According to a report from ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony, former Ohio State guard Malaki Branham is one of the 16 players that have been invited to attend the 2022 NBA Draft thus far.
As many as four more green room invitations could be extended prior to the draft, which will take place on June 23 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. It will be televised live on ABC and ESPN at 8 p.m.
Others set to attend include Arizona’s Bennedict Mathurin; Auburn’s Jabari Smith; Australia’s Dyson Daniels; Baylor’s Jeremy Sochan; Duke’s Paolo Banchero, A.J. Griffin and Mark Williams; France’s Ousmane Dieng; Gonzaga’s Chet Homgren; Iowa’s Keegan Murray; Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji; Kentucky’s Shaedon Sharpe; Memphis’ Jalen Duren; Purdue’s Jaden Ivey and Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis.
Givony lists Branham as the 13th-best player available in the draft, while former forward E.J. Liddell comes in at No. 20 overall on his big board. That should put him in contention to receive one of the few remaining invitations.
Branham and Liddell are both looking to become the first Buckeyes selected in the first round since former guard D’Angelo Russell went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2015, which also makes him the program’s most recent lottery pick.
The last time Ohio State had multiple first-round selections was 2007, when former center Greg Oden went No. 1 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers, guard Mike Conley went No. 4 overall to Memphis Grizzlies and Daequan Cook went No. 21 overall to the Philadelphia 76ers, who traded him to the Miami Heat on draft night.
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