Bruins

The 2023 NBA Draft could go down as a special class, with talented prospects such as Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller and the Thompson twins as well as some interesting depth pieces.
But will it ever be considered one of the best draft classes in NBA history? That remains to be seen.
Today, we're going to identify the cr&egrave;me de la cr&egrave;me of NBA draft classes.
The 2003 NBA Draft
The 2003 NBA Draft featured multiple generational talents that would come to define the NBA for the next two decades. Led by LeBron James, this class also included household names such as Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Not only did this draft have star power, it was also very deep. Twenty-seven players from the 2003 class played at least 10 seasons in the NBA: James, Wade, Anthony, Bosh, Kyle Korver, David West, Zaza Pachulia, Nick Collison, Boris Diaw, Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, James Jones, Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich, Dahntay Jones, Steve Blake, Mo Williams, Luke Ridnour, Willie Green, Matt Bonner, Travis Outlaw, Keith Bogans, Darko Milicic, Mickael Pietrus, Sasha Pavlovic, Josh Howard and Luke Walton. This class featured nine All-Stars and plenty of quality role players.
The 1984 NBA Draft
The 1984 NBA Draft stands as a legendary class, and some might argue that it's the greatest draft of all-time. Two of the top three picks &mdash; Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon &mdash; would ultimately etch their names in the annals of basketball history and redefine greatness. In addition to Jordan and Olajuwon, players like Charles Barkley, John Stockton and Alvin Robertson showcased their immense talent as well. This class produced five Hall-of-Famers and seven All-Stars.
The 1996 NBA Draft
The 1996 NBA Draft changed the landscape of the league, heralding the arrival of future Hall-of-Famers and icons. Led by the legendary Kobe Bryant and the enigmatic Allen Iverson, this class boasted an array of talent that reinvigorated the game. This class also featured Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal, Ben Wallace, Stephon Marbury, Peja Stojakovic, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Antoine Walker, Marcus Camby, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Derek Fisher. The 1996 NBA Draft was deep, producing 10 All-Stars and five Hall-of-Famers. Jon Finkel recently revisited this star-studded class in his book "1996," and he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/revisiting-the-starstudded-1996-nba-draft-kobe-bryant-ray-allen-steve-nash-allen-iverson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ran a terrific excerpt on Basketball News</a>.
The 1985 NBA Draft
The 1985 NBA Draft was certainly special. This class featured 10 All-Stars including Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, Joe Dumars, Detlef Schrempf, Xavier McDaniel, Charles Oakley, &nbsp;AC Green, Terry Porter and Michael Adams. The class also featured Arvydas Sabonis, an overseas legend and terrific Portland Trail Blazer. Like the 1996 NBA Draft, this class has the star power and depth to be considered one of the best drafts in NBA history.
The 2009 NBA Draft
While not as immediately illustrious as some of the other classes on this list, the 2009 NBA Draft proved to be a treasure trove of talent. This class exemplified the importance of patience and player development, as Stephen Curry, James Harden, Blake Griffin, DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague would all go on to become All-Stars. Griffin missed his rookie year with an injury, but dominated as soon as he stepped on an NBA court. Curry battled injuries early in his career, but would become a four-time champion and two-time MVP. Harden went from being an elite sixth man to an MVP once he got the opportunity in Houston. This class also featured Brandon Jennings, Ricky Rubio, Tyreke Evans, Darren Collison, Ty Lawson, Patty Mills, Danny Green, Taj Gibson and Patrick Beverley among others.
Which class is the greatest in NBA history? <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tweet us your thoughts</a>!&nbsp;

Basketball News examines the crème de la crème of draft classes throughout NBA history.

