Thoughts on the 2022 McDonald’s All-American Game

March 30^th, 2022

By Alan Lu

I decided to take the time to watch yesterday’s McDonald’s All-American Game, as it featured numerous prospects that could be selected high in the 2023 draft.  This game serves as an early preview as to whom some of the best prospects and players may be for next season, and many of them (if not all) will play college basketball.  It was an up-tempo game that had some very good moments, but the East was able to run away with a decisive victory by defeating the West by double-digits.  Dariq Whitehead was named the game’s MVP, but there were also strong performances from Cam Whitmore, Dereck Lively, Kel’el Ware, and other various players.  Here are my thoughts on how the top performers fared in this game, and what to maybe expect from them for next season. Also, for those that are interested in the box score, here is the link, via @JacobPolacheck on Twitter.

Strong Performances (9):

In this game, I felt there were many strong performances, and these players looked to be the cream of the crop among the players that played in the 2022 McDonald’s All-American game.

Duke’s 6-6 incoming freshman swingman, Dariq Whitehead had a strong showing to lead the East to a win in this game.  He was named the 2022 McDonald’s All-American game MVP, and he is an athletic, skilled player that showed off versatile skills to help his team get the victory.

Whitehead did a very good job of shooting and scoring the basketball.  He is an athletic sharpshooter that particularly showed a knack for dribbling to his left to knock down smooth, pull-up threes, and he also made an open three off the catch another time.  He also excelled at scoring on fast breaks, and he also managed to score on a crafty, reverse layup off of a drive in transition.  He also tried to score in the post, but missed on a fadeaway jumper another time.

He also showed off satisfactory playmaking skills.  Whitehead is a very good passer in transition, and he would often throw quick, long outlet passes to set up scores for his teammates on the break.  Sometimes though, he would throw inaccurate passes that would get dropped out of bounds, and he also threw a hasty pass off the dribble that got intercepted once.  He also tried to handle the ball up the court, but had the ball stolen away by a defender on a separate possession.

Also, Whitehead did a very good job of rebounding the basketball.  He also played adequate defense.  He would contest shots to force misses, and he showed a knack for successfully challenging mid-range jumpers to get stops for his team.  Sometimes though, he would get beat off the dribble, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

In general, Dariq Whitehead played very well, and he showed off strong all-around skills to help his team get the win.  He is a smooth scorer that shot the ball very well, and his strong all-around play may make him a solid bet to be a top 5 pick in the 2023 draft.

Villanova’s 6-6 incoming freshman swingman, Cam Whitmore turned in a really strong performance, as he had 19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block to lead the East to a blowout win over the West.  He’s a very athletic, energetic player that excelled at attacking the hoop to score and get assists, and he is a versatile player that consistently made very good plays on both ends of the floor.’

Whitmore generally thrived at scoring on hustle plays.  He would often run the floor to score on fast breaks, and he also can score on aggressive drives in transition.  He was able to utilize a Euro-step move to score on the break, and Whitmore also managed to score on a magnetic, windmill dunk another time.  Plus, he also would score off of cuts and put backs.

On the downside, he struggled to knock down his outside shots, and he missed on a couple of pull-up threes from beyond the arc.  He also would sometimes take rushed, off-balanced shots that would lead to misses around the basket.

He also displayed satisfactory playmaking skills in this game.  Whitmore generally threw good passes off the dribble, and he has solid court vision that enables him to consistently find open teammates to notch assists.  Sometimes though he would over-dribble, which would lead him to get balls stolen away from him.

He also rebounded the ball very well, and sometimes he would push the pace afterwards.  Whitmore is an athletic, rangy defender that played very good defense.  He rotated to block a shot off of a drive to a teammate.  He also would jump passes to get steals, and he also poked a ball away to nearly get another.  He also has good strength that enables him to successfully defend in the post.

