How are the top basketball recruits from the 2021 class faring as college freshmen?
The college basketball season is a month old, and the first few weeks of the 2021-22 schedule have featured breakout performances from some of the game’s newest stars.
Which top recruits from the 2021 class are faring best?
It’s no surprise that Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren and Duke’s Paolo Banchero — the top two prospects in that class — are off to hot starts as college freshmen, but Kentucky’s TyTy Washington stacks up well compared to other 2021 standouts, and the Southeastern Conference has some bright young stars as the league schedule nears.
Only seven of the top 10 recruits from the 2021 class — according to the 247Sports composite rankings — have actually played in college this season. Kentucky signee Shaedon Sharpe was shuffled into the 2021 rankings at No. 3 after he decided to enroll early at UK this winter, though he’s planning to be a practice player only for the Wildcats and debut next season. Jaden Hardy (No. 4 in the rankings) and Scoota Henderson (No. 10) skipped college to play in the G League this season.
Here’s a look at how the top 10 recruits from the 2021 class are doing, along with updates on several other college freshmen of interest, as well as a chart showing stats for the top 25 recruits for 2021. (All statistics are through Friday night’s games).
Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga
Holmgren — a 7-footer with perimeter skills — is a unique player, and he’s done nothing this season to hurt his stock as perhaps the best prospect from the 2021 class. Holmgren is averaging 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.9 blocks in 25.3 minutes per game for a veteran Gonzaga squad that started the season as the nation’s No. 1-ranked team. He’s shooting 63.9 percent from the field, and his blocks per game stat is good enough for fourth nationally and first among players from the 2021 class. ESPN ranks him as the No. 1 prospect for the 2022 NBA Draft, and he should continue to put up highlights on an every-game basis once the Zags start their league schedule. All of the major recruiting sites ranked him as the No. 1 recruit in the 2021 class.
Paolo Banchero, Duke
Just behind Holmgren in the 2021 rankings and the 2022 ESPN draft board is Banchero, who started his college career with a bang in a victory over Kentucky and has continued to star for the Blue Devils in the early going. Banchero is averaging 17.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game — leading Duke in both categories — and he has hit double figures in scoring in all eight games so far. He’s No. 1 nationally in points per game among players from the 2021 class, and ESPN has him as the No. 2 player for the 2022 draft. (Some other sites have him at No. 1 overall).
Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren, Memphis
Bates and Duren — long ranked as the top two recruits in the 2022 class — made a major splash by jumping to college over the summer, both picking Penny Hardaway’s Memphis program. They ended up at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, in the 2021 rankings, but they’ve had some early struggles to start their college careers, and Memphis is currently mired in a terrible skid after coming into the season with Final Four hopes.
Bates, who is still just 17 years old, has had an especially tough time adjusting to the next level. He leads the Tigers with 11.2 points per game, but he’s shooting just 38.8 percent from the field and hasn’t exactly settled into the “Penny 2.0” point guard role that was advertised coming into the season. He’s not eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft due to his age.
Duren — a longtime Kentucky target — is averaging 10.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game and shooting 65.5 percent from the field. He had some big games early on, but he’s struggled lately. The star center had a total of 14 points, 15 rebounds and 13 fouls over Memphis’ previous three games heading into Friday night, which were all losses. He had 14 points in another loss to Murray State on Friday. Duren is still No. 4 in the latest ESPN draft rankings for 2022.
Jabari Smith, Auburn
Unsurprisingly, Smith — the No. 7 player in the 2021 rankings — has been a star for the Auburn Tigers. Anyone who watched him during his high school days surely saw the promise in this 6-foot-10 forward with a game that extends beyond the perimeter. He’s averaging 16.9 points and 7.1 rebounds in 27.4 minutes per game, leading No. 18 Auburn in each of those categories. He’s also dished out 2.4 assists per game while hitting 18 of 41 threes (43.9 percent). He’s No. 3 on ESPN’s draft board, but don’t be surprised if you hear his name in the mix as a possible No. 1 pick over the next several months.
Patrick Baldwin Jr., Milwaukee
Baldwin, once ranked as the No. 1 player in the class, finished the cycle at No. 8 overall after missing nearly all of his senior season with an injury. He turned down early scholarship offers from Duke, Kentucky and pretty much everyone else to play for his father, Coach Pat Baldwin, at Milwaukee, a Horizon League program. He’s averaging 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, returning to the court last weekend after missing the previous three games with an injury. Milwaukee is 2-7 this season, and Baldwin is No. 7 in ESPN’s draft rankings.
Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee
Another SEC star in the making, Chandler is averaging 15.3 points, 4.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game for the No. 13-ranked Vols. The steady, high IQ point guard is fifth in the conference in assists per game and is also Tennessee’s leading scorer. He’s made 12 of 31 of his threes (38.7 percent). A bit undersized for a pro, the 6-1 Chandler is still No. 21 on ESPN’s draft board after being the No. 9 recruit in the final 2021 rankings.
The G League recruits
Jaden Hardy and Scoota Henderson were both linked to Kentucky at various points in their recruitments — with Hardy, particularly, being a major UK target — before choosing the professional route.
Hardy is averaging 17.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 34.1 minutes per game for the G League Ignite squad. He’s just 28.3 percent from three-point range but putting up outside shots at a high volume (46 attempts in seven games). Hardy is shooting just 33.1 percent overall while taking a team-high 19 shots per game. He’s No. 6 on the 2022 draft board.
Henderson, who is 17 years old, is leading the G League Ignite team in scoring and passing with 18.5 points and 4.7 assists per game. He is not eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft due to his age, but he’s already creating buzz as one of the top prospects for the 2023 draft.
Other 2021 recruits of interest
Peyton Watson, UCLA: A former UK target and the No. 12 player in the class, this star wing from Los Angeles stayed close to home but is finding it tough to break through on a team with so many talented perimeter players. He’s averaging just 4.4 points in 14.3 minutes per game and is 1-for-9 from three over eight games. Still, he’s No. 17 on ESPN’s draft board.
JD Davison, Alabama: One of the most exciting players in the 2021 class — and No. 13 in those rankings — Davison is averaging 9.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He’s sixth in the league in assists, though he’s also committing 3.3 turnovers per game. Davison is No. 11 in ESPN’s draft rankings.
TyTy Washington, Kentucky: The No. 15 recruit in the 2021 rankings is averaging 14.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 31.6 minutes per game, and he’s second on the Wildcats’ team in every one of those categories. He also has the second-most three-pointers for UK, shooting 11 of 28 from deep (39.3 percent). Among top 25 recruits in the class, only Banchero, Smith and Chandler have scored more points than Washington, who is No. 10 on the ESPN draft board.
Daimion Collins, Kentucky: As expected, Collins — the No. 16 recruit in 2021 — has had an up-and-down start to the season as he continues to build on his sky-high upside. He’s averaging 5.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game, and he’s second on the team with 12 blocks. Collins is No. 28 in ESPN’s draft rankings.
Hunter Sallis, Gonzaga: The former UK target isn’t getting a ton of playing time for the Zags, averaging 4.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 14.1 minutes per game as the No. 21 recruit in the class. He’s eighth on the team in minutes played.
Trevor Keels, Duke: Keels — the No. 23 recruit in the class — had a stellar performance to start the season against Kentucky (25 points), but he’s largely cooled off since, scoring more than 11 points just once in the past seven games. A former UK target, Keels is averaging 11.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 31.8 minutes per game.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, Tennessee: A late reclassification and the No. 26 recruit in the final 2021 rankings, Huntley-Hatfield is averaging 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game.
Efton Reid, Louisiana State: An off-and-on UK target as the Cats searched for post players during the last recruiting cycle, Reid was the No. 27 recruit in the class and is averaging 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game for the undefeated Tigers. He’s third on the team in scoring and rebounding.
Tamar Bates, Indiana: “Scoop” Bates, the No. 30 recruit in 2021, was linked to UK late in the recruiting cycle. He’s averaging 6.7 points in 20.8 minutes per game.
Nolan Hickman, Gonzaga: A former UK signee before asking out of that pledge, Hickman was No. 33 in the final 2021 rankings and is off to a good start for a loaded Gonzaga team. He’s averaging 7.0 points in 20.0 minutes per game — both more than the higher-ranked Sallis.
Bryce Hopkins, Kentucky: The lowest-ranked of UK’s recruits (No. 39 overall) nonetheless impressed coaches and teammates in the preseason. Hopkins is averaging 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds over 10.1 minutes per game, and he’s been playing through a back injury as of late.
Zion Harmon, Western Kentucky: A much-hyped Kentucky high school basketball prospect, Harmon was No. 63 in the final 2021 rankings, but he has not yet played for the Hilltoppers this season. WKU Coach Rick Stansbury said last month that Harmon was sidelined due to personal reasons. “Zion is a good kid, but he needs time to work through some personal issues,” Stansbury said. “We’re all trying to support him and help him right now.”
This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
