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Ranking the 10 best prospects in the Central Division

By Quinn Minnich

Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers and Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons. Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers and Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons. Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images /
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Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports) /

No. 7: Saddiq Bey

Am I underrating Saddiq Bey? Maybe, but in my opinion, he isn’t as good as NBA and Pistons fans think that he is. Known as a sharpshooter, he was drafted 19th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, but I’ve lost a lot of hype for him. Nothing against him, but just like Chris Duarte, I am not sure what his ceiling looks like, and if he is close to reaching it. He shot 39.6% from the field and 34.6% from distance last season, which was worse than his rookie season.

Bey is a solid defender, and knows where to be at the right time. His free throw shooting is solid, too, shooting 82.7% from the line last season. He was one of the few NBA players who were able to play all 82 regular season games last season, and he played 70 games last season. As the saying goes, the best ability is availability.

No. 6: Jalen Smith

Okay, sue me. I’ve bought a lot of stock on Jalen Smith this season. That’s just my opinion. I believe that considering he should be the starting power forward next season, he’ll be able to show a lot of promise next season. He’s a good defender, and his 3-point shot is coming around.

Playing for a rebuilding Indiana Pacers team, he will get a solid amount of playing time, and he will be able to show the NBA world what he really is capable of. Maybe I’m too high on Smith, but I believe in him.

Last season, Smith was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Pacers, along with a 2022 2nd-round pick for Torrey Craig. In my opinion, Smith is a better player than Craig, and this trade can go down poorly in the future for Phoenix if Smith becomes the talent I believe he can be.

No. 5: Bennedict Mathurin

With the 6th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Indiana selected Bennedict Mathurin. I didn’t expect to see this happenening. This doesn’t mean Mathurin is a bad player, by any means. I really like his game, and I think he’ll translate well to the NBA game. At the time of writing this article, the Pacers play tonight against Charlotte, so I have not seen really any action of Mathurin against NBA talent.

I think Mathurin could become a very good All-Star in the league, as he is only 20 years old and has a bright career ahead of him. Indiana is known for developing talent well. Just look at Domantas Sabonis, Paul George, and Victor Oladipo. All 3 of them were All-Stars, and two out of the three were Most Improved players.

So yes, Indiana can develop stars well, and I believe Mathurin can be a special talent.