In summary, Cam Whitmore had a tremendous showing, and to me, he and Dariq Whitehead looked to have played the best in this game.  Whitmore is a very athletic, strong swingman that really excels at making hustle plays on both ends of the floor, and he is also a good passer that sees the floor well.  He’ll need to improve his jump shot, but he is a very underrated prospect that could end up being a lottery pick in the 2023 draft.

Duke’s 7-1 incoming freshman center, Dereck Lively also played well to help lead the East to a win in this game.  He thrived at making hustle plays, and he especially showed a knack for finishing plays around the basket and blocking shots.

Lively thrived at scoring on hustle plays.  He would often run the floor to catch lob passes, and he would score on powerful alley-oop dunks.  He also managed to score on a quick put back, as well as on a powerful dunk on a roll to the rim.

He also showcased average playmaking skills.  Lively is an unselfish player that would look to find the open man, and he can pass out of the post as well as in transition.  When posting another time, he threw a bad, hasty pass into traffic that ended up going out of bounds.

He didn’t get many rebounds in this game, but Lively was able to haul in boards on both ends of the floor to get his fair share of rebounds.  Lively also played terrific defense.  He did a great job of blocking shots, as he was able to swat a mid-range shot as well as two other shots around the basket to help his team protect the paint.  He also would look to poke balls and deflect passes to help his team get steals and deflections.  He also showed a knack for contesting shots out on the perimeter as well as in the paint to often get stops for his team.

Overall, Dereck Lively is a very athletic, high-motor center that has the physical tools to be an elite rim protector in the NBA someday.  He’s a very good defender, and he has tremendous length and finishing ability as a scorer on offense.  He will need to show more of a face-up game and be more assertive on offense, but his size, athleticism, and ability to excel on both ends of the floor makes him an intriguing prospect that could end up going in the lottery of the 2023 draft.

Oregon’s 7-0 incoming freshman center, Kel’el Ware also played very well for the West in their loss in this game.  He is a very athletic center that thrived at making plays in the interior to help his team shore up the paint, and he also showed off versatile scoring skills.

Ware generally did a good job of scoring on hustle plays.  He would often run in to score on thunderous tip slams after leaping up to get offensive rebounds.  He also caught a lob off of a roll, but missed on an alley-oop dunk another time.  He also showed a decent ability to knock down mid-range jumpers, and he was able to knock down a long two off the catch.

Also, Ware showed off adequate playmaking skills.  He is an unselfish player that can pass off the dribble and in transition, and he can find teammates on the move to set up scores for them.  Another time though, he dropped a pass that led to a team turnover.

He also did a great job of rebounding the basketball.  Ware also played very good defense.  He would rotate to block shots to help his team protect the paint, and he also intercepted a pass to get a steal.  He was able to defend a drive to help force a ball-handling turnover, and Ware moves his feet fairly well.  He also contested a mid-range jumper to force a miss.

Overall, Kel’el Ware had a solid showing in this game, and he has great size, physical tools, and he is a skilled big man whose versatility may make him one of the best prospects for the 2023 draft.  He showed a good shooting touch, and he consistently played well on both ends of the floor.  That combination could enable him to be a likely lottery pick in the 2023 draft.

Houston’s 6-8 incoming freshman forward, Jarace Walker had a solid showing to help lead the East to a win in this game.  He is a very athletic, energetic player that excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor.

He generally thrived at scoring on hustle plays.  Walker would dribble in to score off of put backs, as he was able to throw down a powerful dunk once, and he also scored on a reverse slam another time.  He also managed to score on a backdoor cut.

He also would tend to favor going to his left when driving to the hoop, and he would draw fouls upon his defenders.  He also was able to make an open, mid-range jumper.  However, he struggled to consistently score in one-on-one possessions in the half court, he had trouble knocking down mid-range jumpers.  He also did not take a single three-point shot in this game.

He also generally passed the ball well.  Walker is an unselfish player that would generally throw accurate passes in transition to set up scores for his teammates.  However, he also threw a low, inaccurate pass once that ended up getting intercepted.

