John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
TEAM: Kentucky
POSITION: Wing
CLASS: First-year student
HEIGHT: 6-7
AGE OF PROJECT: 20.5
According to Sam Vecenie, most NBA scouts and executives didn’t feel like they saw “a surefire top 3 guy in a normal draft class» when they attended the scrimmages between the NBL’s Perth Wildcats and the G League Ignite.
This may mean that the first choice comes from the university ranks and that a serious candidate, if he shoots the ball wellis Kentucky slasher Justin Edwards.
“He’s the safest,” an NBA scout told For The Win. “I know what I’m getting: good positional size, can make open 3-point shots, aggressive downhill attacker and he’s athletic above the rim.”
Edwards would benefit from improving his defensive consistency, but was named the 2022 Nike EYBL Indy Tour Defensive MVP. He led all players in Defensive Statistical Impact (DSI) and, by Cérébro, averaging 3.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Edwards also averaged 3.0 steals per game during the 2022 Nike EYBL Peach Jam tournament.
He is difficult to stop in transition and has already been impressive athletic flashes during GLOBL Jam for Kentucky. Unfortunately, he struggled to be effective on his jump shot.
“If he can shoot around 40 percent from 3-point range, he’s the No. 1 pick,” the scout added.
But perhaps the biggest obstacle for Edwards is his age. Edwards is older than several non-freshmen, including Tyrese Proctor and Donovan Clingan. He is also older than all 16 players selected in the 2023 NBA draft, including Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson.
But advanced statistics tend to appreciate its productivity and, by Evan Miyahis Bayesian Performance Prediction (BPR) ranks second among all freshmen next season.
