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Auburn men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl did an interview Wednesday on the radio show “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft on Thursday.
Pearl had high praise for Auburn players Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler entering the NBA Draft. He also praised Duke product Paolo Banchero.
His words weren’t so kind to Gonzaga’s 7-foot-tall Chet Holmgren, who is USA Today’s No. 2 projected pick.
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Pearl’s comments about Holmgren came in response to being asked by Greg McElroy who he would pick as No. 2 after Jabari Smith. Perla left with Banchero.
Bruce Pearl criticizes Chet Holmgren’s body
“Chet is intriguing, but so was Shawn Bradley,” Pearl said of the Philadelphia 76ers’ second overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft.
The 7-foot-6 Bradley played in the NBA from 1993 to 2005 but never made an NBA All-Star team. He led the NBA in blocked shots in 2000-01, and was in the top five in blocked shots seven times.
“The NBA stands for No Boys Allowed,” Pearl said as she continued to talk about Holmgren. “And that body scares me. It just does. He gets on his knees with the wrong guy, and he could snap in half. So at the top of the draft, I think I have to go with what I know not what could potentially be one day.”
Holmgren is 7 feet tall and weighs 195 pounds. He averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists at Gonzaga as a freshman in 2021-22.
Smith is 6-foot-10 and weighs 220 pounds. Kessler is 7-foot-1 and weighs 245 pounds.
Bruce Pearl praises Jabari Smith’s jump shot
Before Pearl talked about Holmgren, Cole Cubelic asked Pearl to talk about how Jabari Smith competes behind the scenes.
“I don’t think there’s a concern there,” Pearl said of Smith’s competitiveness. “I think the question is talking about, I think, the number 1 reason why you take him as number 1. Absolutely, the jump shot is the best of any man his size in the last 10 years in college basketball, until KD (Kevin Durant) maybe. That’s raw and that translates. That’s immediate productivity.
“The second thing is that he can defend from one to five, because he competes defensively,” Pearl continued of Smith. “Reason number 1 is that the boy doesn’t lose. That’s reason number 1. he doesn’t lose.”
Bruce Pearl compares Walker Kessler to Al Horford
USA Today projects Walker Kessler to be the 25th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Here’s what Pearl had to say about Kessler on Wednesday.
“He’s an incredible athlete,” Pearl said. “People don’t talk about his athleticism, his speed, his quickness, his ability to move laterally, obviously his ability to get up. And he’s not 7-foot. He’s 7-1 and a little bit. And an inch and a half makes a big, big difference. So, obviously, he can impact the game. I thought he was the most impactful player in college basketball last year, because of what he did at the rim both offensively and defensively.”
Pearl talked about Kessler for a couple of minutes, ending by comparing him to Boston Celtics forward and former Florida Gators national champion Al Horford, along with NBA centers Brook and Robin Lopez.
“I think he’s going to be a dominant 3-point shooter at the next level,” Pearl said of Kessler. “Al Horford never made a 3-pointer in Florida, never made a 3-pointer in Florida, and he’s one of the best fifths in the NBA at his age. Walker is ahead of him. He could be like one of the Lopez twins, a factor in the hoop and a factor on the 3-point line.
Here’s more Auburn basketball news:
The Orlando Magic have the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The draft is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, June 23.
Erik Hall is the lead digital sports producer for the USA Today Network. You can find him on Twitter @HallErik.