Before the Sixers change that choice, they’ll have to think long about Blake Wesley of Notre Dame.

The year 2022 NBA draft will be held on Thursday, June 23rd. As the Nets decided to postpone the option owed to them in the James Harden transaction, Spruces elects the 23rd place in the general classification. Before the draft, let’s look at a number of prospects that could suit Sixers and be a real opportunity No. 23.

There are growing signs that Daryl Morey and Elton Brand are swapping their choice for the 2022 NBA draft. The rumor is that they are buying Danny Green and voter no. 23. But if they choose to keep it, they may consider making another very big boost.

And Blake Wesley, a 6-5, £ 187, 19-year-old Notre Dame guard, could just fit in at the expense.

South Bend IN. The native played 35 games last season, scoring 14.4 points in 40.4% of the floor, 30.3% of the deep throw and 65.7% of the ball, throwing 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 innings. He gave this coveted triple threat skill set and showed that there is a talent that can help his team both off-ball and as a game manager.

Wesley was part of the 2021-22 All-ACC Second Team and the 2021-22 All-ACC Freshman Team. Some people wondered if he could make the lottery jump in 2023 if he continued for another season, but he’ll be one and done … Notre Dame’s first.

Only a few of your favorite Sixers potential customers received Green Room invitations (predicted for the top 20 selections). Wesley is one of those men. For example, Tari Eason, Jalen Williams, MarJon Beauchamp and Wesley received an invitation from the Green Room to Thursday’s draft, while Jaden Hardy, Dalen Terry, Kendall Brown, Kennedy Chandler and EJ Liddell did not.

And you can see some of the reasons why he sometimes seemed a pro among college players, like when he accepted six triplets from Wake Forrest:

Rankings:

• ESPN ranks 27th overall.
• Helina: 21
• The Athletic: 24
• CBS: 26

Strenghts

Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

Wesley has an exciting cart and feels comfortable changing pace and direction in small spaces. He has shown both slippery and fierce results in Notre Dame with just 35 games. He mixes cat speed, through compression in tight spaces, raw power using a strong lower body, and has shown enough to paint an abstract portrait of a versatile two-way NBA combined defender in the future.

Watching his movie, I’m surprised I haven’t mentioned his name anymore in Sixersville. He has an impressive outlook.

Among the nation’s best ball handlers, Wesley simply found it too hard to keep up with most of the defenders, creating valuable color touches for his team through isolation and ball screen action, while waving a raw game moment.

Like Jake Rosen, with whom our Jackson Frank recently came in, you can tell colorlessness is what it’s all about.

He has even shown a flash for big moments, drilling some clutches of Irish vs. Against Georgia Tech, Boston College, the University of Kentucky and most prominently against the alabama tournament.

In defense, she has shown that she can stay with her husband, has liquid hips, fast legs and good balance. Over the years, he also developed his ability to select passes (44 ball losses in total) and create a high percentage of blue and gold transitions.

Wesley has an aggressive and confident outlook. It can work for and against him. But he was a crucial part of Fighting Irish’s second tournament win over Alabama, scoring 18 points on the big stage and 8 points out of 14 with three intermissions.

Wesley excelled in pick and roll situations:

He is a good athlete who would bring tempting agility to every team on the wing.

His plus 6-9 wingspan and 8-7 grips at both ends of the floor help him confirm the theory that he will one day be able to keep 1-3 in the big leagues and improve his finish on the edge.

About ESPN as of March 2022:

“Wesley is a great talent with NBA legs who shifts the drip, is able to paint at will, and has at least enough triblavisk potential to suggest that there is room for improvement. if he hits the ball well.

It remains to be seen whether Wesley did enough in the pre-draft process to justify the choice among teenagers, but it is clear that he will be impressed by a serious NBA-level blow.

Weaknesses

Photo by Brian Sevald / NBAE via Getty Images

Wesley enjoys playing with the ball, his utilization rate was 31.3 and there is no obvious need for another player to dominate the ball in many competing teams. It would probably be better to serve him in a secondary, tertiary or non-ball role at the beginning of his career. However, his try and shoot game may not be ready for it all.

