here are some of the interesting capsules:
27. Justin Lewis | 6-6 sophomore | SF | Marquette
Lewis can be frustrating at times: A little too chilled out on defense, a little too jump-shot dependent on offense. I just can’t see how I could rank him any lower than this. He’s 6-6 with an enormous 7-2 wingspan, has a strong frame that should allow him to play four in almost any matchup if his team wants to size down, and he had a 32.5-inch standing vertical.
The basketball stuff went OK too. Lewis shot decently and on relatively high volume, and is very comfortable shooting off the dribble against smaller defenders. He rebounds well and can be a very good defender when in a stance and engaged.
The big thing that puts him at the tail end of my first-round grades, however, is that every team needs switchable forwards who can make an open shot. Lewis doesn’t even need to get that much better to fill in a back-end rotation spot, and he has upside to be quite a bit better.
28. Julian Champagnie | 6-6 junior | SF | St. John’s
Here’s one you probably weren’t expecting. Champagnie isn’t getting much first-round buzz, but I think he’s a name teams need to consider outside the lottery. Champagnie has a bit of a thin frame and can become a little too enamored of jab-step jump shots, something he converts at a respectable rate (34.8 percent from 3 for his career) but maybe that shouldn’t be the focal point of his game. He played a bit as a volume scorer for a weak St. John’s team, but that won’t be his role as a pro.
Instead, Champagnie profiles as a 3-and-D guy who can provide some juice as a secondary rim protector and disruptor. On the ball he likes to get into dribblers, even smaller ones, and used his length and anticipation to nab 3.1 steals per 100 possessions. That was slightly juiced by St. John’s use of pressing defenses, yes, but he’ll pressure the ball even against smaller players and is capable of blocking his own man’s shot. Sometimes that gets him beat — good crossovers leave him grasping for air — but I think he’ll be able to stay with NBA wings.
36. Kenneth Lofton Jr. | 6-6 junior | PF | Louisiana Tech
The FIPID All-Star of this draft (see Trevor Keels above), Lofton measured at 280 pounds and 15.2 percent body fat at the combine … and people who’d seen him all year remarked on how much better his body looked.
Yes, he has a bit of work to do on that front. But even carrying around the extra tires, Lofton can play. He was arguably the best player at the G League Elite Camp and carried that over into a good game at the combine before shutting it down. In particular, he showed perimeter skill in those games that he didn’t get to display at Tech, where he played almost exclusively inside and only made four 3-pointers all year. He was beating defenders with long strides out of jab-and-go moves, making passes off the bounce and showed a soft touch in the paint.
I can’t rank him higher than this due to concerns about his defense. Lofton had decent rates of steals and blocks but is going to need to get in better shape to have a chance at guarding anyone along the perimeter. Nonetheless, I think he’s a great dart throw in the second round.
Lofton, incidentally, is not related to the former baseball star of the same name.
48. Patrick Baldwin | 6-9 | SF | Wisconsin-Milwaukee
A tall wing with some perimeter skill who teases with talent in between bouts of sleepwalking, Baldwin comes from a proud draft lineage that includes Austin Daye and Kevin Knox. I don’t really see what the excitement is here, but I’m fascinated to see which team will take the plunge. The idea of Baldwin — a big wing with a 7-1 wingspan and deep shooting range — is alluring, but the reality on the court last year was borderline disastrous.
Even in a poor conference, Baldwin was a below-average player, and in ways that don’t augur well for an NBA translation. Athleticism? Heh. He had the worst standing vertical and worst sprint time of any non-center at the combine, and the worst max vertical of anyone there.
The reason to draft him is a belief that his shooting can come around. Baldwin launched 64 3s in his 11 college games but only made 26.6 percent of them; there is a belief based on his AAU play that he’s capable of much better than this. If so, there could be a stretch four hiding in there somewhere.
59. Tyrese Martin | 6-6 senior | SG | Connecticut
Martin had a mostly unremarkable season at UConn, but showed enough versatility at the G League Elite Camp and then the combine to give himself a decent chance of getting drafted. He’s an iffy shooter, but his size, handle and defense, combined with an impressive 39-inch max vertical, give him some pathways toward rotation-ish usefulness as a backup at either wing spot. Martin also rebounds unusually well for a wing, with a 13.0 percent rebound rate in Big East games, checking another box in the positive column.
and most importantly:
64. Aminu Mohammed | 6-4 freshman | SG | Georgetown
A one-and-done who isn’t getting much attention despite undeniable athleticism and a 6-11 wingspan, Mohammed may not have enough skill to get by at his height. He held his own on the court at the combine, however, and his rates of rebounds and steals were pretty remarkable.
What wasn’t remarkable was how he did on self-created shots; Mohammed shot only 36.7 percent on 2s in Big East games, and while some of that owes to the general train wreck that was the Hoyas 2021-22 season, Mohammed also has to refine his drives and finishes and hit the open man more often. His shooting is another question mark, at 31.0 percent from 3 on low volume. More often than not, a guy like this tops out as a good G League player, but if the shooting and decision-making come around, Mohammed has more upside than most of the players in this range.