Also, Walker also did a very good job of rebounding the basketball.  He also played very good defense in this game.  Walker is an athletic, rangy defender that can cover plenty of ground, as well as get steals and blocks for his team.  He successfully defended an opponent off the dribble and blocked the shot emphatically to a teammate.  He also would intercept passes to get steals, and he would poke balls away to nearly get others.

Overall, Jarace Walker played well to help lead the East to get a double-digit win in this game.  He is a very athletic forward that excels at making hustle plays on both ends of the floor.  He will need to improve his jump shot and ball-handling, but even still, he is a high upside prospect that could be a potential lottery pick in the 2023 draft.

6-8 forward, Mark Mitchell also played very well for the West in his team’s loss to the East.  He showed off a variety of scoring skills, and he is an athletic, skilled player that played well on both ends of the floor.

Mitchell generally thrived at scoring on hustle plays.  He would often score on fast breaks, and put backs.  He would throw down powerful dunks off of put backs, and he also caught a lob to score on an alley-oop dunk in this game.  He also managed to score on a strong drive in transition.

Plus, he shot the ball very well, and Mitchell showed that he can knock down threes both off the catch and dribble.  On the downside, he had trouble scoring on half-court drives to the hoop.

He also showed off decent playmaking skills.  Mitchell was able to make drive and kick passes to set up scoring chances for his teammates.  Though he didn’t grab many rebounds in this game, he particularly was active at crashing the offensive glass to get offensive rebounds.  Mitchell also defended well.  He was able to poke a ball away to help his team get a steal.  He also would actively contest threes to force misses.

Overall, Mark Mitchell had a strong showing in this game.  He is an athletic, energetic forward that played very well on both ends of the floor.  He seemed to do nearly everything well in this game, and he is an underrated prospect that could end up being a mid first round pick in the 2023 draft.

Kentucky’s 6-4 incoming freshman point guard, Cason Wallace also played very well for the West in their loss in this game.  He is an athletic, skilled playmaker that showed off a variety of skills, and he also especially thrived as a distributor in this match.

Wallace flashed the ability to knock down jumpers on offense.  He was able to make an open corner three after running off a pin-down.  However, he didn’t take enough threes, and he also missed on a couple of mid-range jumpers.  He also was able to score on a dunk off of a cut to the hoop.  Wallace also managed to score on an aggressive drive to the hoop.  However, he tended to favor going to his left too often, and he had trouble scoring in traffic, which would lead to misses. 

Also, Wallace showed off very good playmaking skills.  He is an unselfish player that excelled at making passes off the dribble and in transition, and he has good court vision that enables him to rack up assists.  Plus, he also rebounded the ball well.  Wallace also played good defense in this game.  He was able to steal a ball away from an opposing ball handler to get a steal, and he also was able to leap up to defend a pass to force another turnover.  He also contested a three to force a miss.

Overall, Cason Wallace is an athletic, skilled playmaker that had a solid showing, and he especially showed a knack for collecting assists in this game.  He will need to improve his ability to score off the dribble, but he looks to be a solid prospect that could end up being a mid first round pick in the 2023 draft.

Kentucky’s 6-6 freshman swingman, Chris Livingston also played very well to help lead the East to a win in this game.  He is a versatile, skilled playmaker that showed off a variety of skills to help his squad in this contest.

Livingston shot the ball very well, especially from beyond the arc.  He did a good job of knocking down threes both off the catch and dribble, and he showed that he can make shots off the dribble as well as when he would run off ball screens.  He also showed a satisfactory ability to score off the dribble.  He would tend to favor going to his left, and he was able to use a behind the back dribble to score on a powerful layup while drawing an extra free throw.  Plus, he also would make hustle plays to get other scores, and he was able to run in to score on a put back.

Also, Livingston passed and handled the ball well.  He is an unselfish player that can throw crisp, accurate passes off the dribble and in transition due to possessing good court vision, and he can make an assortment of passes to rack up assists.  However, he threw a loopy, inaccurate pass that was dropped out of bounds once, and he also had a ball ripped away when handling it another time in transition.