Exploring the 5 best draft classes in NBA history

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) &mdash; Eric Musselman and his players rushed across the floor at the final buzzer to celebrate with their joyfully delirious friends from Arkansas.
The 58-year-old coach jumped onto the press table, ripped off his red polo shirt and waved it over his head, shouting all the while to the fans&rsquo; delight, as has become his tradition after the biggest of his wins.
And this was a really big one.
Kansas&rsquo; national title defense ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday when Arkansas&rsquo; Ricky Council IV made five free throws in the closing seconds and the eighth-seeded Razorbacks beat the No. 1 seed Jayhawks 72-71.
&ldquo;I would love to lie and say that I felt composed, but we only led for 1:43,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This has been as challenging and as up-and-down a season as I&rsquo;ve ever been a part of.
&ldquo;For these guys to be rewarded for sticking with it and being able to go to Las Vegas and participate with only 16 teams still standing. ... It&rsquo;s really hard to make this tournament. It&rsquo;s really hard to win a game in this tournament. It&rsquo;s really hard to beat defending champions, No. 1 seed. We did it.&rdquo;
Arkansas was playing a No. 1 seed for the third straight year. Last year, the Razorbacks knocked out Gonzaga on the way to their second straight Elite Eight. This time, the Razorbacks survived shaky offensive play early and foul trouble late. They became the first team to beat a No. 1 seed with three players fouling out, according to&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/OptaSTATS/status/1637245525572440064?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OptaSTATS</a>.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s such an unbelievable win for our program,&rdquo; Musselman said. &ldquo;I keep telling people that we&rsquo;re getting better. Not many teams can get better this time of year. I&rsquo;ve never been prouder of a team like tonight.&rdquo;
Davonte Davis scored 25 points and Council added 21 as Arkansas rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit. Kansas,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kansas-bill-self-4ad50feff4c6e12b4722de893edfc059" target="_blank" rel="noopener">playing without ailing coach Bill Self,</a>&nbsp;became the second top seed not to escape the tournament&rsquo;s first weekend after Purdue lost on Friday night to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson.
Arkansas (22-13) is in the Sweet 16 for the third straight year and will play either Saint Mary&rsquo;s or UConn in the West Region semifinals in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Self has been with the Jayhawks (28-8) since they arrived in Des Moines and has attended practices and meetings, but he still didn&rsquo;t feel well enough to coach a game after having a heart procedure March 8 to clear clogged arteries.
Longtime assistant Norm Roberts was acting coach for a fifth straight game in Self&rsquo;s absence.
Kansas, bidding to become the first repeat national champion since Florida in 2006-07, was ahead 35-27 at halftime and lost for the first time in 27 games when entering the second half with a lead. Kansas had been 47-0 in the NCAA Tournament when leading by eight points or more at the half.
&ldquo;Our guys have been terrific all year,&rdquo; Roberts said. &ldquo;They fought to the very end, made huge plays. It was tough not having Coach here, but we don&rsquo;t make any excuses. We have to line up and get it done, and we came up a little bit short today.&rdquo;
Davis scored 21 of his points in the second half. He fouled out with 1:56 left, turning things over to the veteran Council, a transfer from Wichita State who scored nine of the Razorbacks&rsquo; final 11 points.
&ldquo;This team was struggling and we figured it out,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad we did at the right time. Hopefully we continue to do it.&rdquo;
Outside the locker room, a sobbing Musselman hugged Davis and shouted, &ldquo;I (expletive) love you, man!&rdquo;
Council&rsquo;s free throw put Arkansas ahead to stay, 68-67, with 24 seconds left. He then rebounded his own miss of the second free throw and made two more to give the Razorbacks a three-point lead.
The teams traded free throws, and Arkansas sent Kansas&rsquo; Jalen Wilson to the line with 3 seconds left to prevent a potential tying 3-pointer. Wilson made the first free throw and appeared to try to miss the second intentionally, but it banked hard off the glass and in, and Kansas never regained possession.
Wilson led the Jayhawks with 20 points but lamented grabbing only four rebounds, which he said was a factor in Arkansas holding a 15-2 advantage in second-chance points. No missed rebound hurt more, he said, than when Kansas failed to grab the ball off Council&rsquo;s missed free throw in the waning seconds.
&ldquo;It always comes down to one play, especially hustle plays like that,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just disappointing to end like that, especially with how great our year was. Credit to them for how they played.&rdquo;
Arkansas,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-illinois-arkansas-9c5294f8634c1fc2903b6e8b8b84df82" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which beat Illinois in the first round,</a>&nbsp;was considered a scary matchup for the Jayhawks with its explosive transition game and ability to play lockdown defense.
But circumstances were less than ideal for the Razorbacks. Guard Anthony Black tweaked a nagging ankle injury early and went to the bench to get re-taped and change shoes, and fellow guard and projected high NBA first-round draft pick Nick Smith Jr. picked up two quick fouls and was limited to 10 minutes and no points in the first half. Also, big man Kamani Johnson was ill and played with a sore toe.
The Razorbacks were too eager to shoot 3-pointers early. They missed 8 of 9 in the first half and couldn&rsquo;t get their running game going.
Kansas was in control for stretches but never could put away the Razorbacks.
Davis started a game-turning 11-0 Arkansas run in the middle of the second half and Jordan Walsh&rsquo;s 3-pointer with eight minutes left gave the Razorbacks their first lead since their first basket of the game.
Arkansas neutralized Wilson when it mattered most, allowing the All-American only two shots over a 15-minute stretch of the second half.
Arkansas is in the Sweet 16 for the 14th time. The only lower-seeded Razorbacks team to reach a regional semifinal was the 1996 squad, which was a No. 12 under Nolan Richardson, who led the school to its only national title two years earlier.
If Musselman reaches his first Final Four, he will evoke more memories of those glory years.

The 8th-seeded Razorbacks beat the No. 1 seed Jayhawks 72-71, ending Kansas’ national title defense in the second round.

March Madness: Eighth-seeded Arkansas ousts defending champ Kansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; With two consecutive Elite Eight appearances in tow, Arkansas&rsquo; hopes for the Final Four aren&rsquo;t just a pipe dream.
Coach Eric Musselman, heading into his fourth season in charge of the Razorbacks, has two returning players from last year&rsquo;s rotation, only one of which is a starter in guard Devo Davis.
But he pulled in the No. 2 class in the nation, headlined by projected lottery pick and first-team preseason All-SEC guard Nick Smith Jr. He also picked up five players via the transfer portal to complete the reload.
Expectations aren&rsquo;t just high locally, either. Arkansas was tabbed No. 10 in the AP Top 25. Musselman knew he would have to have that conversation with his team about being the hunted.
&ldquo;We already have a target on our back,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I would love to say that whatever the polls say, making two Elite Eights back to back, that&rsquo;s something we haven&rsquo;t talked to our team much about, but it&rsquo;s something we will start to.&rdquo;
Musselman&rsquo;s biggest project, at least early, is determining how best to distribute minutes among a roster filled with talented youngsters and experienced veterans. He had to do something similar last year, too, as Arkansas dropped five of six games at one point from mid-December to early January before the team won 14 of its next 15 and earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
HITTING THE LOTTERY
Arkansas isn&rsquo;t short on next-level talent. Smith is a projected top-10 pick in nearly every 2023 NBA Draft board. Freshman guard Anthony Black is predicted to be a first-rounder. And swingman Jordan Walsh is currently listed as a borderline first-round choice next spring.
NEW-LOOK VETS
The Arkansas strength during the preseason was at guard and wing as the frontcourt remained a work in progress.
Forward Jalen Graham transferred from Arizona State where he was an All-Pac-12 selection. He&rsquo;s joined by former Missouri forward Trevon Brazile, twin centers Makhi and Makhel Mitchell from Rhode Island and reigning American Athletic Conference Sixth Man of the Year Ricky Council IV from Wichita State on the wing.
BEST SINCE
An NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022-23 would be the third in four years for Musselman. The Razorbacks were on the bubble in the 2019-20 season, Musselman&rsquo;s first year at the helm, before the postseason was canceled because of COVID-19. Arkansas hasn&rsquo;t made three straight NCAA tournaments since 2005-08.
OLD GUYS
Davis and forward Kamani Johnson are the only two regulars returning for Arkansas. Davis, a junior, has spent much of his career as the team&rsquo;s starting point guard. He averaged 8.3 points and was second on the team with 104 assists last year, starting about half the team&rsquo;s games.
Johnson is in his second year with the Razorbacks after transferring from Little Rock two seasons ago. He averaged just eight minutes ago in 26 games, but Musselman is expecting Johnson&rsquo;s aggression to carry over in likely more minutes.
&ldquo;His offensive rebound rate is incredible,&rdquo; Musselman said. &ldquo;His free throws attempted per touch and offensive rebounding rate are at a really, really high level.&rdquo;
SCHEDULE
Arkansas opens the regular season Nov. 7 at home against North Dakota State while nonconference foes include Oklahoma, Baylor, Louisville and either Texas Tech or Creighton. SEC play begins Dec. 28 at LSU.

