2022 NBA Draft: San Antonio Spurs select Blake Wesley, Notre Dame shooting guard

Notre Dame shooting guard Blake Wesley is off the board in the 2022 NBA Draft. With the No. 25 pick of the first round, Wesley was selected by the San Antonio Spurs.

A four-star recruit in the Class of 2021, Blake Wesley declared for the NBA Draft after one college season. During his season in South Bend, Wesley helped Notre Dame get to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Texas Tech. This was a team that turned around the program’s recent fortunes, and it was largely due to Wesley’s play.

A native of South Bend, Indiana, Blake Wesley chose Notre Dame over schools like Xavier and Purdue. Wesley was second-team All-ACC in 2022. He was also a member of the ACC All-Rookie Team.

In his one season at Notre Dame, Blake Wesley averaged 14.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He shot 40.4% from the field and shot 30.3% from three-point range.

Blake Wesley has been an intriguing NBA Draft prospect throughout the entire process. With that has come some debate about where Wesley should have been drafted. A mock draft from ESPN predicted that he’d be taken 20th. Meanwhile, CBS Sports said he’d go 21st.

“He has great speed and facilitates well for his teammates,” one NBA scout told Yahoo Sports. “I think his passing is his most underrated part of the game and he’s a player with a lot of upside and room for growth at the NBA level.”

“He’s always been confident in his abilities but that Kentucky game was something else,” Ryan Humphrey told Yahoo Sports. “There were all these big-time players, former five-star recruits, and Notre Dame had the best athlete on the court.”

Going into his freshman season, no one expected Blake Wesley to be a one-and-done player. He had a phenomenal season and showed off enough potential to do so, though. Now, he’s taking on the NBA.