Ohio State's Malaki Branham to test NBA stock, could still return to Buckeyes
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Ohio State's Malaki Branham, the 2022 Big Ten freshman of the year, is exploring his NBA draft potential while retaining the option to return to college.
Underclassmen have until the end of April 24 to declare for the draft. The 2022 NBA draft combine will take place May 16-22 in Chicago, and underclassmen who wish to return to college have until the end of June 1 to do so.
"As a basketball player growing up, my dream has always been to play in the NBA," he wrote in a message posted to social media. "At this time, I am going to chase that dream and enter my name into the NBA Draft!"
He added in an interview with ESPN, "I am staying in the draft if I'm in the first round because I believe if someone gives me four years to prove myself, I have no doubt that they will love what they're getting."
He is a consensus first-round selection in the major mock drafts.
After averaging 13.7 points and 3.6 rebounds a game while shooting 49.8% (160-for-321) from the floor, Branham was also named third-team All-Big Ten while playing himself into a position where he might end up as the first one-and-done player of the Chris Holtmann era at Ohio State.
A four-star guard prospect in the 247Sports.com composite database, Branham became the first Ohio Mr. Basketball since Kaleb Wesson in 2017 to sign with OSU. Branham committed to the Buckeyes in July, 2020, after Ohio State pursued him so hard he would later joke it bordered on annoyance.
The Columbus native played his prep ball at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and was ranked as the No. 38 recruit nationally per 247Sports. He was also the top prospect from Ohio. He was the second-highest nationally ranked prospect to sign for Chris Holtmann at Ohio State, behind DJ Carton in 2018, and the highest-rated recruit from Ohio since Cincinnati’s Darius Bazley was a five-star prospect ranked No. 17 nationally in 2018. Branham was given permission to wear No. 22, which hangs in the rafters at Value City Arena in tribute to program great Jim Jackson.
Ohio State basketball: Jim Jackson on letting Malaki Branham wear No. 22: 'Easy breezy'
After starring locally while playing in the Kingdom Summer League in 2021, Branham immediately slotted into the rotation and made the game-winning assist in the final seconds of the season-opening win against Akron. He would start every remaining game of the season and, after Ohio State returned from a 22-day COVID-19 pause that wiped out most of December, Branham ascended to star status.
Malaki Branham: With Ohio State on COVID-19 pause, Malaki Branham getting in early extra work
Averaging 6.3 points per game through the first 10 games, Branham went off for 35 points in an overtime road win against Nebraska on Jan. 2. It marked the most points ever scored by an Ohio State freshman in league play, and it marked the start of a tear that saw him average 17.0 points in the final 22 games of the season. Branham also scored 30 in an 86-83 win at Illinois on Feb. 24, putting him on a list with D’Angelo Russell and Michael Redd as the only other Ohio State freshmen to have multiple games of 30 points or more. Branham, though, is the only one to have topped that mark in two road games.
Along the way, Branham steadily climbed NBA mock draft projections. Monday, ESPN projected him to go with the No. 18 pick, four spots ahead of teammate E.J. Liddell, who has declared for the draft and will not return. It was a meteoric rise reminiscent to freshman guard Mike Conley who, after the 2006-07 season, became a lottery pick.
The comparison: Conley discussed his rise and Branham’s season in a story you can read here.
"Branham's combination of size, length, scoring instincts, competitiveness, budding playmaking and shot-making prowess looks seamlessly translatable for what the NBA is looking for at his position, especially considering he is still only 18 years old," ESPN's Jonathan Givony posted to Twitter.
He finished second on the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game. In Big Ten play, Branham ranked third in 3-point shooting percentage (29 for 62, 46.8%) and fourth in offensive rating (121.9) as computed by KenPom.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Malaki Branham to test NBA stock, could still return to Ohio State
