Which 2022 Point Guard Are You?
The 2022 NBA Draft has an interesting crop of point guards, and today we’re gonna find the right one for you!
The 2022 point guard class has been considered on the “weaker side.”
HOWEVER it’s a much more fun experience to lean into the optimistic view of these prospects, so we’ll go over some of what makes these guys interesting.
It wasn’t until the 2022 draft cycle really started going that I realized how blessed NBA fans and draft nerds have been with the point guards from the last two drafts. Last year we had the cerebral Cade Cunningham, the passing wizardry of Josh Giddey, and the terror that is Davion “Off-Night” Mitchell. In 2020, we had the strange evaluation experience of LaMelo Ball, which has turned out to be a tremendous watching experience in the NBA. The year before that we got Ja Morant and Darius Garland, ever heard of them? And don’t even get me started on the star-studded 2018 class that gave us Luka, Trae, and Collin Sexton.
This year’s crop of floor generals feels a bit different. It reminds me a bit of the 2020 big man class. That draft class was heavy on guards and wings, and had a pair of intriguing bigs at the top in James Wiseman and Onyeka Okongwu. We also saw some bigs like Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Smith go earlier than expected, likely due to the scarcity of the position in the class. I can definitely foresee a similar trend in the 2022 draft with the point guards. Some of these guys might be drafted higher than they would in other drafts, reason being that teams that need guard depth will talk themselves into the guards available to them.
What makes this specific position of the class interesting is that they’re all different types of points, and you could rank the top four or five names in any order and justify it. Imagine you just took a BuzzFeed quiz called “Which 2022 Point Guard Are You?”, and picture these as the default results.
Keep in mind, this isn’t a specific ranking if these guys; they’ve all been moving up down and around each other in my board and I’m not sure yet what order they’ll be in on Version 2.0 of my big board.
If you’re looking for a “pure point”…
Then Kennedy Chandler might be your guy!
Kennedy Chandler has been a joy to watch this year for the Vols. I love watching point guards that process the game well, and can both slow down and speed up the game to his own pace. When I think of the term “pure point,” the first two qualities that come to mind are passing instincts/ability to make good reads, and ball security. Right now, Chandler is averaging 5.2 APG with a 33.2 AST%, and a decent enough 2.45 assist-to-turnover ratio. That number isn’t necessarily dazzling, but a lot of young guards can struggle with ball security in college and end up with a negative AST/TO, similar to Cade Cunningham in 2020-21. Chandler also does some interesting things off the ball; he actually moves around and stays engaged unlike a lot of smaller guards that structure their game on ball dependency. Another nugget that caught my eye while running through the numbers: Kennedy’s averaging over 2 stocks a game (steals and blocks combined), and although 1.9 of that comes from his steal average, 2 stocks is a really solid bench mark for defensive production. It’s also quite impressive for a point guard listed at 6’0”, 170 lbs. And that leads me to the concerns with Chandler, that start with his size.
Coming into his freshman season, there was a narrative around Kennedy Chandler (from a draft perspective) that he was too small of a guard to consistently finish at the rim over bigger defenders, and I think it’s fair to say that’s been an issue at times through his first ten games. He had back to back shaky games in the loss to Texas Tech and the win over UNC Greensboro. Kennedy finished with 9 points in each contest, and shot a combined 26.5% from the field, including 28.8% on 2PT field goals. There are definitely moments while watching Chandler that you can tell his size can be a deficiency on the court, and that’s not something that’s going to become any easier for him in the NBA.
However, there are still plenty of reasons to have Kennedy Chandler as your top point guard in this draft, like I currently do. One phrase I heard quite a bit during last year’s cycle was “If Sharife Cooper was 6’3”, he’s be a top-5 prospect,” and Chandler might be that guy for this class. To go along with those “pure point” qualities I referenced before, he’s also averaging 14.6 PPG, and shooting 40% from 3PT on 4 attempts a game. He’s still capable of showing he can score the basketball, despite being the smallest player on the court in most scenarios.
If you’re looking for an up-tempo, high energy point with scary bounce…
Then JD Davison might be the point guard for you!
