2022 NBA Mock Draft: Version 1.0 midway through NBA season
Team Overtime (Overtime Elite League). Jean Montero. No Statistics Available. 2003, Guard. player. 79. Pick Analysis. 20
Many are very high on Jean Montero, a Dominican guard playing his one removed year from high school with the Overtime Elite League. For those who aren’t familiar, Overtime Elite is a new program designed to be another route to NBA basketball in which players are compensated for their services.
At this point in time, there are only three teams in the league, with little to no NBA-level talent. In addition, the league is strange about posting statistics and film from games. From what very little I have seen of Montero, he is an offensive-minded one who has a solid command of the floor.
Many rave about his three-level scoring as well. Truth be told, I haven’t been able to find a whole lot on Montero, but the basketball community as a whole is very high on him. I probably wouldn’t use a top-twenty selection on someone without professional or NCAA experience, but Dallas will likely be looking for a replacement for Jalen Brunson this summer & Montero might be the most talented guard on the board.
Pick Analysis. player. 93. 21. 7.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.7 blocks, 48% fg, 35% 3pt, 54% ft, 22 mpg. Freshman, Forward. Baylor University (NCAA). Jeremy Sochan
Jeremy Sochan did not come into his freshman season with high prospects of being selected in the NBA Draft. Despite being a three-star recruit out of high school, only having started one NCAA game, & playing just over twenty minutes per night, Sochan finds himself a pretty safe bet to be a one-and-done first-rounder. Sochan has added the three-point shot to his game this season, which is a major reason for the rise in his value.
By no means is he a knockdown shooter yet, or necessarily will he be, but the two-way potential that he has is enough to get him on an NBA roster. The sustainment of his three-point success will be imperative at the next level, as he projects as a stretch four in the NBA. Philadelphia has had as good of a start to the season as they could have asked for, given the circumstances, but this bench still needs a lot of work.
Louisiana State University (NCAA). Tari Eason. 16.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.2 blocks, 54% fg, 32% 3pt, 77% ft, 24 mpg. Pick Analysis. Sophomore, Forward. 22. player. 89
As seen in their 2021 NBA Finals run, this Milwaukee Bucks team is one of, if not the deepest teams in basketball. Most of their depth, though, is on the wing, thus looking into big men in this draft could be a worthwhile investment.
Tari Eason transferred from Cincinnati after just one season with the Bearcats, but the power forward has certainly found the right spot for him at LSU. Eason has been able to do a bit of everything for the Tigers this season while doing so in rather limited minutes. His per-forty numbers are absurd.
His three-point shot is really the only hole in his game as of now, though he has shown that he is willing to take those shots when open in games. His free throw numbers indicate that he could continue to improve from range, but his ceiling will be limited until it does. If the Bucks finish the season around this range, they will need to capitalize on having solid draft position for the first time in a few years.