With two consecutive Elite Eight appearances in tow, Arkansas’ hopes for the Final Four aren’t just a pipe dream.

Arkansas aiming for Final Four in Musselman’s fourth year

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Arizona is a bit of an unknown quantity, with a key returning core surrounded by talented newcomers who hope to make up for the loss of NBA talent.
If it sounds familiar, that&rsquo;s just where the No. 17 Wildcats were heading into last season, Tommy Lloyd&rsquo;s first as a head coach.
That one turned out pretty well, so no reason to think it won&rsquo;t happen again.
Arizona enters its second season under Lloyd with several new players, but it&rsquo;s a mix that&rsquo;s expected to make the former longtime Gonzaga assistant two for two in NCAA Tournament opportunities.
&ldquo;We have some really good players,&rdquo; Lloyd said. &ldquo;As a team we still have to put everything together, but at the end of the day we&rsquo;re going to be really hard to beat.&rdquo;
Arizona proved that last season. Arizona lost three players to the NBA, but Lloyd added some key components to the players who opted to return. Arizona won 33 games, reached the Sweet 16 and Lloyd won multiple national coach of the year honors, including from The Associated Press.
The Wildcats have a similar feel this season.
Bennedict Mathurin, Christian Koloko and Dalen Terry are now in the NBA. Azuolas Tubelis, Kerr Kriisa, Pelle Larsson and Oumar Ballo are all back. The cast of new players Lloyd added are impressive.
Guard Courtney Ramey arrives after playing four seasons at Texas, most of the time as a starter. Cedric Henderson Jr. was a proven scorer at Campbell, averaging 13.7 points in three seasons.
Serbian forward Filip Borovicanin and Estonian forward Henri Veesaar have proven themselves against international competition. Arizona also added two highly touted freshmen, big man Dylan Anderson and point guard Kyland Boswell, who will be eased into the rotation after offseason foot surgery.
It may take the new crew time to gel, but the talent and pieces appear to be in place for another March run.
BAL&rsquo;S PROGRESS
Arizona could get a big boost from a player who was already on its roster: Adama Bal.
The 6-foot-6 French wing played a limited role last season, averaging 4.5 points in 23 games, but he played well for France in the FIBA under-20 championships this summer. Given a bigger role this season, Bal could be ready for a breakout season.
&ldquo;By the time November rolls around, I figure he&rsquo;s going to be a mainstay and have a chance to impact every single game,&rdquo; Lloyd said.
GETTING PHYSICAL
One of Lloyd&rsquo;s goals within his program is to add toughness after the Wildcats were manhandled by Houston in the Sweet 16.
Lloyd has pushed his players to be more physical in practice, particularly in the paint. He&rsquo;s also urged players like the 6-11, 245-pound Tubelis and 7-foot, 260-pound Ballo to use their size and leverage more to their advantage.
&ldquo;To me, there&rsquo;s nothing that bums me out more than physically being overmatched,&rdquo; Lloyd said. &ldquo;So what do we have to do to make sure when we tee it up we can physically bring the fight. To me, therein lies toughness. That&rsquo;s the price of entry: you&rsquo;ve got to be tough.&rdquo;
LARSSON&rsquo;S CLIMB
Larsson got a late start to his first season in Tucson due to offseason foot surgery. The Swedish transfer from Utah had a solid year, averaging 7.2 points and 3.4 rebounds, but Lloyd would like him to play with more confidence and ramp up his defense.
&ldquo;Pelle has to manifest a bit of his success and have more belief in himself,&rdquo; Lloyd said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a really good basketball player and definitely trending in the right direction.&rdquo;
SCHEDULE
Lloyd likes to schedule tough, something he learned from Gonzaga coach Mark Few. The Wildcats had a few games fall through for various reasons, but will still have some tough nonconference games.
Arizona&rsquo;s first big test will come at the Maui Invitational. The Wildcats open against Cincinnati, with potential games against No. 10 Arkansas, No. 25 Texas Tech, Louisville, Ohio State and No. 19 San Diego State later in the bracket.
Arizona also plays Indiana in Las Vegas and has a home game against No. 11 Tennessee.
&ldquo;I definitely think we scheduled well enough to give ourselves a chance to win an at-large bid, and if we perform well in our schedule, we probably have a chance to get a decent seed in the (NCAA) tournament,&rdquo; Lloyd said.