He also did a very good job of rebounding the basketball.  Livingston also played very good defense.  He blocked a long two to a teammate, and he also was able to get his hands on a pass and poke a ball away to get deflections.

Overall, Chris Livingston is a skilled, mobile swingman that showed off solid all-around skills.  He may not possess elite athleticism, but his ability to help his team in a variety of ways combined with showing a good feel for the game could enable him to be a solid bet to go in the mid to late first round range in the 2023 draft.

Texas’ 6-7 incoming freshman forward, Dillon Mitchell had a solid showing to help the East get the win in this game.  He is a very athletic, strong player that showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays.  He especially thrived at scoring on fast breaks.  He would score on aggressive drives in transition, and he was able to score on a thunderous jam, as well as on an acrobatic, switch of hands layup.  He would tend to score on crafty, reverse layups, and he also caught a lob pass to score on a fantastic, alley-oop dunk.

He is a very athletic forward that showed off strong finishing skills, and he was extremely efficient in scoring the basketball.  However, he didn’t take many shots, and he didn’t look to score from outside of the paint area.  He did a good job of passing the basketball, and he threw crisp, accurate passes in transition to notch assists.  He has solid court vision, and he did a good job of finding his teammates on the move.

He also was able to leap up to get his fair share of rebounds.  Defensively, he didn’t seem to be very noticeable.  He had trouble defending in one-on-one situations, and his effort level seemed to be inconsistent on the defensive end in this game.

Overall, Dillon Mitchell played well, and he especially thrived as a finisher around the basket.  He is a very athletic forward that may possess considerable upside as a prospect for the NBA, and he looked to be one of the best athletes in this game.  He will need to improve his outside shot and be more assertive on offense, and he will need to improve his defense, but he is a talented prospect that could be a potential first round pick in 2023.

Mixed Bag (6):

Alabama’s 6-8 incoming freshman forward, Brandon Miller is a tall, athletic combo forward that showed off intriguing skills on both ends of the floor.  He showed a knack for making hustle plays, and he is an unselfish player that may possess defensive versatility that could make him a very good defender at higher levels.

Though he didn’t shoot the ball well, he thrived at scoring on aggressive drives in transition.  Miller used a crafty Euro-step move to score on an acrobatic layup.  He also drove up court and scored on a thunderous dunk.  However, he had trouble connecting with his jump shot, and he struggled to score in the half court.

He also generally passed and handled the ball well.  He did a good job of throwing accurate long passes, and Miller did a good job of passing the ball on fast breaks.  He also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball.  Also, he played solid defense.  He is an athletic, rangy defender that can make plenty of plays on the ball.  Miller blocked a shot from behind to himself to get an incredible stop for his team.  He also ran in to intercept a pass to get a steal.  He also will use his length to actively contest jumpers to get steals.  Sometimes though, he would be too aggressive in trying to make plays on the defensive end, which would lead him to commit fouls.

Overall, Brandon Miller showed off intriguing skills, and he is a long, athletic combo forward that showed off versatility and a promising skill set as a prospect for the NBA.  He will need to improve his jump shot, but he showed that he is definitely willing to take outside shots.  He has the mindset and the mentality to be a versatile, two-way forward, and he could project to go in the late first to the second round range in the 2023 draft.

LSU’s 6-8 incoming freshman forward, Julian Phillips played fairly well to help lead the East to a win in this game.  Though he didn’t take many shots, he is a fairly athletic player that made solid plays to help his team on both ends of the floor.

He especially thrived in catch-and-shoot, and catch-and-finish scoring opportunities.  Phillips would knock down open, spot-up jumpers from the outside, and he also ran the floor to score on fast breaks.  He was able to make an open three off the catch, and he also scored on a dunk in transition.  He didn’t look to create his own shot off the dribble, but he didn’t really have to.

