OH MY. 1 seed Baylor now out as well. Download this stock image: Waco, Texas, USA. Jan 4, Baylor (14-0) Win vs. Oklahoma, 84-74, 15. Feb 21 @ Oklahoma State, Baylor (23-5) Win vs. Oklahoma State, 66-64, 29. For the latest Josh Giddey rumors and salary info, click here. Follow @frankurbina_ Dec 28, Baylor (12-0) Win vs. Northwestern State, 104-68, 13. The Bears lost four starters from last year's national championship team and were hammered by injuries: likely rotation scorer Langston Love missed the entire year, versatile big man defender Jonathan Tchamwa-Tchatchoua suffered a season-ending injury and leading scorer LJ Cryer effectively did the same, playing just once in Baylor's final 14 games. Said of course he wanted to be out there. In that four-season stretch, Young ranks fourth in total points scored, behind just Harden,Giannis Antetokounmpo andDevin Booker. On his end, Russell said he wasnt thrilled with being benched as the Timberwolves season slipped away in Game 6 of the playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies, but he also said he still saw the overall campaign as a success. Ivey has gained much more consistency as a shooter and playmaker in 2022, as Purdue looks to make a deep run this March. 3 seed Purdue or No. He struggled enough, particularly with his shooting and decision-making, that Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch even opted to bench him in pivotal fourth quarters in the playoffs in favor ofPatrick Beverley, who isnt even on the team anymore. For the latest Kyrie Irving rumors and salary info, click here. Guard play always holds so much weight in . Davis is exactly what the doctor ordered for Penny Hardaway. 24 overall pick. Notes: He spent the summer working out with Jared Butler, Freddie Gillespie, and many other professional basketball players. Baylor basketball's historic year continued Thursday night, as the reigning national champions had two players selected in the NBA draft (and two more sign pro contracts afterwards). Adam Flagler gets one free throw and the lead is five. It almost feels like we, the media, do this every offseason, where we predict next year will be the yearLuka Doncic arrives to the season in shape physically and takes home the first league MVP award of his career. The Hottest NBA Players Of 2023. OH MY.Heels lead by 6 with 25.2 to goBaylor ball. Smart had the sixth-best defensive swing rating on those shots defended, forcing foes to shoot 6.5 percent worse than normal on those field-goal attempts. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Feb 18, 2022 Feb 18, 2022 . Thats what makes Curry leading the Warriors back to the top of the mountain so special, and lead them he did, as the former league MVP was incredible from start to finish last season. Adam Flagler (13.8 ppg., 2.2 rpg, 3.0 apg) is expected to move to point guard, creating more for incoming star freshman Keyonte George and LJ Cryer, who returns from a foot injury. Feb 28 @ Texas, Baylor (25-5) Win vs. Texas, 68-61, 31. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. And it wasnt all Russell Westbrooks fault. Recorded 11 20-plus point games with a season-high 26 points in matchups . From Jan. 21 through the end of the campaign, a 29-game stretch, Cunningham averaged 19.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.2 steals per contest, making a push for Rookie of the Year, an accolade in which he ultimately finished third. Baylor also went 21-for-26 from . 8 for Irving, still close enough to the top where his abilities as a player arent being disrespected but not high enough where he might make us look bad when he decides on the reason for his next sabbatical from the sport. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound veteran is an elite scorer who has shot over 37% from downtown in each of the past two seasons. 7 seed Murray State or No. Even despite that, Lillard still put up 24.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists per contest, numbers that most players would dream of averaging and that the Weber State legend was able to amass despite playing through debilitating pain. Providence: Veteran Jared Bynum is just a winning player that every good team desperately needs. 