TyTy Washington mocked into first round but NBA has worries

Unfortunately, it is draft season in March for Kentucky basketball. The top prospect is TyTy Washington, and the freshman guard has a big decision to make.

However, the Arizona native is no longer a slam dunk to go off as a lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. On Monday, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony mocked Washington at No. 14 overall to the Charlotte Hornets, but it is clear that NBA personnel decision-makers have questions that need to be answered.

“[TyTy] Washington simply hasn’t been the same player since suffering an ankle injury two months ago in a loss at Auburn, seeing his scoring production and efficiency fall off,” writes Givony.

The NBA has some legitimate health questions regarding the combo guard. The lack of production following the most recent injury leaves plenty of cause for concern.

Since leaving the Florida win on Feb. 12 with a lower leg injury, TyTy Washington never looked the same. The freshman shot 17 of 48 (35.4%) from two and 9 of 25 (36%) from three. The three-point shot stayed with pace for his seating shooting performance, but Washington’s two-point efficiency sank as he was one of the most efficient two-point guards in college basketball until that point.

However, folks in the NBA community might be more critical regarding the scheme at Kentucky. Givony logged on Twitter after Kentucky’s loss in the NCAA Tournament to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s and roasted John Calipari’s clogged paint offense. Folks in NBA circles are doing the same according to the draft scout.

“Were Washington’s weaknesses similarly accentuated by the extreme lack of shooting and spacing surrounding him,” asks Givony. “And will being placed in a more modern offensive system not built around post-ups, offensive rebounds and mid-range jumpers help solve some of the issues he faced this season with his struggles beating opponents off the dribble and finishing in traffic?”

“Tyrese Maxey, Devin Booker, Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson, Hamidou Diallo, Immanuel Quickley, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Brandon Boston Jr. and others all ended up being under-drafted after looking vastly more comfortable in the NBA than they did in college, which has caused scouts to openly discuss grading future Kentucky prospects on a curve, operating under the assumption that they simply won’t be used to their full potential in college.”

That is a tough look for the Kentucky basketball program. No longer are the Wildcats seen as ahead of the curve or as a program that does the best job of getting prospects ready for the next level. The tape evaluations for players in Kentucky’s system seems to not be holding much value because the style of play is different than what others are running in the modern basketball world.

The fact of the matter is — similar to Tyrese Maxey — TyTy Washington was a lead guard as a high school prospect and excelled at making decisions with the basketball. At Kentucky, Calipari asked the star to turn into a two-guard who had to learn to play off the ball. Despite a heavy amount of success at playing point when Sahvir Wheeler was out of the lineup, the coaching staff never truly gave Washington a chance to run the show.

“We never quite got to see what Washington would look like as a full-time point guard, something NBA teams would surely like to know more about,” writes Givony. “Washington’s ability to make reads out of ball-screens is arguably his biggest strength, but he averaged less than six pick and rolls per game, ranked 467th among division one players, per Synergy Sports Technology. Prior to Washington’s injuries, he was the most efficient pick and roll player in college basketball, but he fell off the past two months.

All of this just brings up more questions as to Calipari’s offensive philosophy. That style of play might have hurt the draft chances for TyTy Washington.

A long offseason of doubts and questions linger as the hall of fame head coach enters year 14 at UK.

Shaedon Sharpe is a top-10 prospect

Five-star Shaedon Sharpe did not play one game for Kentucky in 2022 despite being on the roster for most of the season. The plan has been for the star wing to return in 2022-23, but the blue-chip prospect is draft eligible.

Calipari confirmed on Monday night that Sharpe and his family are going to reach out and get feedback regarding his status for the NBA Draft.

“Well, we sat down and talked to him,” Calipari said. “You know, I talked to him and I talked to his mom and dad. I think he’s got to explore, but he’s got to make a decision on, ‘Alright, do I want this right now? Am I ready for this right now? Is it where I thought it was, or where people are saying?’

“As you go through the process, this information comes back from the NBA. Not an agent or anybody else around you, it comes from the NBA. You have a better idea of what everything is. And until these kids all get that information, it’s hard.”

Well, that feedback will likely be pretty good. Givony has Sharpe mocked at No. 6 overall to the Sacramento Kings. Many in the Big Blue Nation will be on draft watch for the young player over the next few weeks, and it’s going to be hard to say no to being a top-10 pick.

Oscar Tshiebwe is in second round territory

Soon, Oscar Tshiebwe should claim every player of the year award in college basketball. The junior big man was phenomenal for Kentucky as the West Virginia transfer averaged 17.4 points, 15.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.6 blocks.

However, the draft decision won’t be easy for the consensus All-American.

Givony currently has the Kentucky star going at No. 42 overall to the Charlotte Hornets in the 12th pick of the second round. Tshiebwe is going to have to decide if getting paid in the professional route with no guarantee of being on an NBA roster is better than running it back at Kentucky.

In the era of NIL, these decisions could be more difficult for players, and Tshiebwe will have a big one to make. That final choice could have a seismic effect on the program. A return could help ease the blow for Calipari if Sharpe decides to be a none-and-done at Kentucky.