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NBA Draft 2022: 5 most overrated prospects

By Rucker Haringey

Apr 2, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; Sweat flies through the air as Duke Blue Devils forward Paolo Banchero (5) saves a ball from going out of bounds against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half during the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four semifinals at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; Sweat flies through the air as Duke Blue Devils forward Paolo Banchero (5) saves a ball from going out of bounds against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half during the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four semifinals at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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NBA Draft, Walker Kessler
Auburn Tigers player Walker Kessler (13) dunks the ball as Auburn Tigers men’s basketball takes on Texas A&M Aggies at Auburn Arena in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022. Auburn Tigers defeated Texas A&M Aggies 75-58. /

3. Walker Kessler

Drafting a one-trick pony in Round 1 is a dangerous game for NBA GMs to play. Kessler projects to be an elite shot-blocker at the next level but his lack of another obvious professional skill should give teams a lot of pause before spending a high draft pick on the former Auburn star.

Kessler can’t contribute to a team that wants to switch on the perimeter which is a big strike against him. He can be a great rim protector in a drop coverage scheme but it’s hard for title contenders to employ that sort of defensive scheme effectively.

Any team that drafts him will be hoping that either his post-game or perimeter shooting ability takes off once he really gets into a professional development system. The fact that he’s shown almost no signs of developing either skillset as a collegian stacks the odds against that kind of improvement as a pro.

Kessler isn’t mocked in the Lottery by many experts at this point in the process which is good news for teams making picks in that range. He is, however, a consensus first-rounder. That’s too high for a center who only has one elite skill that can only be leveraged in an archaic defensive scheme.

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