10 players the Pacers could pick in the 2022 NBA Draft
If the season ended today, the Pacers would pick sixth in the 2022 NBA Draft. Barring an unlikely bounceback that bumps them down the draft order, Indiana will have a chance to pick a potentially franchise-altering player in July.
The Pacers haven't picked that high since taking Rik Smits No. 2 in 1988.
Here are 10 names to keep an eye on that figure to go off the board early. The NBA Draft is July 29.
Jabari Smith, Auburn
The freshman tops Sports Illustrated’s NBA Draft Big Board. He’s 6-10, 218 pounds and doesn’t turn 19 until May. He’s averaging 15.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, shooting 44.2% from the floor and 43.8% from behind the arc.
“He arguably boasts the highest upside of anyone in this draft and has already made quite an impression: He’s an incredibly natural shooter with legit size, he has terrific scoring instincts and he has few bad habits at an early stage of his development,” Jeremy Woo writes.
Paolo Banchero, Duke
Banchero is another 6-10 freshman who is highly touted. He’s averaging 17.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and is shooting 48.7% from the floor. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman has Banchero going first off the board, giving him an edge over Smith and Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren.
Wasserman says there “seems to be more of (a) sure-thing factor with Banchero that could give him an edge over both. His shot creation is more advanced. He's totaled 26 made field goals between isolation and post-ups. Smith has 12 of those buckets combined. He's the tougher two-point scorer and finisher thanks to his mid-range game and 6'10", 250-pound frame.”
Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga
Holmgren is a 7-0, 195-pound freshman averaging 13 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.5 blocks while shooting 61% from the floor (35% from behind the arc).
Yahoo’s Krysten Peek said “there isn’t another prospect like Holmgren in this draft class.”
“He’s the best shot blocker in college basketball with his 7-foot-5 wingspan and is averaging over three blocks per game.”
Jaden Ivey, Purdue
The Pacers could make hometown fans happy if they pick Ivey, the Boilermakers sophomore who is averaging 16.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 51.7%.
For The Win’s Bryan Kalbroksy has Ivey as the fourth-best player in this year’s draft class.
Doyel: Purdue star Jaden Ivey lets his game do the talking... well, most of the time.
“Purdue’s Jaden Ivey is answering every question critics had about him, averaging 16.4 points and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 39.1% on 3-pointers for the best offensive team in the nation,” he said.
Woo said Ivey is “building a case as the draft’s top guard prospect.”
Kendall Brown, Baylor
The 6-8 freshman is another name frequently mentioned as a potential top-10 pick. He’s averaging 11.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game for the Bears.
“His feel is advanced, and he should be able to fit in and add value on both ends as long as he shoots,” Woo said. “He’s also one of the younger prospects in the draft, and while a team would have to believe in his growth potential as a scorer to draft him this early, his tools and two-way contributions are enticing.”
Jalen Duren, Memphis
NBC Sports tabbed the 6-11, 250-pound freshman as a lottery pick. He’s averaging 11.1 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 67.6% and blocking 2.6 shots per game.
“Duren’s candidacy as an early draft pick may hinge less on his performance and more on the existential value question that surrounds every elite young big man who enters the draft in this era of the NBA,” Woo said in October. “There’s only so far you can let a prospect like him fall in good conscience, but there’s something to be said for the viability of centers who do most of their damage in the paint and don’t consistently shoot threes.”
Keegan Murray, Iowa
The 6-8 sophomore is averaging 24.5 points per game for the Hawkeyes with 8.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 1.5 steals and 1.4 assists. He’s one of the older players considered at the top of this draft class (21.4 years). He’s shooting 59.2%. He didn’t put up huge numbers as a freshman due to Iowa’s depth, but still got the attention of scouts.
"Keegan had a limited role on last year's team for obvious reasons," CBS Sports college basketball columnist Gary Parrish told HawkCentral. "But he did enough in that time to get on NBA radars despite being ranked outside of the Top 300 coming out of high school. And it's because he looks like the type of player that is very useful in that league."
Patrick Baldwin, Jr. (Milwaukee)
The 6-9 freshman is averaging 15 points and 7 rebounds per game, but is shooting just 36.8%.
"Baldwin Jr. has been a little inconsistent early, and Milwaukee is struggling to win games," Yahoo's Peek said. "NBA scouts need to see Baldwin Jr. take over games if he expects to remain a potential top-10 pick."
Dyson Daniels (G-League)
Woo has the 18 year-old as a top-10 pick in his draft. He's averaging 11.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists, shooting 45% from the floor.
"Dyson Daniels is a tall, agile ball handling guard that can do a little bit of everything when he is on the court. He can score the basketball in a variety of ways, and he is also a solid playmaker," NBA Scouting Live said.
Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona
The 6-6 sophomore is averaging 18.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, shooting 50.6%.
Forbes' Zachary Cohen said Mathurin looks like a "surefire lottery pick."
"Considering how good of a shooter he is, Mathurin is always going to have defenders scrambling" Cohen said. "Now, the guard is using his above-average first step to get those defenders on his hip, which allows Mathurin to go all the way to the rim or get to his floater. The floater is a shot he has clearly worked on a lot, and it looked lethal in wins over the Michigan Wolverines and Illinois."
Follow IndyStar trending sports reporter Matthew VanTryon on Twitter @MVanTryon and email him story ideas at matthew.vantryon@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2022 NBA Draft: 10 players the Indiana Pacers could pick