Ben Mathurin, Christian Koloko and Dalen Terry are in the NBA. Azuolas Tubelis, Kerr Kriisa, Pelle Larsson and Oumar Ballo are back.

No. 17 Arizona aims to keep momentum in Lloyd’s second season

Last weekend I traveled to Springfield, Massachusetts, to attend the Hoophall Classic &mdash; a terrific event hosted by the Basketball Hall of Fame.
I recently outlined the top players I saw in the class of 2022. Today, I'd like to highlight the top players that caught my attention from the classes of 2023 and 2024:
You've probably heard already, but former NBA player Dajuan Wagner has a son, DJ Wagner. He's the No. 1 rated player in the entire class of 2023. Although, I do think the hype and expectations that have been set for the younger Wagner are a little much. He's a good player. Rumors have been swirling that he'll be heading to Kentucky to play for John Calipari, his dad's former coach when they were both at Memphis.
He plays a limited role because his Montverde team is stacked, but Kwame Evans has the size and tools to get scouts excited. It seems as if he can become a legitimate scoring forward, as he has excellent size and is a natural shot-maker. I'm certainly going to track him closely moving forward.
The Hoophall Classic was my first opportunity to see Gill St. Bernard's Mackenzie Mgbako in person. A big hybrid forward that can shoot and score the ball, I left Springfield thinking that Mgbako could make a legitimate run to become the No. 1 player in the class of 2023.
AZ Compass Prep's Mookie Cook is an easy player to like. At 6'7" or so, Cook has good size and athleticism, but his approach to the game is what draws me to him. He plays with such great energy and also has a terrific motor. If Cook continues to polish up his offensive skills, you'll be hearing his name more and more. He looked like a top NBA prospect in the making.
Although he looked out of rhythm on the event's first night, AZ Compass Prep's Kylan Boswell bounced back on the second night and had a great showing. As a combo guard, he's strong, has a sweet shooting stroke and high basketball IQ.
Oak Hill's Caleb Foster continued to impress me at the Hoophall Classic. He is a point guard with positional size that is uniquely mature and composed. Foster does a great job of changing speeds and using his smarts to dice up defenses. Supposedly he is considering reclassifying and going to college next season. He's committed to Duke, as if they didn't have enough new talent coming in already.
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Two players from the class of 2024 caught my eye.
The first player I'd like to mention is Ian Jackson, from Cardinal Hayes High School in New York. At 6'6", Jackson is an uber-athletic perimeter player that does a little bit of everything. He scored 30 points in their game versus De La Salle Institute.&nbsp;
I'm excited about Ian Jackson and his future, but I'm probably equally enthusiastic about Naasir Cunningham of Gill St. Bernard's. He's another player that's about 6'6" or so and does a little bit of everything. He's so athletic, can score on three levels, handles the ball well and he's a terrific rebounder. He executed a tip dunk on one play that had everyone in attendance in awe, myself included.&nbsp;
Generally, the younger the prospect, the more careful I try to be not to make too bold statements. However, I will say this about these two guys: my impression is that they are both elite prospects. They're not surefire NBA stars, as I don't think any player at that stage should be given that label. However, their potential is through the roof, and if they continue to develop and take care of business, they could become exceptional players. I'm very excited about these two prospects.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Derik Queen from Montverde too. We all need to keep close tabs on Queen. He is a big-bodied, interior scorer that is smooth. His physical development and conditioning are worth monitoring, and low post scorers aren't in as high demand as in years past. Still, he is a significant young talent.
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All in all my trip to Springfield, Massachusetts, was a great success. I look forward to attending the Hoophall Classic again, as it was a very well put-together event. To everyone that helped make it happen, thank you! I'll see you again next year.
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Matt Babcock gives a rundown of prospects he watched at this year's Hoophall Classic from the classes of 2023 and 2024.