3:52 pm ET, at pic.twitter.com/kxazXGicBi. Alas, it was not to be for Paul and Co., as a humiliating Game 7 home defeat to a player coming up later on this list was the nail in the coffin for Phoenixs title hopes in 2021-22. The Best Basketball Players In The 2022 NBA Draft. Adam Flagler, LJ Cryer, Langston Love, Dale Bonner and Keyonte George give Scott Drew a ton of ridiculously talented guards. He can score 20+ points most of the time and went for 35 in a single game last season and with star forward and Mountain West Player of the Year David Roddy now gone, the senior was set to lead the Rams on offense completely. EX Baylor Point Guard vs. December 11, 2022: Mary Hardin-Baylor (Division III) 71-65: Texas State: December 13, 2022: Conference winners and tournaments. Theres no doubt the 22-year-old is a downright stud on the basketball court and one of the most exciting point guards we have in the game today. He's going to be a fantastic gamechanger in the Big East because his pick-'n'-roll navigation is as good as it gets. Baylor closed the final 10:08 of the first half after Brady Manek's ejection on a 38-13 run to erase North Carolina's 25-point lead. Thats why Atlanta went out and acquiredDejounte Murray, one of the best two-way guards in the league and someone wholl be able to take some of the playmaking load off of Youngs shoulders. In 2021-22, Lowry averaged 13.4 points on 44.0 percent shooting (37.7 percent from deep) and 7.5 assists. We might no longer be questioning the Morant/Young debate. at A frustrating end to the season has seemingly clouded the fact that Sahvir Wheeler put up some eye-popping numbers for Kentucky in his first year with the program. In 2021-22, Lowry averaged 13.4 points on 44.0 percent shooting (37.7 percent from deep) and 7.5 assists. All in all, if hes healthy once again in 2022-23, Ball should be able to outpace his place in these rankings he was that effective last season for Chicago. The Tar Heels now get both players back and are just two games from a Final Four berth. 15th Jan, 2022. Hell return by SEC play but also will be part of a committee alongside Jaden Bradley and Mark Sears, which will affect his overall stats anyways. 2. A down 2021-22 regular season was followed up by an even less impressive 2022 playoff run byKyle Lowry, though personal issues which forced him to miss time hampered the former while injury hindered the latter. There also are plenty of mid-major stars that have a case to make as well with another year in their belt. But Wheeler should get better in Kentucky's player-development program. ARMANDO BACOT AND-1!!! For the latest Trae Young rumors and salary info, click here. !UNC 80, BU 80 | :15 2H#SicEm | #CultureofJOY pic.twitter.com/xHYk8rf3No, Three. 2022-23 Big 12 Conference Standings . Injury concerns factored intoLonzo Balls place in these rankings, with the Chicago Bulls still publicly showing some concern regarding whats going on with the former UCLA Bruins knee. 2021-22 Baylor Bears Men's Roster and Stats Previous Season Next Season Record: 27-7 (14-4, 1st in Big 12 MBB ) Rank: 4th in the Final AP Poll Coach: Scott Drew More School Info Big 12 Reg Season Champ Baylor (Men's) School History Roster & Stats Polls, Schedule & Results Game Log Starters On this page: Roster Per Game Team and Opponent Stats Sochan hit a free throw to take the Tar Heel lead to 24, then Flagler scored eight quick points and just like that, the lead was 16 and the comeback was on. He finished with a game-high 30 points, including 17 in the first half as North Carolina built its original lead. There also are. Not many believed prior to 2021-22 that Golden State was a surefire championship contender, not with so much uncertainty surroundingKlay Thompsons return and not after back-to-back years of the team missing the playoffs. (Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald via AP) - 2NKXGWB aus der Alamy-Bibliothek mit Millionen von Stockfotos, Illustrationen und Vektorgrafiken in hoher Auflsung herunterladen. And if he continues to improve in 2022-23 as he has every other year of his career, hell prove this ranking wrong. pic.twitter.com/GXQCSeJMjH, (@PlayoffShai) July 10, 2022. though a deal, at least to this point, hasnt come to fruition. The bottom part of the bracket sees one of either No. Westbrook shouldered the majority of the blame for L.A.s struggles last season, a year in which the purple-and-gold franchise missed the playoffs for the second time in four seasons. And thus far, the 19-year-old has not disappointed, posting a 2nd Team All-Rookie campaign in 2021-22 after averaging 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game, marks that place him in impressive company. Now, Harden is coming off a somewhat down year, as the bearded superstar averaged his per-game point total since 2011-12 when he was still a bench player for the Thunder. So for all of this to be heaped on Russ, its kind of unfair, in a sense and unfair reality, to be quite honest. STARTING Baylor Point Guard (NBA PROSPECT & LEADING SCORER!!) On the year, Ivey is a 48.5% shooter from the field and a 42.4% shoot from behind the three point line. Bob Cousy Award (best point guard): Jerry West Award (best shooting guard): Julius Erving Award (best small forward): Karl Malone Award (best power forward): We see no drop-off coming for Holiday in 2022-23 despite the fact hes now 32, as his game should continue to age well. Garland uses his shooting, his most impressive trait both off the dribble and with his feet set to get buckets from all over the floor. D'Angelo Russell wasn't ready to reflect much on the playoffs or discuss his contract situation. Position: Shooting guard. LJ Cryer and Dale Bonner each scored 15 points, and No. 2022 Draft Workouts: James Akinjo. