4 To Watch In 2022

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic I did an annual list of basketball players on each level that I expected to take a huge leap in the upcoming season. The list consists of a player in high school, college, NBA rookie, and young veteran. I skipped last year because I didn't get a great look at the younger talent considering many events were cancelled. This time around I want to start off a little different. With that said let me introduce you to Victor Wembanyama

Wembanyama is a French 17 year old goalkeeper turned 7'3 hoop phenom. Some would say he's the best prospect in the world. Fresh off averaging 5.7 blocks a game in the U19 FIBA World Cup he's already viewed as one of the most lethal defensive weapons on Earth. He made his pro debut with Nanterre 92 in 2020. This team has had Tony Parker, Boris Dias, and Rudy Gobert in the past. That should say enough about their development of youth talent. With his mix of coordination, timing, and 7'9 wingspan he's an absolute nightmare on defense. A background in soccer definitely played a part in this. His ability to handle and shoot the ball feeds directly into the sentiment that foreign bigs are more skilled at a youth level than American bigs by a wide margin. Also he has an array of post moves and runs the floor like a wild deer. There's a possible chance that he comes over to the US in the 2023 draft. When his body matures and strengthens the possibilities are endless.

Next up we have the number 2 ranked recruit in the 2021 class Paolo Banchero. P5 is an Italian American from Seattle. After committing to Duke in August 2020 he's been considered the crown jewel of Coach K's final season. At 6'10 and 250 lbs you'd expect him to be a prototypical low post big man but he's far from that. With a great face up game and the ability to play bully ball Paolo can create for himself. He can also knockdown mid-range shots which can do a lot for floor spacing. His passing and ball handling makes him even more of a threat. Paolo has traits of multiple players but there isn't really 1 solid pick for a comparison. I've seen every comparison from an athletic David West to a stronger Tobias Harris. Honestly I think you would have to watch him without expectations and draw your own conclusion.

Straight out of Chesapeake Virginia we have the Oak Hill all time scoring leader Cam Thomas. In my opinion he's the best scorer in this year's draft. He went into summer league and left his mark winning Co-MVP after averaging 27 points per game. He's the ultimate 3 level scorer with unbreakable confidence. He's very shifty and strong. This helps him create space and score through contact. The biggest plus to the situation that he's in with Brooklyn is that he gets to work with some of the best scorers of this era. When I watch him I see flashes of different players. Two players that come to mind are Joe Johnson and Nick Young. Like Cam, they both have a real solid body and have no issue getting their shot off due to the ability to create and simply not give a fuck who is defending them. I have a serious belief that if Cam has a long healthy career he's capable of touching 25,000 points. He's going to make the 757 proud.

Last but not least we have Jordan Poole. He's my pick for Most Improved Player. I thought he was good coming out of Michigan but after having time to develop around future hall of famers he's on track to break out. After having front row seats to the Steph Curry show all last season he got the understanding of what it takes to elevate to the next level. Poole averaged 21.8 points per game on 50.6% shooting in the preseason and there's a great chance this translates to the regular season. The game is slowing down for him and becoming easier. With the possibility of a contract extension coming up Poole will literally be playing for a chance at generational wealth. Expect him to play like his life is on the line all season.