If you have an affinity for hustle players that have a nose for the ball, Davison is your guard for this class. Here’s a little bit of a teaser for Big Board Version 2.0: JD Davison will be ranked higher than he was on 1.0. I wasn’t much of a believer coming into the season, but he’s been proving me wrong night in and night out, and showing NBA teams that they need to be on notice. The first thing that jumps out about Davison is his ridiculous leaping ability. As low as I was on him, I’ve been completely transparent about the fact that JD Davison is the most explosive athlete in the draft class (with Daimion Collins as a solid competitor in that department.) On the high school tape, I sort of came to an assumption that Davison wouldn’t be much more than a transition scorer, and an energy injection into the lineup. So far this year, the Tide freshman has shown that he is an energy injection in the best way possible, and can impact the game in plenty of other ways than running out on the break.
I mentioned before that JD has a nose for the ball, and that can’t be overstated. The kid is obsessed with the passing lanes where he collects almost a steal a game to give him his own fast break, where he thrives. He’s also a really good rebounder for a point guard. He’s got good size and physicality and uses it to grab 5 rebounds a game, and that really stands out when you watch him. When I see a loose ball during an Alabama game, I sort of just assume that JD Davison is coming away with it if he’s on the court. His 14.3 defensive rebound percentage is a number that really sticks out to me. The part of Davison’s game that I definitely didn’t expect is his playmaking ability. He’s averaging 4.5 APG, which isn’t a wild number but it’s clear that he can make the right reads and move the ball well. I also thought of Davison as a smaller guard coming in, and I seem to always forget that he’s 6’3” and 195 lbs, and probably has the best size and strength of all these point guards.
Like I said before, these are all different styles of point guards, and the fast-paced, full-throttle, frantic-type point isn’t necessarily my favorite style. I hit on ball security with Chandler, and that was something I was concerned about with JD Davison coming in. So far he’s averaging 3 turnovers a game which is definitely something I’d like to see him clean up, but his AST/TO ratio isn’t underwater. At the end of the day, I’m still a bit concerned with his shooting touch and overall scoring versatility, Currently he’s shooting 51.6% from the field, 32% from three, 70.3% from the line, and he’s averaging 9 PPG.
If you’re looking for a quick, shifty point with nice scoring instincts and shooting touch…
Then you should be rooting for your favorite team to draft TyTy Washington Jr. on draft night!
TyTy Washington has had an up and down start to his time in Lexington. He opened the season getting terrorized by Duke’s Trevor Keels on national television, but since then has averaged 13.7 PPG on nearly 50% from the field. It seems like some evaluators have become worried for TyTy with Kentucky’s backcourt being more or less taken over by Sahvir Wheeler, the junior transfer from Georgia. I actually don’t mind that though. Offensive versatility is what makes me go nuts for a prospect; if they can comfortably operate in multiple roles in offense then I see no reason they can’t at least make a roster. We know that TyTy can play with the ball in his hands from his dominance at AZ Compass in Phoenix the last few years, and now we get to see him take on other roles. It has however limited his playmaking opportunities, averaging just 3.4 APG on 17.5 AST%.
I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from Washington though in terms of scoring off the dribble and using his quickness, handle, and pull-up ability. His shooting is definitely something I’m in on, I think he could have a higher release point, but that’s just a nitpick. He clearly has range and it’s hard to complain with 37.5 3PT%. TyTy also has a nice floater game and can finish at the rim at a decent level, although I’d like to see him utilize his left hand more often when attacking. TyTy’s size is also underrated, he doesn’t necessarily have JD Davison strength but he has a similar frame and a real solid wingspan.
All in all, Washington has probably shown the best scoring flashes of all these guys, and if that’s what you’re into then TyTy might be your 2022 point guard!
If you’re looking for a tall point with amazing court vision and mystifying passing ability…
Then you’ve gotta start paying attention to Cal Baptist’s Taran Armstrong!
The 2021 Draft had a couple of prospects that could pull off passes that had scouts with that palms on their cheeks like Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone. This year, the guy doing that is Taran Armstrong. It can be tough to gain steam as a draft prospect when you’re playing at a mid-major program in California Baptist, but the Australian guard has done just that. As I alluded to, most of the Taran Armstrong buzz is driven by his passing.
What I love about Taran’s passing isn’t even the passes themselves, it’s the pass fakes. He can fake the ball one way, reel it back in, and send it in a completely opposite direction and make it all happen so fast that you don’t even know what happened and you’re left wondering if a Harlem Globetrotter or some magician of some sort just spawned onto the basketball court. He’s incredible at using eye manipulation and basically looking guys open. He has a real special feel for help defenders collapsing on his drive and kicks it out to the open shooter.
