Welcome to the second installment of my rookie scouting report series for Pounding the Rock. We examined Jeremy Sochan in part one, and it’s time for an in-depth breakdown of Malaki Branham, the 20th overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft and the middle child of San Antonio’s three teenage first-round selections.
The Ohio State guard was one of the best freshmen in college basketball last season, with a meteoric rise following a COVID hiatus positioning him as a possible lottery target. As the 17th-ranked prospect on my Big Board, Branham was one of the bigger steals of this class, but he is by no means a finished product.