2022 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Who gets the star big men at the top?

Sharpe is perhaps the biggest mystery box in the draft. He graduated from high school early to enroll at Kentucky for the spring semester, but only practiced with the team, not appearing in any games. He’s old enough to be eligible for the draft but he’d be something of a rarity in recent memory — a non-college prospect who also hasn’t played internationally or in the G League or Overtime Elite prep programs.

What we do know about Sharpe is that he’s an extremely athletic wing with a solid jumpshot, plus creation ability and a track record of being an extremely engaged and disruptive defender. Again, none of those have been proven against higher-level competition but he looks a bit like Jalen Green with more of a defensive motor.

The Pistons are in a tough spot, falling to No. 5 and missing out on the three big men at the top of the draft. They’d likely have preferred to find someone at the other end of the positional spectrum to be a long-term partner for Cade Cunningham, but Sharpe has tremendous upside and might be worth the risk over a player like Ivery with a more documented resume.