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. The future is bright for the young Pacer. To determine these rankings, we voted as a team and aggregated the vote to make a final list. 5 seed Saint Mary's in the Sweet 16, with those two teams matching up later Saturday. The Phoenix Suns finished the campaign with a ridiculous 64-18 record and with the best net rating in the NBA at +7.5 with Paul pulling the strings for what appeared to be the leagues strongest contender. Big man Drew Timme is the face of the franchise for the Zags, but their point guard depth is absurd. Alabama has a lot of injury concerns, but if March rolls around and Jahvon Quinerly, Nimari Burnett, Mark Sears, Jaden Bradley and Dominick Welch are all healthy, Nate Oats is going to have an embarrassment of riches in the backcourt. If Johnson stays out of trouble off the court and Hood-Schifino flourishes, Indiana could win the Big Ten. He's one of the best guards in the Mountain West. Hunter is the reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year who defends like his life is on the line and has All-American upside if his jumper comes around. If North Carolina's guards continue to play at such a high level, the Tar Heels are as dangerous as anybody left in the East. NCAA Tournament: Feb 12, Baylor (21-4) Win vs. Texas, 80-63, 26. He's a little more of the old-school version because he's really trying to get others involved first. Black is an awesome do-everything-but-shoot guard. In 2021-22, Ball put up 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks nightly while shooting 42.3 percent from three, by far the highest rate of his time in the NBA. Now, that cantall be attributed to Ball, asZach LaVine was playing through injury,DeMar DeRozan cooled off andNikola Vucevic seemingly forgot how to shoot. With the guard-heavy construction, Baylor is 12th in offensive efficiency, but 148th on the other end. Find out more. 2 with the top two prospects, Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren . With his expertise in so many different facets of the game and thanks to his great size for a lead guard at 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, the sky is the limit for Cunningham, who has the potential to develop into an All-Star, and likely even more, for the Detroit Pistons. Describing Texas' point guard room as "loaded" might be underselling how special this unit might be. Baylor Bears guard Langston Love (13) and forward Caleb Lohner (33) celebrate after Baylor defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half of a college basketball game on Friday, Dec. 2,. Baylor is likely to lose star freshmen Kendall Brown and Jeremy Sochan to the NBA Draft but can build around Adam Flagler, who scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half, along with a top five. Nov 9, 2021; New York, New York, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Sahvir Wheeler (2) dribbles up court against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Hell have a full offseason and training camp. James Akinjo and Matthew Mayer both have four fouls. KU still holds an overwhelming series lead over them in that time. It has a chance to get a bit midrange-heavy at times, but Smith is going to average. Jordan Lewis (Baylor, Guard, Graduate Student) Pro-ready skill: In her six-year collegiate career, Lewis always had a free-throw rate (a percentage of two-point scoring trips that result in a. In the second round, the Sun selected former Baylor point guard Jordan Lewis with the No. That includes BPM (3.6), VORP (3.5) and Win Shares (6.7), with VanVleet also posting career highs in the major raw statistics 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists to go with 1.7 steals and 3.7 triples nightly. Baylor's guards give everybody fits. Baylor Scheierman (55) Guard - 2021-22: Junior at South Dakota State Selected as the 2022 Summit . Caleb Love had some massive moments in the NCAA Tournament, but R.J. Davis' emergence was one of the real reasons why North Carolina advanced all the way to the championship game. Preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the nations best point guard: pic.twitter.com/goVyNjNUYa, Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) October 24, 2022. More Jaden Ivey. 'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs'); With the boring doldrums of the offseason firmly upon us, we though it a solid time