2022 NBA mock draft: Where Kentucky's Shaedon Sharpe, TyTy Washington could land
With the 2022 NBA Draft lottery set, it’s hard to look past the trio of potential No. 1 overall selections of Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith. To Kentucky fans, their sights are set for the selections slightly after that.
Quite possibly the biggest ‘what if’ in Kentucky basketball history, Shaedon Sharpe came in and used the self proclaimed ‘Greatest Tradition’ as a stepping stone to the NBA after enrolling for one semester before bolting to the league.
Kentucky fans did get to experience star guard TyTy Washington, however. He went on to average 12.5 points, 3.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 29.2 minutes per contest, playing a total of 31 games. He finished in double figures 20 times, including five games of 20-plus points. His most impressive performance came in a career-high 28-point effort against Tennessee in January, one where he hit 10-13 shots while adding five assists and three steals.
ESPN — Indiana Pacers (No. 6 overall)
CBS Sports — Indiana Pacers (No. 6 overall)
USA Today — Indiana Pacers (No. 6 overall)
Sharpe never played a minute for John Calipari at Kentucky this past season despite being eligible the moment he stepped for on campus. Both parties controversially agreed to sit the blue-chip prospect for the season and for Sharpe to weigh his options after the NCAA Tournament. Now a consensus top-10 NBA Draft pick, Sharpe is one of the hottest prospects in all of basketball despite the lack of college film.
Sharpe recently put on a show at the NBA Combine in Chicago, wowing NBA scouts with his shooting prowess, as if to say he never needed college tape in the first place.
ESPN — Atlanta Hawks (No. 16 overall)
CBS Sports — Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 19 overall)
USA Today — Atlanta Hawks (No. 16 overall)
The Hawks certainly don’t need any more production from the point guard position, boasting one of the leagues finest young superstars in Trae Young, but Atlanta could be a perfect landing spot for Washington, who played in a two-point guard system at Kentucky last season alongside Sahvir Wheeler.
Washington played mostly off ball due to Wheeler’s reputation as a tough defender, but Washington showed promise at times as the main point guard while Wheeler dealt with various injuries throughout the season. Namely, Washington broke Kentucky’s all-time single-game assist record (16) previously held by John Wall for over a decade.