ESPN's Latest Mock Draft Projects Cason Wallace as Top-10 Pick, Oscar Tshiebwe Late Second Rounder

The reigning National Player of the Year's draft stock is not seeing any improvement in his second season in Lexington.

The college basketball season is nearly two months old, meaning we've had time to take a good look at all of the future NBA talent that is roaming around the country — Victor Wembanyama not withstanding. 

(I mean really, how ridiculous is that guy?)

ESPN's Jonathan Givony has released his latest NBA mock draft, and two Kentucky Wildcats are included. 

True freshman guard Cason Wallace checks in at No. 9, falling into the hands of the Orlando Magic. 

Wallace, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, is coming off of a career-high 27-point, nine-assist performance in UK's 88-68 win over Florida A&M. Entering SEC play, Wallace is averaging His 11.8 PPG, 4.0 APG and 3.9 RPG.

Kentucky Basketball's early-season report card can be found here.

It's been a fruitful season thus far for the Dallas native. 

For reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe, you have to head down to the bottom half of the second round. Givony has the big man going 54th to the Phoenix Suns. 

After undergoing a knee procedure in October, Tshiebwe has done just fine in the nine games he's taken part in, averaging 15 PPG and 13 RPG. While impressive numbers, Big Blue Nation is still yearning for the return of the 2021 version of Tshiebwe, the one that became a unanimous NPOY in easy fashion. 

The dominance hasn't fully returned, though we witnessed a glimpse of it in his 28-point night against Yale on Dec. 10. 

Tshiebwe's draft stock was a talking point last season, as despite his ascendancy on the court, he was never projected as anything higher than a late first-rounder. He ultimately decided to come back for a second run in Lexington, but his hype as a future NBA star is not blossoming. 

See where Kentucky landed in the new AP Poll here.

Learn more about UK's upcoming opponent — the 11-1 Missouri Tigers — here.

COLUMN: Patience not guaranteed to yield success for Kentucky basketball

More on the victory over Florida A&M here.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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