He achieved only 32 percent catching and shooting jumpers and 33 percent of all jumpers.

As Mike Schmitz wrote, before leaving ESPN for Portland Trailblazers:

“Among 143 players who scored at least 130 shots on the field, Wesley is ranked 142nd in terms of efficiency. He also has to prove himself a perimeter shooter throughout the pre-drift process, finishing the year at 30.3%.

So despite the clear plus and talent, Wesley has a game of frivolity that makes scouts wonder when (or if) he can put it all together.

Certainly the problems for him last year were losing the ball and shooting the perimeter. He scored three out of 14 losses in the final knockout game against Texas Tech. The game seemed a little quick for him at that moment.

Weak shooting differences have emerged, with the freshman finishing: 40.4 / 30.3 / 65.7.

Newer looks:

Its easy to get to its seats and cause isolation, its apparent comfort that drips, teases as a jumper. But the fact remains, its current form is not a finished product. And that may be why he’s too often accepting controversial jerks when his preferred brother-in-law repel him.

His shooting mechanics are compact, but last year he felt a catapult as he pulls the ball towards the face with his elbow bent, then shoots without an optimal arc:

If this leap comes, he is likely to be a big theft place where he is thought to have been chosen. But since shooters are never sure that a significant and lasting improvement is certain, Wesley slips into a second round.

Here, his free-throw form shows that he has most of the principles at hand, but Frank Ntilikina still seems a little stiff:

This exaggerated backward tilt (look at his hips in front of his shoulders) suggests an imbalance:

But he’s been working hard on it ever since, and lately it seems a little smoother. The right elbow may be low, but it works.

His shooting range is too low. He has to keep it up, above his elbows, so that he can get more arches. Lock your elbow and freeze the follow-up.

Suitable for Sixers

If Sixers decides to leave this option, it is tempting to take one of the biggest upside prospects in the range. Ringer Kevin O’Connor advised Philadelphia to take Wesley because he appears to be getting buckets. KOC sees shades of Tyler Herro, Jamal Crawford and Bones Hyland in Wesley. While I’m not sure if I’d agree with them, given the smoothness of these guys’ jumps, I can certainly stick to the idea of ​​compiling a BW if they keep that choice.

Do Sixers feel confident that they can work with a prospect who is almost, but not yet, complete?

Recall that the release of Tires Maxey was not as smooth as it is today:

Maxey had a good base. So if the Philadelphia office thinks Wesley does that, thinks he’s a tireless worker, thinks they can help him with the rest, it makes a lot of sense.

Speaking of … Krysten Peek caught up with B-Dub, who is a big Maxey fan (emoticon eyes):

KRYSTEN PEEK: What NBA players are you watching and trying to emulate after your game?

BLAKE WESLEY: Tyrese Maxey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

KRYSTEN PEEK: Oh, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?

BLAKE WESLEY: Yes, he is. And Caris LeVert. People remind me of Caris LeVert because I got moves like her and I like the ability to jump like her and like to jump like her.

However, the probability that Wesley will not be able to earn minutes this season seems reasonable. He may rethink and misread, he may hesitate and accept heavy midfields. That’s definitely not what the Sixers are looking for, and part of why Jaden Springer spent a year at the Blue Coats, as Daryl Morey has suggested. They need someone who can just let it fly deep from the corners without thinking about it, and D up.

Blake Wesley may not be ready for that. But he would be better off attacking than Matisse Thybulle, for example. And he’s a much better defender than names like Jaden Hardy. However, he didn’t hit too many free throws. His decision was dubious. So he may not be ready to step on the floor and force a conservative coach like Doc Rivers to play right away like Maxey once did; especially in James Harden.

So when I hear Wesley’s name call out on Thursday, I’m not scared if it’s for another team that’s in progress. He is a raw prospect with legitimate NBA tools and talent, so many teams are likely to be excited to shape him. Again, the market value comes into play if you want the property to be valued. But if they stay with him, you can slowly get excited that they made one big boost on the board in the 23rd selection. And I’m pretty optimistic that the leap is working. So if the teams start calling about Wesley, I’d be tempted to say, “Yeah, um, we’ll take you back on this.”