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With the 2022 NBA draft less than five days away, teams around the league will be finalizing their big boards in preparation for draft night.
One of the prospects expected to be in attendance on June 23 is former Kentucky commit Shaedon Sharpe, who redshirted his lone season with the program this past year. The former No. 1 prospect in the ’22 recruiting class, Sharpe is considered by many as one of the biggest enigmas in this year’s draft, having not played competitively since his standout senior season at Dream City Christian School in Glendale, Ariz.
But despite the glaring questions surrounding his potential, Sharpe did not hesitate to offer a bold proclamation during a pre-draft conference call with reporters on Friday.
“I see myself being one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball,” Sharpe said, per the Indy Star. “Just playing at the highest level, just really getting after it and competing. One of my goals coming in as a rookie is just win Rookie of the Year. That’s one of the goals and then also All-Star and later on Hall of Fame.”
While the polarizing prospect’s career goals are far from unique, his eye-opening comment shows the 19-year-old lacks zero confidence. However, that trait, while admirable to some, may seem a bit overzealous for a player who did not play one minute under Wildcats coach John Calipari.
Still, Sharpe’s promising profile combined with Calipari’s track record for producing NBA-level talent could be enough to influence a team to select him in the lottery. The 6’5” shooting guard has already worked out for several lottery teams, including the Blazers (No. 7 pick), Spurs (No. 9), Hornets (No. 13) and Pelicans (No. 8).
Although he’s expected to be selected early come next Thursday, Sharpe, the No. 8 prospect on Jeremy Woo’s big board, now enters the night with a boatload of added expectations after making his emphatic claim. And if eventually he turns out to be even half as impactful as the last dual ROY/All-Star (Blake Griffin, 2010–11), NBA Twitter might just implode.
