Shaedon Sharpe eligible to apply for 2022 NBA Draft

Shaedon Sharpe started the season as the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class. He announced his commitment to Kentucky in September, and in November, Kentucky Sports Radio reported that Sharpe would be enrolling early in Lexington.

This morning, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony announced Sharpe is eligible to apply for the 2022 NBA draft.

Sharpe, a May 2003 birthday, started this school year at Phoenix (Az.) Dream City Christian, his records show he had enough credits to graduate before October, the start of the NBA season. He meets the age requirements for the NBA Draft and will be a year removed from high school.

Sharpe is a 6-foot-5 wing, originally from London, Canada. During the Nike Peach Jam bubble, playing with his UPlay Canada program, Sharpe averaged 22.7 points on 36.4-percent shooting from three. NBA personnel were able to live scout the Nike bubble, so there is some familiarity there and checks have already begun despite not having played this season.

Last season, at Dream City Christian, he averaged 25.4 points on 45-percent shooting from three. Sharpe has not played for Kentucky since enrolling in January.

Sharpe in the draft

Shaedon Sharpe is a potential lottery pick in the upcoming draft. He has the tools that translate as a shot-making wing. The ball-handling needs to continue to tighten and Sharpe will need to show the shooting is consistent, but the raw tools may remind some of Malik Monk or, at the high end, Zach Levine.

There is a grouping of shooting guards clustered in the five to 20 range of the 2022 draft, Blake Wesley, Jaden Hardy, Johnny Davis, Ben Mathurin, and TyTy Washington. Sharpe’s intrigue will place him in the same conversation as this group. Not having played since Peach Jam, pre-draft workouts will go a long in determining where Sharpe goes.