Top247 RB Daniel Hill will commit at the All-American Bowl
The Meridian (Miss.) High standout talks about what he’s looking for in a school.
Meridian (Miss.) High Top247 running back Daniel Hill will play in the prestigious All-American Bowl on Jan. 6, and will announce his college decision during NBC’s live broadcast from inside the Alamo Dome in San Antonio.
247Sports tabs the 6-foot-1, 231-pound Hill as the nation’s No. 7 athlete and No. 129 prospect overall.
“It allows me to be on a national stage letting everyone know where I will be taking my talents,” Hill said. “Going to be a very humbling and exciting time and I can’t wait to make it happen.”
The four-star Hill tells 247Sports his finalists are Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee. He took official visits to each program back in June and has since been back to Tuscaloosa this fall for several games and was also able to make a game experience happen in Knoxville. Hill says he doesn’t have any future trips scheduled.
“I want to go to a place that feels like home,” Hill said. “Where I feel I can not only reach my full potential athletically and academically but as a person. I want to help change a program and be a key factor in a major turn around and trajectory of a school.”
247Sports National Analyst Cooper Petagna sees a lot of potential with Hill on the next level.
“Multi-dimensional athlete with a position versatile skill set that can project in a variety of ways depending on offensive scheme. Exhibits suddenness as a running back and route runner when flexed out as a receiver. Demonstrates above average play speed and separation quickness in the open field but lacks long speed to outrun defenders. Shows willingness and physicality as a blocker on the perimeter. Flashes good play strength and the ability to play through contact between the tackles. Appears to possess natural pass catching ability, plus possesses some above average run after catch ability. Flashes some downfield playmaking ability in the passing game.
“Position versatile piece with a tweener frame that can be deployed in a variety of ways on offense. More than likely projects to the H-back position at the next level with the ability to attach and detach from the line of scrimmage. Jumbo athlete with a unique offensive skill set. Has the ability to see the field early at the next level because of position versatility while projecting as a Power Five multi-year starter at the next level.”
Ranking the NBA’s best rookies
The NBA regular season is over so we ranked this year’s best rookies and traced their roots back to high school.
The NBA regular season is over and the play-in tournament set to tip Tuesday night. That means we can take a collective look back at the draft class of 2022 and how they fared in their rookie seasons. Yet, we’re not just rating the top rookies. We’re tracing their trajectories — including what they were ranked out of high school and where they were ultimately drafted.
The process not only provides a broader understanding of how these players have developed, but it also gives some clues as to what characteristics or qualities can best translate to the highest levels of the game.
Paolo Banchero is the rare player who has been at the top of his class from day one. He was identified early as one of the top prospects in the class of 2021 as a high school freshman and stayed there for all four years of high school. He was the best freshman in the NCAA a year ago at Duke. And this year, after Orlando surprised people on draft night by taking him number one, he left little doubt about who the Rookie of the Year should be.
He scored 20 points or more in 40 of the 72 games he played this season while continuing to evolve into the jumbo playmaker we saw last year in college. Although he has a mid-range heavy style and needs to keep improving from behind the three-point line, there was definite progress after the All-Star break as he shot 37% from three in the month of March.
Overall, this is consistent with what we’ve seen over the years. Banchero is a player who maintains their spot atop of their class by continuing to add new weapons with each passing year.
2. JALEN WILLIAMS, OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Jalen Williams wasn’t even a major recruit coming out of high school. 18 months ago, as he was starting his junior year at Santa Clara, he wasn’t on the NBA radar. Now, he’s one of the best rookies in the NBA and playing a critical role on an OKC team that is playing in the play-in tournament after improving their win total from 24 last season to 40 this season.
Williams is a classic late-bloomer who is long, athletic and impactful on both ends of the floor. He scored more than 20 points in a game 17 times this year and had 10+ assists twice. He also joined guys named Durant and Westbrook as just the third Thunder rookie to have three games with 25 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds.
If that weren’t enough, he has led the league in steals since January 1 and has the 15th highest true shooting percentage ever by a rookie. In short, it looks like OKC hit the 12th pick out of the park last year.
3. WALKER KESSLER, UTAH JAZZ
Two years ago, opposing fans were chanting “overrated” as Walker Kessler averaged less than 9 minutes per game as a freshman at North Carolina. He transferred to Auburn for his sophomore season, blocked nearly 5 shots per game and played his way into the first-round.