Hoophall Classic recap: Classes of 2023 & 2024

Earlier this month, BasketballNews.com was in attendance for HoopHall West in Scottsdale, Arizona &mdash; a high-school-basketball showcase featuring many top teams and prospects from around the country. Our Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock is a wealth of knowledge on these players, and the scouting process for future NBA players begins at this level.
Babcock and I watched these games intently and walked away impressed with three prospects in particular: Dariq Whitehead (Montverde Academy), Chris Livingston (Oak Hill Academy) and Kylan Boswell (AZ Compass Prep). Whitehead and Livingston are consensus five-star prospects who are destined for blue-blood college programs in Duke (Whitehead) and Kentucky (Livingston). Meanwhile, Boswell popped in-person as one of the nation&rsquo;s top 2023 prospects with offers from Arizona, UCLA, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, USC and countless others.
Below, Babcock provided his updated notes on Whitehead, Livingston and Boswell after scouting them up-close at HoopHall West:
<h3>Dariq Whitehead, 2022 5-star wing committed to Duke</h3>
&ldquo;Dariq Whitehead has good size and athleticism for a wing. He is very effective as a slashing scorer, and he's particularly good in transition. I&rsquo;ve questioned his outside shooting a little bit in the past, but his development seems to be progressing well in that area. On the defensive end, I think he has a good chance to be very good too. I&rsquo;m really looking forward to watching Whitehead next season at Duke. He will certainly be a high-priority player to scout, as I think it&rsquo;s very likely that he could be a one-and-done prospect.&rdquo;
<h3>Chris Livingston, 2022 5-star wing committed to Kentucky</h3>
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had a chance to watch Livingston a lot this past year, mostly with his AAU team, We All Can Go. I love his size, athleticism and scoring prowess. I would consider him more of a scorer than a pure shooter, but he can definitely score on all three levels. He&rsquo;s a terrific finisher and is routinely throwing down impressive dunks. I think he has a chance to become a big-time offensive weapon. He will be one of the key freshmen to watch next season when he suits up for John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats.&rdquo;
<h3>Kylan Boswell, 2023 5-star lead ball handler</h3>
&ldquo;Kylan Boswell seems to be a player on the rise in the class of 2023. He&rsquo;s tough, smart, and he really shoots the ball well &mdash; he has a pure stroke! His team, AZ Compass Prep, is one of the best in the country. They have a lot of depth and often play multiple-guard lineups as a result. Subsequently, Boswell plays on and off the ball. However, long-term, I see him as a lead guard. From what I&rsquo;ve been told, Boswell has an elite work ethic, which tells me he&rsquo;ll likely continue to get better and better."
For many scouts in the industry, events like this are the first foray into finding out about future NBA prospects. Seeing how prospects grow and develop from this stage is instrumental to seeing the entire picture. For example, 2022 NBA Draft prospects like Paolo Banchero (Duke), Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga) and Jabari Smith (Auburn) were all involved in events like HoopHall West before attending college.
After watching these well-run teams and prospects oozing with future NBA potential, I definitely want to attend more events like this. Getting a head start on the scouting process actually provides a unique angle in terms of evaluating future lottery picks as they grow and mature.
Make sure to check out the work of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Babcock and BasketballNews.com's entire NBA Draft team</a>. Not only do they have a firm grasp on draft-eligible prospects, the groundwork they do to prepare beforehand is even more impressive.

When Evan Sidery and Matt Babcock attended HoopHall West, Dariq Whitehead, Chris Livingston and Kylan Boswell stood out.

