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2022 NBA Draft: Houston Rockets select TyTy Washington, Kentucky guard

On3 imageby:Sam Gillenwater06/23/22

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Andy Lyons | Getty Images

Kentucky guard TyTy Washington is off the board in the 2022 NBA Draft. With the No. 29 pick of the first round, Washington was selected by the Houston Rockets, who acquired the pick from the Memphis Grizzlies.

Out of high school, Washington was the No. 16 player in the country from the class of 2021, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. After his senior season at Compass Prep, he committed to play for John Calipari in Lexington.

Washington had an outstanding start to his freshman season with the Wildcats. During his first 17 games, he averaged 14.5 points and 4.8 assists per game. That included a 17-assist performance that broke the school’s all-time single game assists record.

He suffered multiple injuries, though, the derailed his season. An ankle sprain against Auburn and a lower leg injury against Florida led him to stumble down the stretch of the season. Even so, he finished the year averaging 12.5 points, 3.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. He was named to the All-SEC Second Team and to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

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With three months behind him since the end of Kentucky’s season, though, the Rockets should be getting a healthier Washington than what was seen to end the 2022 season.

What ESPN’s Jonathan Givony says about TyTy Washington

Washington has been a difficult prospect to evaluate because of the injury history. He was projected as a lottery pick before the injuries. Since they occured, he’s been found throughout first round mocks since they occured. Still, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony sees Washington as a safe, flexible guard in today’s NBA.

“(Washington’s) a steady-handed guard who can play with or without the ball, excels in pick-and-roll and is a strong perimeter shooter,” said Givony. “(He) has the size and length to play in many different lineup configurations, giving him nice positional versatility to go along with his strong feel for the game.”