to begin a fun summer project, one that will see us preview the upcoming NBA campaign by ranking the Top 25 players in every position, from point guard to center. Memphis' point guard room went from a major weakness to a major strength when the Tigers landed SMU transfer Kendric Davis. However, this offseason looks to be different, as pictures that have surfaced this summer of Doncic have the Slovenian superstar looking downright svelte, more than ever before: A ripped Luka Doncic is scary for the rest of the NBA heading into next season #NBATwitter #MFFL pic.twitter.com/f4NH4F1Gbi, (@_Talkin_NBA) June 27, 2022. A Final Four is possible: North Carolina finds itself as the first team in the Sweet 16 of an East Region that has opened up with No. Flo Thamba, Baylor's only real matchup physically for Armando Bacot, quickly fouled out. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: collegebasketball | pageType: stories | Gilgeous-Alexander averaged a career-high 24.5 points last season to go with 5.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.3 steal. Baylor (19-10, 10-7 Big 12) won 63-54 at 12th-ranked Texas on Monday, holding the Longhorns to a season low in points, ending their 12-game home winning streak and preventing them from clinching . We start with arguably the most hotly contested position in the modern NBA, point guard, with so many of the leagues best players filling that role. Baylor knocked off Texas 63-54 Monday night in the Moody Center in Austin for the green and gold's third-straight win and fifth victory over a top-25 opponent this season. Defensive deficiencies aside, Trae Young is an absolute master on the offensive end of the floor and has been since his arrival to the NBA in 2018-19. could help take some of the pressure off of Westbrook and get him playing more like his old self. Kriisa and Ramey both play so hard. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Learn more and register, Height of bar is margin of victory Mouseover bar for details Click for box score Grouped by Month, 1. The Bears continued to hound the Tar Heels, with James Akinjo tying the game at 80 with an and-one with 15.8 seconds left. The playmaking guard was a starter for the Tide last season, scoring 20+ points six times and being a steady scorer on offense throughout. Now that he should be back to feeling 100 percent in 2022-23 and fresh off of signing a max extension with the Portland Trail Blazers, we believe Lillard can be back to his old form. If fully healthy and back to his former self, we likely underrated the explosive, score-first lead guard. So lets get to the top point guard for 2022-23, according to us. Yet another disappointing playoff finish was in the cards forChris Paul in 2021-22, a true shame considering last season legitimately looked like Pauls best chance to win the first championship of his career. Overtime will be interesting. Giddeys shooting remains a question mark, as does his athleticism, which at times prevents him from getting by opponents without the help of a pick. Ben Simmons, on the other hand, might actually be even more difficult to estimate due to a host of factors. But like Stevens, Quinerly is also set to miss the non-conference portion of the season, still recovering from an injury suffered in the NCAA Tournament. If not, then we may have erred ranking him at all among the Top 25 point guards in basketball. Giddey looked even more confident and impressive in this years Summer League, using his eyes to manipulate defenders, hitting skip passes that 10-year veterans wouldnt even consider and drawing in defenses to set up easy looks for teammates: Is this Josh Giddey or Magic Johnson? Dec 20, Baylor (11-0) Win vs. Alcorn State, 94-57, 12. Remember: North Carolina is without both Brady Manek and Caleb Love. Houston's trio of Tramon Mark, Marcus Sasser and Jamal Shead is just dirty. 2:24 pm ET, at If Kelvin Sampson wins the National Championship, it's because his guards played up to their sky-high potential. Four players scored in double figures on Monday night for No. Expect Walker and Hoggard to play a lot of minutes together next year. Irving has many out there who consider him to be the best dribbler basketball has ever seen. I think he wasnt mentally there in terms of a return this past April, which wouldve entailed a postseason run. St. Johns: A point guard room of Andre Curbelo and Posh Alexander is talented enough to be in the top-20. Davis should only be better in Year 3. While some addressed those in free agency, others relied on the draft,. 