Cavs 2022 NBA Draft Notebook: Jalen Williams Scouting Report

With just about a month to go until the 2022 NBA Draft for the Cleveland Cavaliers and other teams, most front offices are just starting to get their draft boards ready for the special occasion. Last week the NBA held its annual scouting combine, and some names shot up draft boards, while others stagnated or tumbled on most big boards.

With that being said, the top three picks of this draft are pretty much solidified, with Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, and Paolo Banchero expected to go 1-2-3 in some order. After that, you have guys like Shaedon Sharpe who impressed scouts with his shot-making ability it seems, but left some questions to be asked about his spot-up shooting. Jaden Ivey and Keegan Murray also had good combine outings, solidifying themselves in the top-8. After that, the draft board could go a number of ways.

AJ Griffin out of Duke was once looked at as a top-7 pick, but his past knee injuries are scaring some teams off. On the other side of the spectrum, Tari Eason impressed most scouts, and is looking more and more like a top-10 pick it appears. The biggest riser after the combine, might be the guy we covered yesterday, Dyson Daniels. However, for some players the combine just isn’t really needed.

In Kevin Durant’s case, he put up zero bench press reps at the 2007 combine, and he turned out to be one of the best players in the league. With that being said, for today’s scouting report, we’re going to take a look at a guy who used the combine to get on the radar, and at this point he’s likely to be a top-20 pick.

Jalen Williams out of Santa Clara is flying up draft boards after his combine performance last week. A three-year player at Santa Clara, during his final year he averaged 18 points per game, while shooting 51% from the field and 40% from three. Before last week, he was projected to go in the second round. But, he could be a player that really fits with the Cavs current roster, and is worth taking a long look at.