He became part of a huge package that Minnesota sent to Utah for Rudy Gobert. But ironically, Kessler looks like the best shot-blocker in the deal. Not only did Kessler finish second overall in blocks per minute (behind only Jaren Jackson), but he was also among the top five players in the league in total shots contested. Offensively, he led the league in field goal percentage, but won’t actually get credit for it because he came up two field goal attempts short of the minimum 300 (per NBA rules) after missing the last four games due to concussion protocol.
4. JADEN IVEY, DETROIT PISTONS
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The Detroit Pistons were the worst team in the NBA this year once Cade Cunningham went down with a season-ending injury after just 9 games. The only silver lining for the former Bad Boys was the progression of their rookies.
Jaden Ivey finished the year as one of five rookies in NBA history with at least 1200 points, 385 assists, 285 rebounds and 120 threes. He also continued to get better with each passing month averaging 13.8 points per game in December, 15.2 in January, 16.4 in February, 18.3 in March and 24 in April. In fact, over his final 8 games, he averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds on 46% shooting from the floor, 41% from behind the arc and 90% from the free-throw line. In short, the gains we saw over his two years at Purdue continued into his rookie season as the gap between his explosive athleticism and his playmaking/shooting continues to shrink.
5. KEEGAN MURRAY, SACRAMENTO KINGS
Keegan Murray had to go to prep school after having only one Division I scholarship offer coming out of high school. He quickly emerged into one of college basketball’s best players in just two years at Iowa.
In the NBA, he was arguably more ready to help impact winning than any other rookie this season. A year after going 30-52, the Kings went 48-34 this year with Murray being a full-time starter and key player. He became the first rookie in NBA history to hit 200+ threes in a season and the youngest player in NBA history to shoot over 40% on at least 500 three-point attempts. Simultaneously, he proved to be one of the most durable rookies in the league as well as being efficient beyond his years with his ball-security and his shooting.
6. BENNEDICT MATHURIN, INDIANA PACERS
Coming off two seasons at Arizona, the former NBA Academy product played like one of the two best rookies in the league to start the season.
Although Bennedict Mathurin wasn’t able to sustain his shooting numbers from long-range, he still had an excellent year overall and finished the season on a high note. He scored 26 or more points three times in the Pacers’ last seven games, averaging over 21 points per game during the stretch.
On the season, he broke a franchise record for threes and free-throws made by a rookie and scored more points than any Pacer rookie in 36 years. His scoring prowess is probably best exemplified by the fact that he averaged more points per 36 minutes (21.3) than any other rookie in the league this year.
7. JABARI SMITH JR, HOUSTON ROCKETS
It began on draft night when Jabari Smith was expected to be the top overall pick and ended up going third. Things didn’t go as expected during the season, either.
In high school, Smith was a player who was known for his infatuation in the mid-range area. That followed him to the NBA and it cost him in the first-half of the year, when he converted just 33% of his pull-ups. However, that rose to 45% after the All-Star break. At Auburn, his range stretched out to the three-point line as he shot 42% from behind the arc. That number plummeted to 31% this year, while still attempting roughly five threes per game.
Still, Smith is known as a quality defender (particularly for a front court rookie), has solid rebounding splits and is still growing into his body. Overall, he showed some encouraging signs down the stretch, but he must regain the floor-spacing prowess he had at Auburn to live up to his full potential.
8. SHAEDON SHARPE, PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
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For the first five months of the season Shaedon Sharpe looked like a 19-year-old who was a ways away from being able to make a consistent impact in the league. Then Portland went into tank mode with 10 games left in the season. This opened the door for their young players to see heavy minutes, resulting in Sharpe blowing up in a way no one could have expected.
He averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists in that 10-game span, while playing 36 minutes per night. There was shot-making (46/38/77 splits), attacking and even some passing. Granted, Portland went 1-9 in that span and was absolutely blown out more than half the time. But still, Sharpe’s production captured the league’s attention and reminded everyone why he was once the top ranked prospect in the class of 2022.
