and with few UK players apparently likely to be in next year’s NBA Draft — it will be interesting to watch the roster mechanics over the next few months.
Grady and Mintz will be gone from Kentucky’s backcourt after this season — and Washington could also leave early — but that would still leave Wheeler and shooting guards CJ Fredrick and Dontaie Allen as possible returnees to a program that will bring in five-star point guard Skyy Clark, five-star shooting guard Shaedon Sharpe, and (likely) five-star combo guard Cason Wallace.
Kentucky will also add five-star wing Chris Livingston. The Cats currently have Brooks, Jacob Toppin and Bryce Hopkins to play that type of role, and all of them will have college eligibility beyond this season.
UK has no commitments in the frontcourt for the 2022 class, and the Cats might miss out on five-star center Adem Bona. This season’s post players will consist of Tshiebwe, Collins and sophomore power forward Lance Ware.
Bona and Wallace are the only 2022 recruits left on Kentucky’s offer list, though UK could once again explore the transfer portal or possible reclassification candidates if there’s a roster need in the spring.
NBA Draft rankings
Once again, recent recruits dominate the top of the preseason NBA Draft rankings.
The top six players on ESPN’s list were all in the 2021 recruiting class. Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren is No. 1, followed by Duke freshman Paolo Banchero, G League newcomer Jaden Hardy, Memphis freshman Jalen Duren, Auburn freshman Jabari Smith, and Michigan freshman Caleb Houstan. (Much-hyped Memphis freshman Emoni Bates will not be eligible for the NBA Draft until 2023, due to league age rules).
Banchero, Hardy and Duren were all major Kentucky recruiting targets.
In all, 10 of the 14 lottery picks on ESPN’s list were in the recruiting class of 2021.
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 2:32 PM.