HoopHall provides pivotal scouting opportunity for future NBA pros

The college basketball season is underway, which means BasketballNews.com's scouting coverage has been kicked into full gear. The bulk of my travel and scouting schedule is set through the entire season, and let me tell you &mdash; I have some terrific basketball to see! As I scour the map evaluating prospects at various levels, I'll be sharing my takeaways every step of the way. I hope you enjoy it!
Here&rsquo;s where I was last week:
State Farm Champions Classic &mdash; New York, New York
Last Tuesday, Nov. 9, the college basketball season officially began, and I didn&rsquo;t waste any time getting out into the scouting trenches. I traveled to New York City for the State Farm Champions Classic to see a star-studded doubleheader that pitted Michigan State against Kansas and Kentucky against Duke. Here are a few of my thoughts and takeaways on some of the top prospects:
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/paolo-banchero" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paolo Banchero, Duke</a> MIN: 31 | PTS: 22 | REB: 7 | AST: 0 | STL: 2 | FG: 7-11 | 3PT: 0-3 | FT: 8-9 | TO: 1
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17128891_lg.jpg" alt="" width="487" height="325" />
I was already very familiar with Banchero prior to this trip. We had already discussed with our staff internally that Chet Holmgren and Banchero are likely in a category of their own in regards to the 2022 NBA Draft. We started the season with Holmgren at No. 1 and Banchero right behind him at No. 2.
After seeing Banchero in a Duke uniform &mdash; under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, dominating a talented Kentucky team &mdash; it&rsquo;s hard not to get even more excited about him as a prospect. At 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, Banchero possesses a unique combination of traits, as he is so strong and powerful, but also skilled. He does a little bit of everything, but what intrigues me the most about Banchero is his ability to create on his own versus essentially anyone that&rsquo;s matched up against him, big or small. There are not many players on the NBA level that you can run your offense through, and I think Banchero is going to be one of those guys. I&rsquo;m starting to think it could be the separating piece between Banchero and Holmgren. However, there&rsquo;s a lot more to watch in order to figure things out. But the good thing is we won&rsquo;t have to wait long to see them square off, and the next time I&rsquo;ll see Banchero in-person will be Nov. 26 in Las Vegas &mdash; facing off against none other than Holmgren&rsquo;s Gonzaga Bulldogs.
In the meantime, we&rsquo;ve moved Banchero into the No. 1 spot on our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a>.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/ochai-agbaji" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ochai Agbaji, Kansas</a> MIN: 36 | PTS: 29 | REB: 2 | AST: 1 | STL: 2 | FG: 9-17 | 3PT: 3-7 | FT: 8-8 | TO: 0
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It seems like it was just yesterday that my friend and former colleague, Luca Desta, called me after he scouted Kansas at Baylor for us while we worked for Babcock Hoops during the 2018-19 college season. A lot has changed since then: I&rsquo;ve transitioned our scouting coverage from Babcock Hoops to BasketballNews.com, Luca is now Vice President of Global Scouting for the Utah Jazz and Ochai Agbaji is now in his senior season for the Jayhawks. I&rsquo;m happy to say that we&rsquo;ve all been moving up, including Agbaji.&nbsp;
In New York, Agbaji showed me everything that I wanted to see from him. His athleticism and physical tools were never in question; however, he has always seemed a little bit mechanical and inconsistent on the offensive end. That was not the case at the State Farm Champions Classic. In 29 minutes, Agbaji played with such fluidity and confidence, knocking down shots from all over the place, and he seemed to be everywhere with lob finishes and slashing plays. He played with such great energy, and had a major presence. Naturally, some will be turned off since Agbaji is a bit older for an NBA prospect &mdash; he will be 22 on draft night &mdash; but I&rsquo;d like to remind those folks that Chris Duarte, who was 24 years old on draft night, is already contributing to the Pacers at a high level as a rookie. Although I&rsquo;ve scouted Agbaji for years now, I&rsquo;ve never been so excited about him as a prospect. Subsequently, we have moved him up our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board to No. 38.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/trevor-keels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trevor Keels, Duke</a> MIN: 34 | PTS: 25 | REB: 1 | AST: 3 | STL: 3 | FG: 10-18 | 3PT: 1-4 | FT: 4-6 | TO: 2
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I had watched some film and was familiar with Trevor Keels&rsquo; status as a top recruit, but last Tuesday was the first opportunity I had to see him play in-person. In these scenarios, I go in with an approach to be a sponge and absorb as much information as possible. I do it in an effort to be able to create my own unique and unbiased evaluation of the player, rather than be influenced by rankings, hype or other people&rsquo;s opinions.
At first glance, I didn&rsquo;t know what to make of Keels&rsquo; body type. He&rsquo;s listed at 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds. He looks more like a football player rather than a basketball player &mdash; he&rsquo;s big and thick, especially for a guard. On the court, he was able to utilize his physicality and ball handling ability to regularly get to the rim and play &ldquo;bully-ball,&rdquo; effectively overpowering a Kentucky team that tends to play multi-guard lineups including Sahvir Wheeler, TyTy Washington and Davion Mintz. They all struggled to stop Keels. He also showed an ability to shoot the ball from outside. All in all, I&rsquo;m not sure he could have had a better start to his college career, as he scored 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting in 34 minutes.&nbsp;
I walked away a little torn in my opinion of Keels as a prospect. On one hand, he&rsquo;s a true freshman who lit up a talented Kentucky team in his first college game on a huge stage. You really can&rsquo;t ignore that. On the other hand, I question his body and his lack of athleticism. Also, what role will he fill in the NBA? Despite my questions (it&rsquo;s part of my evaluation process), I am certainly intrigued with Keels and plan to monitor him closely. In the meantime, I have decided to include him on our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board, at No. 29. &nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/tyty-washington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TyTy Washington, Kentucky</a> MIN: 28 | PTS: 9 | REB: 1 | AST: 3 | STL: 1 | FG: 3-14 | 3PT: 0-2 | FT: 3-4 | TO: 0