9. JALEN DUREN, DETROIT PISTONS
This would have been his freshman year in college if he had stayed in his original graduating class. Instead, Jalen Duren began the season as the youngest player in the NBA after a single season at Memphis. Physically, he is already more than capable of holding his own with his length, power and athleticism. Also, his sheer productivity was beyond his years as well.
Duren was a constant double-double threat and one of the best offensive rebounders in the NBA (3.4/game). He was also at his best late in the season when he averaged 11.8 points and 11.4 rebounds on 72% shooting in the month of April. Once a top two prospect in the class of 2022, Duren is now part of a young core in Detroit that is giving fans a reason to be excited about the future (especially when they add in a healthy Cade Cunningham and another high draft pick).
10. TARI EASON, HOUSTON ROCKETS
Tari Eason came off the bench as a freshman at Cincinnati. He also came off the bench as a sophomore at LSU, even after establishing himself as an elite talent. So, it was no surprise that he thrived off the bench for the Rockets this year. In fact, he led all NBA reserves with 82 steals, was sixth among that group in minutes played and tenth in points. He even joined Hall of Famers James Worthy and Scottie Pippen as the only rookies to secure more than 80 steals and 40 blocks while coming off the bench.
Eason was also the Ironman of the rookie class as he was just one of ten players in the NBA to play every regular season game. Overall, the chip on his shoulder that he is known for is serving him well. Also, his ability to change the game on both ends of the floor while anchoring his team’s second unit points to longterm success as a pro.
11. ANDREW NEMBHARD, INDIANA PACERS
Andrew Nembhard is former five-star recruit who spent the first two years of his college career at Florida before quarterbacking one of college basketball’s best teams at Gonzaga as a junior and senior.
He had almost no first-round buzz before a starring performance at last spring’s NBA Draft Combine. This motivated the Pacers to grab him with the first-pick in the second round. Now, it looks like he should have been taken in the lottery.
Nembhard led all rookies with six games of 10 assist or more and 20-point, 10-assist games. He was also the only rookie to tally 15 assists in a single game. Simultaneously, he took great care of the ball and set a franchise record for assist-to-turnover ratio for a rookie. He saved his best for last, too. Nembhard averaged 15.3 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 49% from the floor and 43% from behind the arc in the final month of the season.
12. JEREMY SOCHAN, SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Jeremy Sochan was on his way to being higher up this list before his season was derailed by a knee injury. In fact, he had scored in double figures in six consecutive games — with 22 or more points in three of them — before being shut down in mid-March. His shooting remains the one glaring liability in his game (although removing the guide hand from his free-throw in mid-December allowed him to convert 77% from that point one).
Beyond that, the 19 year-old has a floor game far beyond his years. He has high acumen, the ability to handle, pass, play in different offensive actions as well as defensive versatility and efficiency. It’s hard to believe he spent his freshman season at Baylor coming off the bench.
13. AJ GRIFFIN, ATLANTA HAWKS
Even the most enthusiastic early AJ Griffin supporters (myself included), didn’t expect his upside to be tied to his shooting. Instead, it was his NBA bloodlines, the big hands and feet (which pointed to a potential late growth spurt) and the late birthday for his grade that had us intrigued. Even now, Griffin doesn’t have a conventional release with his unusually wide base in his lower body and a follow through that doesn’t always finish. Nevertheless, Griffin has shown signs of being an elite shooter in the making.
He was less than half a percentage point away from being the youngest player in league history to shoot 45% from the floor, 38% from three, and 90% from behind the free-throw line (he went 2-3 from the stripe in his last game to finish at 89.4%). If his length and Quinn Snyder’s tutelage can help him account for less-than-ideal foot speed on the defensive end, then he could end up exceeding all expectations.
14. MARK WILLIAMS, CHARLOTTE HORNETS
After making notable strides late in his high school career and his two seasons at Duke, Mark Williams was sent to the G League early in his rookie season. He responded by dominating that level — putting up 22 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks through 11 games — in order to get called back-up.
He was inserted back into Charlotte’s line-up in late December and saw his role grow with each passing month. He ended up starting 17 games for the Hornets, averaging 11.6 points, 10 rebounds and 1.1 blocks on 63% shooting from the floor.
A rookie season of tremendous growth was punctuated by going for double-doubles in four of his team’s last five games. He also had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the regular season finale.
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