SEC Basketball: 5 biggest 2022 NBA Draft decisions to watch for this offseason
By Matt Melton
2. Jaylin Williams – Arkansas Razorbacks
For an Arkansas team that is certainly already in the conversation for the preseason No. 1 team nationally in 2022-23, the Razorbacks you could argue would cement themselves as the top team should Williams return, one of SEC Basketball’s biggest breakout players from this past season.
A First Team All-SEC and All-Defense selection, Williams averaged a phenomenal 10.9 PPG and 9.8 RPG for the Razorbacks this past season as one of the better interior defensive players in the conference. Should he declare, Williams would likely be a mid-to-late second round pick, but would also be one of the SEC’s better interior players should he return for his junior season for one of the nation’s top teams.
1. Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky Wildcats
The defending SEC Player of the Year, as well as a winner of other awards such as the 2021-22 Naismith Award, you could certainly make an argument for Kentucky potentially being the top preseason team in SEC Basketball if Tshiebwe were to return for the 2022-23 season.
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A player who averaged 17.4 PPG and 15.2 RPG with 28 double-doubles this past season, Tshiebwe is likely projected to go anywhere within the second round of the 2022 Draft should he choose to declare. If he chooses to return to Kentucky however, Tshiebwe will undoubtedly be the preseason SEC and National Player of the Year favorite, and would help solidify the Wildcats as a preseason national title contender.