2022 NBA Draft Profile: Jaden Ivey

20-Year-old Purdue Sophmore Jordan Ivey is one of the many exciting prospects entering the 2022 NBA Draft. The 6-4 combo guard, who is also the son of the current Notre Dame Woman’s coach, saw his stock go through the roof after his second season to solidify his spot as one of the best guards in College Basketball last season.

Many draft experts are high on the potential of Ivey, having him projected as high as four to the Sacramento Kings this year’s draft. It’s easy to see why after a strong performance in the Big-Ten Tournament and March Madness.

He’s shown tremendous growth as a player in year two at Purdue and is viewed highly amongst Draft experts and analysts. Here’s why.

Strengths

It’s no doubt that Ivey is a dynamic offensive player. He is averaging 17.3 points per game in his second season. His shot-creating ability was on full display, showing he can be a threat in either pick-and-roll situations or shooting off the dribble. He showed an ability to shoot, improving from his first year, shooting 37 percent from the three-point territory.

But where Ivey shined the most was as a finisher. He has a knack for getting to the rim, proving to be an explosive finisher, either cutting to the basket, finishing with both hands, or exploding to the edge with a vicious dunk on the fast break that allowed him to draw comparisons to guards like Ja Morant and Prime Derrick Rose. Ivey has shown great potential on defense by utilizing his 6-foot height, athleticism, and 6-foot-9 wingspan to his advantage.

Weakness

Though Ivey showed the potential to be a transcendent guard on the next level, he showed that he could be streaky, with some poor shooting performances, including his performance at the Big Ten Championship Game, where he shot 1-9 from three. He has shown some inconsistency on defense, falling asleep on that side of the floor. He also needs to increase his assist total to become a better playmaker.

How the Jazz Could The Jazz Land Him

Ivey will likely be the first or second guard in this year’s draft. If the Utah Jazz have any hope of landing Ivey, moving up in the Draft board by making trading picks and key players on their current roster will be the key to bringing Ivey to Salt Lake City.