I&rsquo;ve gotten to know TyTy Washington as a player very well over the last year, and I think it would be safe to say that I&rsquo;m one of his biggest supporters. Unfortunately, opening night was not Washington&rsquo;s best game. Although his decision making was solid, he struggled to make shots, making only 3-of-14 shot attempts. I think he had a hard time finding his rhythm, as Kentucky played him mostly off the ball alongside small point guard, Savhir Wheeler.&nbsp;
Long-term, I see Washington being an on-ball point guard in the NBA who will play with a solid balance of scoring and facilitating. Unless head coach John Calipari makes some dramatic changes, Washington is going to need to adapt to his new role to make the most of this season. However, I believe that he will be able to do so effectively.&nbsp;
He didn&rsquo;t light the world on fire in his first game, but there won&rsquo;t be any knee-jerk reactions from me anytime soon. We currently have TyTy Washington at No. 11 on our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/max-christie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Max Christie, Michigan State</a> MIN: 31 | PTS: 9 | REB: 3 | AST: 0 | STL: 1 | FG: 3-10 | 3PT: 2-4 | FT: 1-2 | TO: 2
My first thoughts when watching Max Christie for the first time last week was, &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very thin, he has a baby face and he looks like a young freshman.&rdquo; Furthermore, his stat line and production wouldn&rsquo;t blow away anyone either, as he only scored 9 points on 3-of-10 shooting. I could easily see someone thinking he blended into the game and was underwhelming, and subequently drawing a quick conclusion of &ldquo;he&rsquo;s not ready.&rdquo;
Christie certainly didn&rsquo;t dominate in that game by any means. However, one of my favorite things about evaluating young NBA prospects is reading between the lines. With Christie, I saw a 6-foot-6 guard with a sweet stroke that has a great feel for the game. I also find it to be interesting that Tom Izzo &mdash; a great, but demanding and tough coach &mdash; trusted Christie, a true freshman, to start and play 31 minutes in his first career college game. A huge one at that.
There&rsquo;s a reasonable argument that a player like Christie would benefit from staying in school to get stronger, mature as a player and get his game polished to a point where he could produce at a high level in college before entering the pros. However, the same exact thing could have been said about Josh Primo at Alabama, who only averaged 8.1 points in 22 minutes per game last season. Primo was selected No. 11 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA Draft. That leaves me thinking: Could Max Christie be this year&rsquo;s Josh Primo?
Christie is currently No. 18 on our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/oscar-tshiebwe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky</a> MIN: 29 | PTS: 17 | REB: 20 | AST: 1 | STL: 1 | BLK: 2 | FG: 8-14 | 3PT: 0-0 | FT: 1-1 | TO: 2
My uncle, Rob Babcock, a former longtime front office executive in the NBA, used to say &ldquo;playing hard is a skill and it&rsquo;s not discussed enough.&rdquo; Oscar Tshiebwe has his limitations, but he plays so hard. At 6-foot-9 and a rock solid 255 pounds, Tshiebwe is so physical and has &ldquo;the pedal to the metal&rdquo; at all times. He was undoubtedly the bright spot for the Kentucky team versus Duke, scoring 17 points and grabbing an incredible 20 rebounds. Actually, he secured 20 rebounds in their second game versus Robert Morris too.
Tshiebwe likely won&rsquo;t be for everyone in the NBA, as bruisers without an ability to stretch the floor are not nearly as valuable as they once were, however, I think Tshiebwe finds a way to stick.
We currently have Tshiebwe at No. 50 in our 2022 NBA Draft Big Board.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/mark-williams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Williams, Duke</a> MIN: 18 | PTS: 5 | REB: 6 | AST: 0 | STL: 2 | BLK: 3 | FG: 2-3 | 3PT: 0-0 | FT: 1-2 | TO: 0
At 7-foot tall with a 7-foot-7 wingspan, Mark Williams is big and long. There will be a place for him in the league as a rim-protector, rebounder and finisher around the rim. I&rsquo;m still not overly confident as to what his draft range will ultimately look like, but he&rsquo;s a prospect certainly worth tracking.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/aj-griffin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AJ Griffin, Duke</a> MIN: 11 | PTS: 2 | REB: 2 | AST: 0 | FG: 1-3 | 3PT: 0-1 | FT: 0-0 | TO: 0
Former 5-star recruit AJ Griffin didn&rsquo;t get a chance to do much in his college debut. He just recently returned from a minor injury and I think he's just getting in the swing of things. He wasn't able to show much, but what I did see, I liked. At 6-foot-6 and a sturdy 222 pounds, Griffin looks to have the tools to be a a very good NBA player. I am certainly excited to keep watching him as his upside is very high.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/daimion-collins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daimion Collins, Kentucky</a> MIN: 2 | PTS: 0 | REB: 0 | AST: 0 | FG: 0-0 | 3PT: 0-0 | FT: 0-0 | TO: 0
I&rsquo;m sure this was not how Daimion Collins envisioned his college career starting. But although he didn't get much of a chance to play in the season opener, he did have a breakout game this past Friday vs. Robert Morris. He scored 14 points and blocked 4 shots in that contest. He has a lot of room for growth, but considering his length and athleticism, Collins&rsquo; upside is very high.
Latitude Longitude Classic &mdash; Phoenix, Arizona
Following the double-header, I made a cross-country flight out to Phoenix, Arizona to watch some top high-school talent. In doing so, I was able to get another look at top prospects in the Class of 2022: Dior Johnson (committed to Oregon), Adem Bona (committed to UCLA), MJ Rice (committed to Kansas), Chance Westry (committed to Auburn) and Dylan Andrews (committed to UCLA). I was also able to see top prospects in the class of 2023: Baye Fall, Mookie Cook, Kylan Boswell and Assane Diop.
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I&rsquo;m in Phoenix, Arizona, tonight to see top-rated big man Baye Fall of <a href="https://twitter.com/DenverPrep?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DenverPrep</a> as they face <a href="https://twitter.com/PhhPrep?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PhhPrep</a> in the Latitude Longitude Classic. Fall, a 6&rsquo;11&rdquo; center, is currently a consensus top-6 player in the class of 2023. <a href="https://t.co/ebum3SEOxh">pic.twitter.com/ebum3SEOxh</a>
&mdash; Matt Babcock (@MattBabcock11) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattBabcock11/status/1458973833449259010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2021</a></blockquote>

