After preseason hype, latest NBA mock drafts are mixed bag for Memphis basketball's top players

Welcome back to the Tigers Basketball newsletter. Today, Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto takes over:

When this much-anticipated Memphis basketball season began, the excitement that accompanied it was, in part, thanks to the anticipation that a collection of future NBA players were on the roster. There were, to be exact, three prospects projected as future first-round draft picks, led by coveted freshmen Jalen Duren and Emoni Bates.

Sophomore transfer Earl Timberlake also had a first-round grade from ESPN and freshman Josh Minott was developing NBA buzz coming out of the Tigers' preseason NBA pro day.

A few months later and, much like the team as a whole, those expectations have largely been deflated. The latest NBA mock drafts reflect the uneven season these Tigers have produced thus far.

Duren is still slotted at No. 4 in ESPN's latest 2022 NBA mock draft, however he's no longer the consensus top-five pick that he seemed to be in the preseason. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, for one, has Duren currently pegged as the No. 9 prospect in this draft class. He noted that Duren has been difficult to scout and the player most held back by how disjointed this Memphis season has been.

"Duren has shown a lot of upside as a shot blocker, has finished just about everything at the rim when he’s gotten his chances and has thrown in some interesting passes throughout the year," Vecenie wrote, "but this season is almost a throwaway for him because the situation doesn’t even really allow him to show what he’s capable of."

Bleacher Report's most recent mock draft has Duren going No. 6 in the 2022 NBA draft and Yahoo! Sports had him listed at No. 7 in its new mock draft. Sports Illustrated deemed Duren the No. 10 prospect in this class in its updated mock draft two weeks ago.

Bates' stock has taken a more precipitous fall, going from one of the top players in his class to No. 20 in ESPN's 2023 NBA mock draft. Bates, who turned 18 on Friday and won't be eligible for the 2022 NBA draft, is "the prospect most in need of a strong close to the season and big summer" if he wants to be considered a lottery pick again, ESPN noted.

There are "questions looming about his decision-making, frame, defensive awareness and overall ability to play through contact given his lack of length, physicality, burst and vertical pop," ESPN's Mike Schmitz wrote. "It's time for Bates to recalibrate expectations, simplify his game and start building on the things he does well while addressing his shortcomings."

Minott is a definitive bright spot, however, going from not mentioned in preseason mock drafts to appearing at No. 39 in ESPN's 2022 mock draft. Vecenie has Minott at No. 49 in his 2022 NBA draft rankings.

Timberlake, on the other hand, has gone from a projected first-round choice to off draft boards given his struggles with injuries and consistency at Memphis. Veterans like DeAndre Williams, Lester Quinones and Landers Nolley II are also not viewed as NBA draft prospects at this point by most mainstream analysts.

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You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @mgiannotto

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Latest NBA mock drafts are a mixed bag for Memphis basketball's top players