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The 2022 NBA Draft order has been set and the list of eligible players is officially locked in. We’re going to take a look at the top prospects in the 2022 NBA Draft, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and provide a player comparison for how we see them developing at the next level. Here’s a look at Tennessee G Kennedy Chandler.
Kennedy Chandler Draft Profile
Chandler is a wing who spent one year with Tennessee before declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft. He played 34 games with the Volunteers, averaging 13.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.2 steals per game while seeing an average of 30.8 minutes on the floor. Chandler was selected to the Second-team All SEC in 2022 as well as the SEC All-Freshman Team after an impressive freshman season for the Vols. Standing 6’0 at 171 lbs., he doesn’t have a lot of size but he makes up for it with his speed and vision on the court.
Strengths
Chandler’s ball handling skills are superb, giving up a limited amount of turnovers while finding creative ways to crack the opponent’s defense. He’s adept at driving toward the basket and either finishing at the rim, or dishing the rock out to an open teammate for an easy jumper. He’s comfortable on the ball and shot 38.3% from downtown in his lone season with Tennessee, specializing in pull-up jumpers from three-point land or midrange. On the defensive side, he shows awareness and understanding of his role and can pick off steals on a consistent basis.
Weaknesses
Given his small size, he’ll be targeted by plenty of other teams with a bigger backcourt, making him somewhat of a liability in certain situations especially as a rookie. While he’s comfortable shooting the ball from three, he’ll need some work on his consistency as a perimeter scorer, but over time he should be very capable of becoming a three-point threat.