He also showed decent playmaking skills.  Phillips is an unselfish player that can throw long, accurate passes, and he especially excelled at throwing passes on the break.  Another time though, he had a ball poked away from him to commit a turnover.  Though he didn’t grab many rebounds, Phillips was able to get a pair of defensive boards in this game.  He also played adequate defense.  Phillips would jump on loose balls to help his team get steals.  Sometimes though, he would be late on his rotations and give up too much space to shooters, which would lead him to allow scores to them.

Overall, Phillips is an agile combo forward that could project into a 3 and D role at the NBA level.  He will need to be more assertive on offense, and he will need to show that he can consistently guard players on the defensive end, but he could develop into a solid prospect for the NBA sometime down the road.

Texas’ 6-3 incoming freshman point guard, Arterio Morris excelled as a shooter and scorer, but he also committed a slew of turnovers in this game.  He played fairly well, but his penchant for committing turnovers combined with being only an above average athlete at best may make him one of the lower ceiling prospects amongst players that played in this game.

Morris shot the ball very well, and he thrived at knocking down threes.  He is a good shooter that excelled at making threes both off the catch and dribble.  He has good footwork that enables him to get his shot off, and he has a lot of range on his shot.  He also ran the floor to score on a dunk.  He also managed to draw free throws on an aggressive drive to the hoop.

As a playmaker, he looked to be fairly average.  Morris can find open teammates, and he can make an assortment of passes to notch assists.  However, he wasn’t always accurate with his passes, as he threw one that got intercepted, and he threw a low pass that was dropped out of bounds.  He also lost the ball on a drive another time, and he seemed to dribble to his left too often, which may make him too predictable on offense at times.

Morris was able to get a pair of defensive boards to help chip in on the glass.  He also played good defense.  He would contest jumpers to force misses, and he also chased down a loose ball to get a steal for his team.

Overall, Arterio Morris is a mobile, skilled playmaker that can shoot and score the basketball.  He will need to show that he can reliably run the point and that he can play well against more athletic opponents, but Morris is a skilled, offensive player that could end up being a solid prospect for the NBA if he can continue to develop and hone his game.

UCLA’s 6-5 incoming freshman guard, Amari Bailey looked to be up and down in the West’s loss in this game.  He is an agile, skilled scorer that can make shots in a variety of ways, but he also was turnover prone on offense.

Bailey showed a knack for scoring in transition.  He would run the floor to score on layups, and he also drove up court to score on a crafty, turnaround layup.  He has good balance and body control to finish plays at the rim. 

He also made an open three off the catch.  However, Bailey didn’t shoot enough threes in this game, and he really struggled to score on pull-up, mid-range jumpers.  He would sometimes take contested, off-balanced shots, which would lead to misses.  Also, Bailey was quite turnover prone in this game.  He would throw careless, inaccurate passes that would get intercepted.  He also picked up his dribble and then dribbled again, which led him to be called for a traveling violation.

Bailey did a very good job of rebounding the basketball.  He also defended well, and he would jump on loose balls to help his team get steals.  Overall, Bailey is a skilled, mobile combo guard that showed off versatile scoring skills, and he was able to make solid plays on both ends of the floor.  He will need to trust his three-point shot more and take better care of the basketball.  He’s a fairly athletic scoring combo guard that can make plays on both ends of the floor, and he has the talent to be a first round pick if he can put together a good season in 2023.

Kansas’ 6-10 incoming freshman center, Ernest Udeh is a very athletic, energetic big man that defended well.  He didn’t take many shots on offense, but he seemed to play well when he was on the court.  When he would look to score, he would do so on hustle plays, mostly at the rim.  Udeh caught a lob pass to score on an emphatic alley-oop dunk in transition, and he also scored on a strong dunk another time.

He also showed off decent playmaking skills.  Udeh was able to throw an accurate bounce pass to a cutter to notch an assist.  However, he had a ball poked away after chasing down an offensive rebound to commit a turnover another time.

He also did a good job of rebounding the basketball, and Udeh especially showed a knack to crash the glass to get offensive boards.  He also defended very well.  He would poke balls away and get his hands on passes to help his team get steals.  He also would use his length to contest jumpers to force misses.

