NBA Future Watch: Malaki Branham Basketball Cards, Draft Prospect – Malaki Branham will likely never be the most acclaimed graduate of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, but that still leaves plenty of room for NBA stardom. Born ten days before the draft lottery that sent Lebron James to Cleveland, Branham followed in his footsteps at SVSM, as Ohio Mr. Basketball, as a multiple state champion and he now looks set to follow Lebron as a lottery pick in June.
With two state titles in high school and another loss in the championship game, Branham was attracting much attention as the lynchpin of one of the best teams in the country. An invitation to the Jordan Brand Classic was rendered moot by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Branham’s senior year stats (21.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.7 APG and 1.8 SPG) locked him in as a four-star prospect and he accepted a scholarship from Ohio State.
Initially cast as a sixth-man, Branham forced his way into a bigger role quickly, culminating with 26.7 PPG in a critical three-game stretch in February. Big games provided some of Branham’s biggest moments, with 11 second-half points to help OSU overcome a 20-point deficit at Purdue and 31 points to key a win at Illinois. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Branham showcased his future offensive potential, not least by his 83.3 FT% and 41.6 3%.
Unsurprisingly on the NBA radar, Branham declared for the 2022 draft and rates as one of the top swingmen in the class. With hustle and leadership that flow into excellent defense, Branham is more of a plug-and-play prospect than most others with his level of experience, while still offering tantalizing upside as his game achieves further refinement. Improvement as a secondary playmaker could cause him to be even more valuable as the league edges closer to more of a position-less future. Regardless, Branham is the unique player who will likely never be the greatest alum of his high school while still boasting almost limitless upside in the NBA.
NBA Future Watch: Malaki Branham Basketball Cards, Draft Prospect – Stats
NBA Future Watch: Malaki Branham Basketball Cards, Draft Prospect – More Resources
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- Malaki Branham – Twitter
- Malaki Branham – Instagram
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