Sports Illustrated

College basketball season is well underway, and NBA teams continue to canvas the globe to evaluate talent and lay the groundwork for the 2022 draft. With most prospects now having played a useful number of games, it’s a logical juncture to take a first pass at a draft board as we enter the new year. This is shaping up as a bit of a strange class with three, maybe five, prospects separating themselves from the pack and everyone else still very much in flux. It’s still quite early in the year, but many of the touted freshmen haven’t performed to the extent of their preseason expectations, and the impact of development time lost during the pandemic appears clear in many cases. Headlining this first big board is Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr., who has come on strong over the past five weeks and earned his place atop the list ahead of Duke’s Paolo Banchero, who was previously my top prospect. That decision wasn’t really a reflection of Banchero’s play but was spurred on by how evident Smith’s immense potential is, particularly after watching him play in person over the weekend in Atlanta. It’s still entirely possible that Banchero winds up the top pick come June, and historically, it’s not often I shift my stance in-season on who the top prospect is. That said, I never got the chance to see Smith play live in high school, and after growing more familiar with all he brings to the table, I feel comfortable changing my stance here and moving him into the top spot on my personal board.