2:52 pm ET, at Houston is going to put opposing teams in hell because Mark, Sasser and Shead will always force scramble situations because you can't stay in front of them. Series History. That remains to be seen, though the latest intel leaked to the media is starting to make that look like a real possibility, with Westbrook,LeBron James andAnthony Davis reportedly sharing a phone call to get on the same page ahead of the 2022-23 season. Virginia Tech: Sean Pedulla just plays older than he is. July 26, 2022- Baylor guard Jared Butler, who named Lowry first when asked for his NBA player comparison, said he met with the Knicks and nine other teams Thursday at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. Illinois: They might only be freshmen, but Skyy Clark and Jayden Epps are both prized recruits who should get a long leash in Year 1. Over the last two campaigns, the 2020 draftee ranks fifth league-wide in total assists with 628. . We expect Young to still be the teams primary floor general, however, with Murray taking more of an off-ball role, hence, his place in this ranking and Murrays inclusion with the shooting guards. The Big 12 has proved to be one of the deeper conferences in the country, and . Jan 15, Baylor (15-2) Loss vs. Oklahoma State, 54-61, 18. What a shot RJ Davis! 1v1 AGAINST BAYLOR Point Guard AUSTIN MILLSSUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/CalebNashFeemster?sub_confirmation=1Follow me on Instagram: @CalebNashFeemste. If Wheeler's jumper doesn't come along, Kentucky will have plenty of high-floor options. Oh, and then Morris is a 5-star freshman who some believeis the best point guard in the Class of 2022. Dont believe us? I've been saying for the past month that I've heard it is over a 50% chance that D'Angelo Russell is traded this offseason. Case in point, the NBA's top four leaders in pull-up 3-pointers per game last season were all point guards -- Damian Lillard, Curry, James Harden and Luka Doncic. We dont expect a huge leap from Smart in 2022-23, as offensively, the now-28-year-old appears to simply be who he is at this point, but hes still one of the feistiest backcourt defenders out there and the type of player to put his body on the line to make winning plays. Unfortunately, Stevens recently suffered a serious foot injury thatll keep him out for 2023, hopefully for the start of league play. Do you have a sports website? Still, we opted to play it safe and keep the smooth Canadian guard with the point guards, which we felt better about after seeing thatBasketball-Reference had Gilgelous-Alexander as playing 62 percent of his 2021-22 minutes as a point guard. In the past three games, the Cowboys have combined for 16-of-74 from 3-point range, good for 21.5%. UMass Minutemen (14-14, 5-11 A-10) at Duquesne Dukes (19-10 . Baylor quickly ripped off a 20-4 run aided by North Carolina point guard Caleb Love fouling out as well and were able to apply pressure thanks to Adam Flagler ripping off a huge second half. Damian Lillard, Featured, Ja Morant, Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, Top, Trae Young, Basketball, NBA, Ranking, Basketball, NBA, Ranking, Damian Lillard, Featured, Ja Morant, Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, Top, Trae Young, Mavericks vs. Nuggets: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, Pistons vs. Celtics: Start time, where to watch, what's the latest, reportedly sharing a phone call to get on the same page, to talk about why he finds that to be unfair to the triple-double machine, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. For the latest Ja Morant rumors and salary info, click here. Mason, Graham, Dotson, Taylor, Martin, etc. Joseph Salvador Mar 16, 2022 In this story: Baylor Bears Baylor will be without leading scorer LJ Cryer for the first weekend of the men's NCAA tournament, coach Scott Drew announced. The Sooners also landed top-60 point guard Milos Uzan and Bijan Cortes flashed some intriguing playmaking skills as a freshman. Baylor has that in spades. 16 . Baylor went on the road and notched a monster 74-68 win over Oklahoma State. Scott Drew couldn't watch UNC's final shot of regulation pic.twitter.com/ro7HhQYKqT, OVERTIME The defending champ Baylor Bears came back from down 25 pic.twitter.com/JcMhZ6buw8, WE ARE HEADED TO OT Head to CBS to watch a thriller between @UNC_Basketball and @BaylorMBB! His midrange game is just nasty, plus Davis shot over 40% from 3-point range in ACC play last season. An All-Summit League First Team. Able to knock down shots from all over the floor, either with his feet set or off the dribble, and do so accurately, is one of Balls biggest strengths. 2:59 pm ET, at 2022-23 could be the best version of Gilgeous-Alexander we have seen, as the now-24-year-old has shown continued improvement every season of his career. Plus, with Giddey firmly in the fold now for Oklahoma City and even making it onto these very rankings, we could have easily slid Gilgeous-Alexander one spot up the positional scale and listed him with the shooting guards.