Overall, Udeh is an athletic, strong big man that played well in the 2022 McDonald’s All-American Game.  He will need to show that he can reliably knock down outside shots, he will need to show that he can be a solid rim protector in games, and he was too passive at times on offense, but his athleticism, motor, and ability to make plays in the paint could make him a solid prospect to watch sometime in the future.

Arkansas’ 6-4 incoming freshman guard, Nick Smith is a very athletic scorer that was able to make some really entertaining, highlight reel-worthy plays in this game, but he also struggled to knock down shots, especially from the outside.

He generally thrived at scoring on hustle plays.  He would run the floor to score on dunks and layups, and Smith was able to score on a couple of high-flying dunks on the break.  Smith also used a spin move to score on a mid-range floater.  However, he had trouble knocking down his outside shots or scoring on half-court sets, and he would take contested, off-balanced shots that would lead to a slew of misses.  Smith also had several of his shots blocked when looking to score off the dribble.

He looked to be fairly average as a playmaker.  Smith may be an underrated passer, and he showed that can throw lobs and can find teammates on the move to set up numerous scoring chances for them.  He also can make passes off the dribble.  However, he also would throw hasty passes that would get intercepted.

On the downside, he did not grab a single rebound in this game.  Smith also played satisfactory defense.  He is an active help defender, and he would chase down loose balls and poke balls away to help his team get steals.

Overall, Nick Smith didn’t shoot the ball very well, but he is a very athletic combo guard that made jaw-dropping plays on offense.  He may be one of the best dunkers in this draft.  He will need to improve his jump shot and his shot selection didn’t seem to be very good in this game.  If it weren’t for his tremendous athleticism and high draft stock for the 2023 draft, I would have put Smith in the lackluster performances section.  He may also need to show that he can capably run the point, but his strong athletic gifts and motor may make him a first round prospect for the 2023 draft.

Lackluster Performances (5):

Baylor’s 6-4 incoming freshman guard, Keyonte George had won the three-point contest prior to this game, via ONE37pm, but he wasn’t terribly efficient as a scorer in this game.  Amongst those who I felt didn’t play up to par in this game, George may have played the best among this bunch, as he still scored 13 points, albeit he needed 12 shots to do so.

George did a decent job of knocking down threes in this game.  He showed that he can make quick threes off the catch, and he also ran off a pin-down to do so once.  However, he was quite streaky with his jump shot, and he seemed to struggle more to shoot on the move.  He did a good job of scoring in transition, as well as able to score on a finger roll layup, and he also caught a lob to score another time.

Also, George passed the ball well.  He would throw quick bounce passes to find teammates on the move to notch assists due to possessing solid patience and court vision.  He didn’t grab many rebounds, but George was able to get an offensive board in this game.  He also seemed to defend fairly well in this game.  He was able to chase down a loose ball and deflect a pass to help his team get steals and deflections.

Overall, Keyonte George didn’t have his best game, but he is a skilled, mobile shooter that has great confidence in himself, and he has the mentality to shoot his way out of slumps.  He may not be an overwhelming athlete, but his ability to knock down shots could enable him to be a solid prospect to watch sometime down the road.

6-7 point forward, Anthony Black seemed to blend in with the pack overall, as he he seemed to turn in a fairly mediocre game.  He passed and defended well, but he struggled with his jump shot, and he didn’t look to be nearly as athletic as his counterparts.

On the bright side, Black is a good facilitator that can comfortably run the point, and he can throw accurate, pinpoint passes to set up scores for his teammates on the break.  On the downside, he also would throw hasty, inaccurate passes, and sometimes he would rush them that would lead to turnovers.

He also defended well.  He would poke balls away from his opponents to help his team get steals, and he also was able to jump on a loose ball.  Black also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball.

