A tour of the mocks.
It’s officially NBA Draft week, meaning on Thursday night, we’ll find out where Tennessee point guard Kennedy Chandler will land at the next level. Chandler is the latest five-star prospect to come through Tennessee, with hopes of following Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer to become a first-round pick this week.
Chandler, despite elite size, did in fact go one and done in Knoxville. He got off to a bumpy start, but settled in nicely to help push the Volunteers to an SEC Tournament title. Chandler started 34/34 games, averaging 30 minutes. He scored 13.9 points per game, adding 4.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 steals. Chandler shot 46 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point range.
His 6-1 frame isn’t ideal for today’s NBA game, but he is able to make up for that with a legit wingspan and athleticism.
A quick tour around the mock drafts paint a pretty clear picture of where Chandler is expected to land on Thursday night.
Kennedy Chandler NBA Draft Projection
Yahoo: No. 22 to Memphis
NBADraft.net: No. 27 to Miami
CBS: No. 22 to Memphis
USA Today: No. 30 to Denver
Sporting News: No. 23 to Philadelphia
ESPN: No. 22 to Memphis
Obviously, we’re all pulling for the Grizzlies here. Chandler is from Memphis and is close with Ja Morant, and the Grizzlies could lose backup point guard Tyus Jones to free agency. Memphis is set for the next couple of years, and seeing Chandler stay in the state and be a part of that potential run would be pretty cool.
Chandler is in a good spot here with a decent chance to land with a solid organization. We’ll all find out where he lands together on Thursday night, with the draft set for June 23rd at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.