2022 NBA Draft Projections Update: Where Kansas Jayhawks Will be Drafted After the NBA Combine

Braun made a decision and Wilson made a jump in the last week at the NBA Combine.

The past week has seen big jumps and final decisions from Kansas players during a flurry of evaluations, interviews, and scrimmages. Here’s a quick recap of what’s taken place since the last BWR NBA Draft projection article:

Ochai Agbaji: He didn’t scrimmage at the NBA Combine, but he measured and tested. And he did both of those well. Agbaji’s 39-inch max vertical was fifth best, and he also finished in the top 10 out of 33 guards in attendance in height, standing reach, wingspan, and hand size. It’s clear Agbaji has an NBA body.

Christian Braun: Braun’s 40-inch vertical was third best and while his measurements weren’t quite as strong as Agbaji’s, he was the fourth tallest guard in attendance. In his two scrimmages, Braun averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 boards, while hitting 4-11 threes but only shooting 9-28 overall. Still, he heard enough to keep his name in the draft.

Jalen Wilson: Braun made the biggest decision so far but Wilson was arguably the biggest riser over the past week. Wilson started at the G League Elite camp and stood out so much (he hit 7-11 from 3 in two games and led all scorers in game one with 18 points) he received an invite to the combine later in the week. The shots didn’t fall as well at the combine (1-7 from 3 in two games) but he still averaged nearly 10 points with six rebounds and four assists.

David McCormack: McCormack measured 6-feet, 10.75-inches with shoes and a 7-foot-2 wingspan at the G League Elite where he scored six points and grabbed three rebounds in 17 minutes. But he also had the second largest body-fat percentage of anyone at the G League camp.

Our first evaluation of where each player was projected was back on May 16 before any of the combine camps began. Now it’s time to see who helped their causes coming out of the combine. The deadline to withdraw from the draft — which now mainly applies to Wilson — is June 1 and it sounds like a decision from Wilson is imminent. But as of writing (Sunday afternoon) no decision had yet been made.

Some reminders: there are dozens of mock drafts and breakdowns out there, but for this exercise, I’m just focusing on six publications:

• The Athletic
• CBS Sports
• ESPN
• The Ringer
• NBADraft.net
• NBA Draft Room

Second reminder: This is not a mock draft or a prediction of where a player will fall. It is simply a composite of how those in the industry currently see these Jayhawks projecting when we get to June 23.

Third reminder: there are only 58 picks in this year’s draft as Milwaukee and Miami have to forfeit second-round picks due to free agency tampering. That’s two fewer opportunities for someone like Wilson and McCormack to have their names called.

Ochai Agbaji

The Athletic: No. 16 on top 100 big board (updated May 2); No. 15 to Charlotte (May 18 mock draft)

CBS Sports: No. 9 on top 75 big board (updated May 13), No. 8 to New Orleans (May 20 mock draft)

The Ringer: No. 17 on big board (updated April 25); No. 15 to Charlotte (updated May 22)

ESPN: No. 15 to Charlotte (updated May 17)

NBADraft.net: No. 11 on big board (updated May 10); No. 10 to Washington (updated May 24)

NBA Draft Room: No. 16 to Atlanta (updated May 26)

Now that the lottery is set, it’s going to be all about fit in that 10-15 range for Agbaji and the most popular destination right now is with a young and athletic Charlotte squad. With athletic bigs and guards that can pass, it’s easy to see how he could fit into that roster.

Christian Braun

The Athletic: No. 39 on top 100 big board (updated May 2); No. 38 to San Antonio (May 18 mock draft)

CBS Sports: No. 31 on top 75 big board (updated May 13), No. 28 to Golden State (May 20 mock draft)

The Ringer: No. 28 on big board (updated April 25); Not a first-round mock pick (updated May 22)

ESPN: No. 28 to Golden State (updated May 17)

NBADraft.net: No. 48 on big board (updated May 10); Not drafted (updated May 24)

NBA Draft Room: No. 36 to Portland (updated May 26)

Braun is still not a clear-cut first rounder in the eyes of several mock drafters, but Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony had strong praise for Braun during workouts throughout the week. Many of these mocks were around the time of the combine so Braun still has opportunities to impress in workouts leading up to the draft and must have already gotten some good feedback to keep his name in already. But multiple people like him at the end of the first round to Golden State.

Jalen Wilson

The Athletic: Not included on top 100 big board (updated May 2); Not included in mock draft (May 18 mock draft)

CBS Sports: Not on top 75 big board (updated May 13), Not a first-round mock pick (May 20 mock draft)

The Ringer: Not on top 32 big board (updated April 25); Not a first-round mock pick (updated May 22)

ESPN: Not included in mock draft (updated May 17)

NBADraft.net: No. 92 on big board (updated May 10); Not included in mock draft (updated May 24)

NBA Draft Room: Not in top 120 prospects (updated May 26)

Wilson was one of the best players at the G League camp and while he performed decently well in the combine scrimmages, he’s still not a lock to be drafted. Braun teased an announcement coming soon and KU fans are eager to see if the final piece of the roster is returning.

David McCormack

The Athletic: Not included on top 100 big board (updated May 2); Not included in mock draft (May 18 mock draft)

CBS Sports: Not on top 75 big board (updated May 13), Not a first-round mock pick (May 20 mock draft)

The Ringer: Not on top 32 big board (updated April 25); Not a first-round mock pick (updated May 22)

ESPN: Not included in mock draft (updated May 17)

NBADraft.net: Not included on big board (updated May 10); Not drafted (updated May 24)

NBA Draft Room: No. 126 prospect (updated May 26)

McCormack was fairly productive in limited minutes but his measurements were just OK. Will he go straight to Europe or put work in the G League first?