While Black didn’t shoot the ball very well, he was able to score on an acrobatic, reverse layup off of a cut, and he was at his best when looking to score on hustle plays.  He also scored on an aggressive, right-handed drive to the hoop.  However, he would sometimes miss on tough, difficult shots around the basket, and he also airballed a mid-range shot.  He didn’t take many shots from the outside, and he will need to improve his outside shot in the meantime.

Overall, Anthony Black is a tall, point forward that can run the team, but he didn’t show much of a jump shot or an ability to consistently create his own shot, and he seemed to fade into the background too much in this game.  Still, he will be a good get for which ever team signs him, and he could be a prospect to watch sometime down the road.

Kansas’ 6-6 incoming freshman swingman, Gradey Dick didn’t play very well, as he struggled with his jump shot in the West’s loss to the East.  He was able to make an open three off the catch, but Dick didn’t shoot the ball very well, as he would often miss on outside shots.  He especially struggled to score off the dribble, and he’s not particularly fast or quick, which would often lead him to take difficult shots that would result in misses.

He displayed adequate playmaking skills.  He is an unselfish player that can throw accurate interior passes, although he also threw a pass that got intercepted once.  Dick also showed a solid ability to rebound the basketball.  He played decent defense in this game.  He would get his hands on passes to get steals and deflections, and he also stole a ball away from an opponent another time.  However, he also tended to struggle to defend opponents off the dribble, as he would get overpowered, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Gradey Dick is a highly touted recruit that comes in with a shooter’s reputation, but he didn’t play very well in this game.  Still, he projects to be a shooter at higher levels, and he could be a prospect to watch sometime down the road.

USC’s 6-9 incoming freshman big man, Kijani Wright didn’t seem to make much of an impression in this game.  He was able to score on a turnaround jumper in the post to show some post-up skills.  He also ran in to score on a powerful tip slam off of an offensive rebound.  However, he tended to miss shots wildly around the basket, and he also didn’t shoot the ball very well at all, as he would often miss on long two-pointers.

He also had some trouble handling the ball in the post, and Wright had the ball ripped away from him a couple of times.  On the bright side, Wright did a very good job of rebounding the basketball, and he would look to contest shots to force misses defensively.  However, he also had trouble moving his feet or defending quicker opponents, which would lead him to get beat off the dribble and commit fouls.

Overall, Kijani Wright is a strong, mobile big man that will need to expand his skill set offensively, and he will also need to improve his mobility to help him defend better on a consistent basis.  He likely will need multiple seasons to hone his game, but if he can prove that he can excel at the collegiate level, he could be a prospect to watch sometime down the road.

Arkansas’ 6-7 incoming freshman forward, Jordan Walsh also didn’t seem to make much of an impression in this game.  He didn’t shoot well, he was turnover prone, and he also struggled defensively.  His best skills appear to be his ability to score on off-ball motion plays, and his passing skills, but he really struggled compared to the other prospects that participated in this match.

Walsh didn’t shoot the ball well at all, and he tended to miss on pull-up threes.  On the bright side, he ran the floor and was able to score as a trailer in transition.  He was quite turnover prone on offense.  For the positives, he may be an underrated passer, and he can throw long, accurate passes to find open teammates on the move.  However, he had trouble handling the basketball, as he would lose the ball and commit turnovers.  He also threw an inaccurate lob pass that got intercepted.

Though he didn’t grab many rebounds in this game, Walsh was able to haul in several defensive boards.  He struggled defensively as he didn’t move his feet well, and he would get beat off the dribble and commit fouls as a result.

Overall, Walsh was very underwhelming in this game, and he just didn’t seem to look like a blue-chip prospect at all in the 2022 McDonald’s All-American Game.  Honestly, he looked to be definitively the worst player that played in this game, and he just didn’t play well at all.  Maybe Walsh might be a much better shooter than what he showed in this game, but he didn’t shoot well at all on this day.  If this game is an indication of his skills or future skills, then this may mean that he has a long way to go as a prospect for the NBA.

In all, those were my thoughts as I watched the 2022 McDonald’s All-American game, and it was a fast-paced game in which the East won by double digits. Thanks for reading.