Two Kentucky Wildcats in ESPN's new 2022 NBA Mock Draft

The college basketball season is officially underway, which means we’ve got new NBA mock drafts to discuss. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz released a new set of projections following Tuesday night’s Champions Classic, which featured several pro prospects. Only two Kentucky Wildcats made the cut: TyTy Washington and Daimion Collins.

Givony and Schmitz project Washington to go No. 11 to Memphis. TyTy struggled in his Kentucky debut, going 3-14 from the floor for nine points, three assists, and two rebounds. As Givony notes, he was outplayed by Duke’s Trevor Keels (No. 14 in the mock draft); however, he still showed glimpses of potential.

Washington had a rough debut, shooting 3-of-14 from the field and having difficulties getting over screens and staying in front of the bigger and more powerful Keels, who gave him everything he could handle on both ends of the floor. Kentucky’s backcourt hasn’t established great pick-and-roll chemistry yet with its big men, as Washington struggled to generate high- percentage offense with Duke aggressively stepping out to the perimeter to contain his drives. Washington was forced to settle for difficult pull-up jumpers with the shot clock running down, and couldn’t turn the corner with much success either, being swallowed up inside the paint by Duke’s NBA-caliber size and length.

While Washington looked overly ambitious seeking out home run plays, he did have some moments that demonstrated what makes him interesting as a NBA prospect. He thrived when he could get downhill against an unbalanced defense off closeouts or dribble-handoff situations, rather than being forced to go one-on-one from a standstill. He bulldozed through Jeremy Roach for a layup out of a handoff, hit a pretty floater from the middle of the lane off a closeout and converted a tough pull-up from 17 feet, showing his skill and touch. He also made some good reads driving and dishing to create easy offense for teammates in small doses. He’ll likely settle down and show more of his feel and pace operating out of ball screens as the season moves on and his big men learn the nuances of holding or slipping screens and creating gravity with their rolls — it’s unlikely he’ll ever see this type of size or length again all season long. In the meantime, making better decisions with the ball and demonstrating a higher intensity level defensively will be important for Washington to maintain his lofty draft projection.

Jonathan Givony, ESPN

Daimion Collins is No. 30 in the mock draft (Memphis). He played only two minutes Tuesday night so it’s hard to gauge anything from his performance other than he needs time to develop; with seven home games vs. “easy” opponents coming up, he’ll get it before the Cats’ next test, a road trip to Nore Dame on Dec. 11.

If you’re curious, Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren is No. 1 in ESPN’s mock draft, followed by Paolo Banchero (Duke) and Jalen Duren (Memphis). Former Kentucky commit turned Gonzaga Bulldog Nolan Hickman is No. 28.