Projecting top-end boys basketball talent is probably easier than football or baseball. Nevertheless, scouts definitely got it right when predicting the future of the top three NBA picks from Thursday's 2022 draft:
Paolo Banchero,
Chet Holmgren and
Jabari Smith.
Holmgren was the No. 1 prospect of the 2021 recruiting class according to
247Sports. The lanky 7-foot wing, who spent a season at Gonzaga, was picked second by the Oklahoma Thunder.
Top pick Banchero of the Orlando Magic was the No. 2 recruit from the Class of 2021 while Smith, drafted third by the Rockets, was ranked seventh nationally in the same recruiting class.
The next two selections definitely weren't projected as lottery picks in high school.
Fourth pick
Keegan Murray was the No. 334th top senior from the Class of 2020, the same one that fifth pick
Jaden Ivey was ranked No. 89.
For sheer high school production, we rank them this way:
The 7-foot wing and post was the MaxPreps National Player of the Year his senior campaign, averaging 20.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 80 percent from the field. He was part of four state championship teams.
Chet Holmgren led Minnehaha Academy to four state titles.
Photo: Josh Johnson
A 6-10 forward, Smith averaged 23.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.5 blocks per game, earning second-team MaxPreps All-American honors as a senior. He finished with nearly 2,000 career points.
The MaxPreps National Junior of the Year in 2019-20, Banchero averaged 22.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists leading the Fighting Irish to a 23-6 record. He led his team to a state title during an injury-plagued sophomore season but opted out as a senior due to COVID-19.
As a junior, the 6-4, 190-pounder averaged 24.9 points per game while leading the Lakers to a 22-5 record. He scored nearly 1,000 points in his career and shot better than 40 percent on 3-pointers.
As a 6-foot-8, 185-pound senior, Murray earned All-Metro honors averaging 15.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. A two-time team captain, four-time honor roll student, Murray finished as the school's career free throw leader at .876 percent. He also lettered three seasons in golf.