So, is Taran Armstrong just a guy that gets the White Chocolate treatment and draws a huge fan base due to his court vision and passing flare without having much else to his game? I don’t particularly believe that to be the case. For starters, he has good height at 6’5” which obviously pairs well with the playmaking. That’s also part of what makes him such a good rebounder at the guard spot, averaging 7 a game right now. I don’t think Armstrong is overly generous with the basketball either. In other words, I think he’s very good at recognizing and differentiating others’ scoring opportunities from his own. He’s got enough shooting range for defenders to closeout, and he’s very good at attacking those closeouts and taking advantage of open driving lanes. Once in that situation, he is a fairly versatile finisher. He excels at finishing around bigger defenders in traffic, he can nail a floater, and even get above the rim when given a solid runway. He also stays engaged off the ball and makes nice cuts.
Something that draft evaluators love to say with prospects that get off to slow starts: there’s still plenty of time. I think the same can and should be said for guys that get off to a hot start. I mean, it’s not even a sure thing that Taran will declare for the draft in 2022. Any time you have a freshman guard averaging 11, 7 and 7 you have something potentially special on your hands, but can it sustain, and is it repeatable against tougher competition? Cal Baptist hasn’t played the hardest schedule so far, but has played two ranked opponents in Texas and Arizona. In those games, Armstrong had a combined 15 points, 4 assists, 10 rebounds and 11 turnovers on 35% from the field, just not impacting the game in really any way in those games.
Nevertheless, Taran Armstrong is a very fun prospect with first round potential. If you have an interest in big playmakers, then he might be the diamond in the rough for you with this point guard class!
If you’re looking for a versatile point that has shown flashes of everything we’ve discussed today…
Then flip on the infamous Overtime Elite film and catch Jean Montero in action!
Montero is set to become the first prospect drafted from the brand new Overtime Elite League. He’s been one of the more difficult evaluations this year in large part due to how poorly OTE has been structured in its inaugural season. They’re in a literal league of their own, and are throwing together matchups against high school teams. And as a result, the games look exactly like high school games. It also doesn’t help that OTE hasn’t been making their statistics public.
So, with stats diminished, most of this evaluation has to be done based on what your eyes tell you. And so far, my eyes tell me that Jean Montero himself, has shown flashes of a lot of that things that make all the point guards listed above him, intriguing. He’s shown very nice scoring instincts, good driving and finishing ability, solid rebounding, and he’s a very nice playmaker. Montero has nice speed and quickness allowing him to drive in the paint with ferocity, and once he’s there it’s a headache for defenders to figure out what’s coming next. He can utilize his pull-up, or he can get right to the rim and use his craft, and you have to keep in mind that he’s commonly a step or two ahead of the defense and he can kick out to open teammates if the opportunity is available. Montero just has a bag on offense, for lack of a better word.
He’s not a perfect prospect; sure he has multi-level scoring ability but his shot selection isn’t always very great, and he can over-estimate his shooting range at times. He has a ton of potential as a playmaker, but one thing I pointed out with Taran Armstrong is that he knows how to differentiate between his own scoring opportunities and his teammates’ scoring opportunities, and I think that’s something Jean Montero could work on. He also doesn’t have the greatest frame at 6’2” and he’s pretty slender; I’d definitely like to see him use his long arms to be more effective on defense. I love when prospects that have a physical limitation are able to fins ways to make up for it.
There are your top names, here are your honorable mentions…
Some people view Jaden Ivey as a lead guard, others look at him as an off-guard. Ivey is simply in a different tier of prospect than any of these guys, so I decided to leave him out of this discussion.
Dyson Daniels and Hugo Besson have mostly been used in lead roles for the G-League and NBL respectively, I’m interested to see how NBA teams will utilize them.
Iowa State freshman Tyrese Hunter has gained some draft buzz. He could be a 2023 prospect, that remains to be seen.
Andrew Nembhard has some fans as a second round guy (I‘m one of them.)
Caleb Love is bouncing back nicely after a disappointing freshman season.
Boogie Ellis seems to be really putting things together as a junior for USC.
So who’s your favorite point guard in the 2022 Draft? Let me know on Twitter!