TyTy Washington (UK Athletics Photo)
I still remember in February when several people who followed the Grind Session closely started telling me just how good guard TyTy Washington was. He was not the best-known player on that elite circuit or the highest-ranked but he certainly kept doing things to impress almost everyone.
He eventually committed to Kentucky and signed with the Wildcats this spring and has been nothing short of sensational in summer workouts from all I have heard.
Apparently, at least one national basketball writer has been hearing and noticing the same things because Gary Parrish of CBS Sports has Washington projected as a top 10 NBA Draft pick in 2022.
“Kentucky got stuck last season without the kind of high-level one-and-done point guard John Calipari has used to make four Final Fours in 12 years with the Wildcats,” Parrish wrote.
“But things will get back to normal this season thanks to the enrollment of TyTy Washington, a 6-3 point guard who can create for himself (and others) and reliably shoot in a way that would be beneficial for any primary ball-handler playing with Zion Williamson in New Orleans.”
Parrish has the Pelicans taking Washington with the 10th overall pick — and that’s higher than Jalen Duren. You remember Duren. He’s the high school player who just reclassified to the 2021 recruiting class and picked Memphis over UK. Many had speculated Duren’s talent was so rare that he could be the No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick.
Not Parrish. He has him at No. 14 — the last pick in the lottery — by Memphis.
Here are the top nine picks, in order, in Parrish’s way early projected 2022 mock draft:
Here’s a look at Parrish’s full projected lottery:
Paolo Banchero, Duke; Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga; Jaden Hardy, G League; Caleb Houston, Michigan; Patrick Baldwin, Milwaukee; Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee; Adrian Griffin, Duke; Jabari Smith, Auburn; and Peyton Watson, UCLA.