27. Justin Lewis | 6-6 sophomore | SF | Marquette
Lewis can be frustrating at times: A little too chilled out on defense, a little too jump-shot dependent on offense. I just can’t see how I could rank him any lower than this. He’s 6-6 with an enormous 7-2 wingspan, has a strong frame that should allow him to play four in almost any matchup if his team wants to size down, and he had a 32.5-inch standing vertical.
The basketball stuff went OK too. Lewis shot decently and on relatively high volume, and is very comfortable shooting off the dribble against smaller defenders. He rebounds well and can be a very good defender when in a stance and engaged.
The big thing that puts him at the tail end of my first-round grades, however, is that every team needs switchable forwards who can make an open shot. Lewis doesn’t even need to get that much better to fill in a back-end rotation spot, and he has upside to be quite a bit better.
28. Julian Champagnie | 6-6 junior | SF | St. John’s
Here’s one you probably weren’t expecting. Champagnie isn’t getting much first-round buzz, but I think he’s a name teams need to consider outside the lottery. Champagnie has a bit of a thin frame and can become a little too enamored of jab-step jump shots, something he converts at a respectable rate (34.8 percent from 3 for his career) but maybe that shouldn’t be the focal point of his game. He played a bit as a volume scorer for a weak St. John’s team, but that won’t be his role as a pro.
Instead, Champagnie profiles as a 3-and-D guy who can provide some juice as a secondary rim protector and disruptor. On the ball he likes to get into dribblers, even smaller ones, and used his length and anticipation to nab 3.1 steals per 100 possessions. That was slightly juiced by St. John’s use of pressing defenses, yes, but he’ll pressure the ball even against smaller players and is capable of blocking his own man’s shot. Sometimes that gets him beat — good crossovers leave him grasping for air — but I think he’ll be able to stay with NBA wings.
36. Kenneth Lofton Jr. | 6-6 junior | PF | Louisiana Tech
The FIPID All-Star of this draft (see Trevor Keels above), Lofton measured at 280 pounds and 15.2 percent body fat at the combine … and people who’d seen him all year remarked on how much better his body looked.
Yes, he has a bit of work to do on that front. But even carrying around the extra tires, Lofton can play. He was arguably the best player at the G League Elite Camp and carried that over into a good game at the combine before shutting it down. In particular, he showed perimeter skill in those games that he didn’t get to display at Tech, where he played almost exclusively inside and only made four 3-pointers all year. He was beating defenders with long strides out of jab-and-go moves, making passes off the bounce and showed a soft touch in the paint.
I can’t rank him higher than this due to concerns about his defense. Lofton had decent rates of steals and blocks but is going to need to get in better shape to have a chance at guarding anyone along the perimeter. Nonetheless, I think he’s a great dart throw in the second round.
Lofton, incidentally, is not related to the former baseball star of the same name.
48. Patrick Baldwin | 6-9 | SF | Wisconsin-Milwaukee
A tall wing with some perimeter skill who teases with talent in between bouts of sleepwalking, Baldwin comes from a proud draft lineage that includes Austin Daye and Kevin Knox. I don’t really see what the excitement is here, but I’m fascinated to see which team will take the plunge. The idea of Baldwin — a big wing with a 7-1 wingspan and deep shooting range — is alluring, but the reality on the court last year was borderline disastrous.
Even in a poor conference, Baldwin was a below-average player, and in ways that don’t augur well for an NBA translation. Athleticism? Heh. He had the worst standing vertical and worst sprint time of any non-center at the combine, and the worst max vertical of anyone there.
The reason to draft him is a belief that his shooting can come around. Baldwin launched 64 3s in his 11 college games but only made 26.6 percent of them; there is a belief based on his AAU play that he’s capable of much better than this. If so, there could be a stretch four hiding in there somewhere.
59. Tyrese Martin | 6-6 senior | SG | Connecticut
Martin had a mostly unremarkable season at UConn, but showed enough versatility at the G League Elite Camp and then the combine to give himself a decent chance of getting drafted. He’s an iffy shooter, but his size, handle and defense, combined with an impressive 39-inch max vertical, give him some pathways toward rotation-ish usefulness as a backup at either wing spot. Martin also rebounds unusually well for a wing, with a 13.0 percent rebound rate in Big East games, checking another box in the positive column.
and most importantly:
64. Aminu Mohammed | 6-4 freshman | SG | Georgetown
A one-and-done who isn’t getting much attention despite undeniable athleticism and a 6-11 wingspan, Mohammed may not have enough skill to get by at his height. He held his own on the court at the combine, however, and his rates of rebounds and steals were pretty remarkable.
What wasn’t remarkable was how he did on self-created shots; Mohammed shot only 36.7 percent on 2s in Big East games, and while some of that owes to the general train wreck that was the Hoyas 2021-22 season, Mohammed also has to refine his drives and finishes and hit the open man more often. His shooting is another question mark, at 31.0 percent from 3 on low volume. More often than not, a guy like this tops out as a good G League player, but if the shooting and decision-making come around, Mohammed has more upside than most of the players in this range.