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As an NBA Draft Analyst, for me to be able to get opportunities to see likely future NBA prospects while they&rsquo;re in high school, is invaluable to my evaluation process. Of course, players at that stage are far from finished products, but it is great to be able to start the evaluation process early. I&rsquo;m not going to provide detailed breakdowns on these players today, but don&rsquo;t be surprised if you start hearing these names more and more. There is a lot of talent coming up!
All in all, my first big trip of the season was a fruitful one. Needless to say, I&rsquo;ve started the season off with a bang, but I have no intentions of slowing down anytime soon. I have another big trip set to begin Thursday, when I head to Florida for a number of college games, and they'll be loaded with NBA talent.
Next week's preview: Jabari Smith, Patrick Baldwin, Matthew Cleveland and more.

Matt Babcock details his observations from NCAA opening night at the State Farm Champions Classic in New York.

Babcock's Takeaways: Paolo Banchero, Ochai Agbaji, Trevor Keels, more

With the 2021 NBA Draft now in the past, I&rsquo;ve turned the page to the 2022 NBA Draft. Our first big board hasn&rsquo;t been released just yet, but I&rsquo;m getting prepared for the upcoming season behind the scenes. In an effort to get prepared, I&rsquo;ve begun to pencil in different tournaments, double-headers and matchups I&rsquo;d like to attend throughout the college season. And although the dates have not been set, I can assure you I&rsquo;ll be keeping an eye on when Kentucky and Tennessee will be playing each other.
John Calipari vs. Rick Barnes. Big Blue Nation vs. Rocky Top. Two of the top recruiting classes and teams in the country. That narrative alone is enough to drive widespread excitement.
However, I&rsquo;m most excited about this matchup mostly because it will pit potentially the top two point guards prospects, TyTy Washington of Kentucky and Kennedy Chandler of Tennessee, against one another.
Let&rsquo;s start with TyTy Washington. I first saw him play at the Pangos All-American Festival last year in Phoenix, Arizona around early November. During that camp, I took notice of TyTy, but I did not see him as a sure-fire NBA prospect... yet. In hindsight, I think he was overshadowed by hyped-up prospects like Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith.&nbsp;
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The narrative changed for me on March 8 at the Flyin&rsquo; to the Hoop Top Gun Showcase in Dayton, Ohio, where I saw TyTy and AZ Compass Prep dominate Emoni Bates and Bates Fundamentals.
Following that game, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-news-top-college-basketball-prospects-tyty-washington-sadraque-nganga-az-compass-prep-high-school" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I noted my observations</a>:
&ldquo;I was extremely impressed with AZ Compass Prep&rsquo;s team as a whole, but what really stood out to me was TyTy Washington&rsquo;s talent. At 6-foot-3 or so, TyTy, although a good athlete, didn't blow me away with elite athleticism or any typical traits you generally see with top-tier prospects. However, his outside shooting, court vision, toughness and, most importantly, his floor presence did &mdash; he&rsquo;s clearly a winner. TyTy was the floor general and set the tone for their team as they moved the ball, took great shots and supported one another. And as a result, they put a thumping on Ypsi Prep. Emoni Bates only scored two points, as AZ Compass Prep won in a blowout.
&ldquo;Walking out of the gym, my colleague and I looked at each other, both nodding in approval of what we had just witnessed. He asked me, 'Who does TyTy remind you of?' I said, 'He&rsquo;s just a young kid and he needs to keep getting better, but he reminds me of Chauncey Billups.'&rdquo;
I was shocked that TyTy hadn&rsquo;t received more attention and wasn&rsquo;t considered a top prospect in the high school class of 2021. However, it seemed that as I took notice of TyTy, so did the rest of the basketball world simultaneously. Shortly after my trip to Ohio, TyTy de-committed from Creighton and skyrocketed up player rankings. During that time, I flew to Phoenix to watch TyTy and AZ Compass Prep practice for several days. I had the opportunity to get to meet TyTy, his family and his coaches. After talking to them, it seemed as if the whole world was knocking their doors down. I joked with TyTy, as I called him <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Leai3jDsQiQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jesus Shuttlesworth</a>.
Despite being recruited by nearly every top college program in the country and supposedly receiving lucrative offers from professional teams overseas, on May 12, TyTy committed to head coach John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats. A seemingly perfect fit, in my opinion.
As a part of my evaluation process, I organize positional rankings for internal use. After TyTy&rsquo;s sudden emergence, I knew that I needed to move him way up. However, I found myself in a dilemma when trying to decide where to slot him exactly, as there is another very good point guard from the high school class of 2021: Kennedy Chandler.
In Jan. 2020, I made a trip to Memphis, Tennessee, where I had the opportunity to watch a couple of prospects that went on to be selected in the 2020 NBA Draft: Anthony Edwards of the Georgia Bulldogs (No. 1 pick, Minnesota Timberwolves) and Precious Achiuwa of the Memphis Tigers (No. 20 pick, Miami Heat &mdash; recently traded to Toronto Raptors).
Prior to that game, a friend of mine asked if I would sit down with Chandler, the top high school player in the Memphis area, and his dad, Kylan. I agreed, of course. The three of us talked about college recruiting, the NBA Draft and my processes for evaluating prospects, among other things. I had not seen Kennedy play at that point, so my advice to him was pretty generic. After the Georgia vs. Memphis game, I joined them at their home for a barbeque. I had a nice time visiting with them. They are good people.
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I had a nice time catching up with 5-star point guard Kennedy Chandler and his father Kylan this morning. Kennedy is a terrific kid and a major talent. We will certainly be keeping a close eye on him. <a href="https://t.co/Z11gae1CSI">pic.twitter.com/Z11gae1CSI</a>
&mdash; Matt Babcock (@MattBabcock11) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattBabcock11/status/1213513300333486080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2020</a></blockquote>
Luckily, I was able to see Kennedy play the next day at the Memphis Hoopfest, a high school tournament in the area. In addition to seeing Kennedy, I was also able to see 2021 NBA Draft picks Cade Cunningham (No. 1 pick, Detroit Pistons), Moses Moody (No. 14 pick, Golden State Warriors) and Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe (No. 29 pick, Brooklyn Nets).
As for my initial evaluation of Kennedy, the first thing that I noticed was his lack of size. He is listed as 6-foot-1. However, once the game started, it was clear why he was so highly rated, despite his lack of height. Possessing waterbug-like quickness, threatening burst and superior cerebral nature, Kennedy ran the show for his team, Briarcrest Christian. I was intrigued, to say the least.
After the game, I was complimentary to both Kennedy and his dad. I encouraged Kennedy to keep working to improve his physical strength and outside shooting. I told them I would keep a firm pulse on Kennedy&rsquo;s development, which I have done.
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In early April, I <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-geico-nationals-recap-which-players-stood-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attended GEICO Nationals in Fort Myers, Florida</a>. Although their teams never faced each other, I had several days to evaluate both TyTy and Kennedy more. Both players continued to impress, and subsequently added fuel to the fire in regards to my internal debate as to which point guard I preferred more.
Although I have a lot of confidence in both TyTy and Kennedy as prospects, I must admit that I&rsquo;m ultimately undecided on who I am going to rank higher. There&rsquo;s a legitimate competition for the top point guard spot, in my opinion, and these two just happen to be playing for two of the top schools in the SEC that will face each other twice this upcoming season.
Is there a potential rivalry brewing? Perhaps.&nbsp;
Knowing what I do about both of these players, I doubt either will shy away from the competition.
Needless to say, I&rsquo;ll be watching closely. I suggest you do the same.

Matt Babcock discusses his experiences seeing TyTy Washington and Kennedy Chandler, two point guards that will be in the 2022 NBA Draft class.

Who’s the top point guard prospect in the 2022 NBA Draft?

Here is the latest news on the Top 25 Free Agents in the NBA for the 2014-15 season, as ranked by Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.

Jake