Gonzaga Bulldogs: Tis the season to be in the 2022 NBA Draft

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May 13, 2022
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Drew Timme, Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Five of the Gonzaga Bulldogs declared for the 2022 NBA draft.  Four are invited to the draft combine. Will it improve their draft stock?

All of the Gonzaga Bulldogs starters declared for the 2022 NBA Draft. According to mock drafts, only Chet Holmgren is in the first round of the draft. Drew Timme, Andrew Nembhard, and Julian Strawther‘s mock drafts show them in the second round. Unfortunately, Rasir Bolton was not shown on any mock draft. The NBA draft combine invites are given out from a list of the 30 NBA teams voting on their 100 top prospects. Holmgren, Timme, Strawther, and Nembhard are invited.

General managers, head coaches, assistants, and scouts from the 30 NBA teams work the players over at the combine. They go through medical exams, scrimmages, and drills. So if you’re one of the lucky 30 that will make up the first round, there probably won’t be much you have to prove. But, on the other hand, if you’re projected to go in the second round, it couldn’t hurt to be seen and increase your draft stock or profile.

Will the combine improve our players?

Chet Holmgren – Holmgren is the Gonzaga Bulldog superstar “Unicorn.” Holmgren, like his Minnehaha predecessor Jalen Suggs, will go in the top five. Holmgren is invited to the combine and will use it to showcase that his thin frame will not stop him from kicking butt in the paint. So I predict, and remember you heard it here, “Chet Holmgren, 2023 Rookie of the Year.”

Andrew Nembhard – This past season, Nembhard was the Gonzaga Bulldogs floor general extraordinaire. He is called a “true point guard” in many draft write-ups. His basketball IQ is off the charts. Nembhard always has his eyes up to find the best way for his teammates to score or defend the ball. Yet, in one of the mock drafts, he is projected at no. 42, to the New York Knicks. Yes!

Nembhard is one of the top point guards in the NCAA. His draft notes are excellent and describe Nembhard as a “coach on the floor who excels at running the offense.” Can the combine help him? I believe it will because this draft is very low in guards.

Who should return to school…

Drew Timme – Timme is the West Coast Conference Player of the Year. Could someone please tell me why he isn’t predicted to go low first-round or high second-round in any mock drafts? I believe if Timme gains an outside shot or more protection at the rim, he will increase his draft stock.

Timme will work out with the Atlanta Hawks before the combine, which begins May 16 in Chicago. Will the combine help him? Maybe so, but another year at Gonzaga will definitely raise his stock.

Julian Strawther – Unfortunately for Strawther, he was only on two of the mock drafts. In my opinion, Strawther should return to Gonzaga. He is a similar player to Corey Kispert. Kispert withdrew from the draft in his sophomore year and returned to Gonzaga. Then, in his junior year, he teamed up with Timme and this new kid, Jalen Suggs. They formed the “terrifying trio” and took the Gonzaga Bulldogs to the National Championship. Kispert went 15th in the 2021 Draft to the Washington Wizards.

Strawther should return to the Gonzaga Bulldogs for another year. The draft combine will show where he needs to improve, and Coach Mark Few will show him how to get it done.

Rasir Bolton – Bolton can return to Gonzaga on a Covid year, and he should. I’m more confident than ever, especially with Timme and Strawther returning, that a National Championship will belong to the Gonzaga Bulldogs!

I will be back to revisit this after the combine (May 16-22). Let me know what you think in the comments below or on social media. Stay safe and healthy out there!

 

 

 

 

 

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