The 2022 NBA Draft is set to take place on Thursday, June 23rd. Following the results of the NBA Draft Lottery, we now have a full picture of this year’s order of picks. There are plenty of quality prospects in this year’s NBA Draft class. Among the players that are expected to be lottery picks this year is guard Malaki Branham out of Ohio State. The following is a complete Malaki Branham draft profile including stats, highlights and an NBA Mock Draft projection.
Malakai Branham NBA Draft Profile, Stats, Highlights and Projection
Malaki Branham
Position: Guard
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 180
Age: 19
Team: Ohio State Buckeyes
2021-22 Malaki Branham Stats | Ohio State Buckeyes
G | Pts | Reb | Ast | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | Stl | Blk | TO |
32 | 13.7 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 49.8 | 41.6 | 83.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.7 |
Malaki Branham Draft Profile
Strengths
Other than attending the same high school that LeBron James attended, there is a lot to be excited about with Malaki Branham. The first thing to be excited about is Branham’s ability to score the ball. He has an NBA scoring arsenal, where he can score at all three levels. Shooting 50% from the field, 42% from three and 83% from the line should instantly attract NBA teams who will be in the hunt next year. Branham also has an excellent ability of driving, cutting and controlling his body in the paint. With his height and long arms, Branham should be able to provide some off-the-bench scoring early in his career.
Weaknesses
While he does possess a great shooting stroke, shooting off of the dribble is a little bit of a concern. Branham feels like a player who just goes out and plays basketball, as opposed to setting up plays and reading defenses. In college, Branham has shown a tendency to stop a shoot pull-up jumpers in the mid-range, when he has the ability to get to the hoop. He will also have to improve on chasing offensive players around screens and pushing them off of their spot on the defensive side of the ball.
Malaki Branham Highlights
Malaki Branham Draft Projection
All 2022 NBA Draft projections are taken from the latest Yahoo! Sports NBA Mock Draft by Krysten Peek.
Malaki Branham is currently projected to be drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 14 overall.