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          Top 10 signature moves from the 2022 NBA draft class

          Chet Holmgren scored 1.36 points per possession as the transition "ball handler" at Gonzaga, according to Synergy Sports. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
          • Mike SchmitzMay 13, 2022, 08:00 AM ET

          Magic Johnson had the no-look pass, Dirk Nowitzki had the leaning one-legged fadeaway, and now the next generation of prospective NBA stars in the 2022 NBA draft will look to bring their own signature moves to the hardwood.

          Prior to next Tuesday's NBA draft lottery (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) draft expert Mike Schmitz examines 10 prospects in the ESPN Top 100 and the signature moves that were most associated with the players in college.

          The top prospects of the 2022 draft class -- including Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren, Duke's Paolo Banchero and Auburn's Jabari Smith -- have already shown off their best moves at the college ranks, but the question is if they will translate against pro competition.

          Chet Holmgren | Grab and go

          Holmgren's ability to turn defense into offense as a 7-foot-1 ball handler in transition is a huge part of what makes him so special.

          Holmgren scored 1.36 points per possession (39 total) as the transition "ball handler" at Gonzaga, according to Synergy Sports data (third in the NCAA). As you'll see in the clip above, his ability to protect the rim creates bust-out opportunities. While Holmgren's movements aren't overly sudden, he is incredibly fluid as a ball handler with the agility and dexterity to either dribble into pull-up 3s or change direction into dunks or skill finishes.

          He regularly uses a right-to-left spin move and a behind-the-back or right-to-left crossover. While those moves are basic in nature, the fact that Holmgren can execute them at his size with coordination makes him a major threat in scramble situations. Expect Holmgren to have even more freedom to push off the break in transition while unleashing his perimeter skill with more regularity given the pace and space of NBA basketball.

          Paolo Banchero | Spin move

          Banchero has arguably the deepest "bag" in the draft, and the most advanced shot creation among the current top 10 (save maybe Shaedon Sharpe). At 6-10, 250 pounds, Banchero has legitimate guard skills that allow him to play off hang dribbles into hesitation pull-ups, crossover pull-ups or step-back 2s.

          Banchero is also dangerous out of triple threat, regularly unleashing rip-throughs, jab steps with counters and a shimmy move similar to the one Cade Cunningham used as a rookie. He's dangerous with his back-shoulder turnaround out of the post.

          But Banchero's most unstoppable move is his spin, as he combines a rare blend of quickness, force and agility, bouncing off helpless defenders in either direction. Banchero can set up the spin from a standstill with midpost rip-throughs and jab steps, or off a live dribble with a head of steam, like you'll see above.

          Banchero can also unleash his downhill spin as a transition ball handler, shedding tackles like few prospects before him. Just 18 players in the NCAA saw isolations make up at least 20% of their offense, with Banchero as one of the headliners, using 138 possessions through 39 games. A large portion of that self-created offense featured a swift and forceful push off his defender, either setting up a smooth pull-up or a powerful finish.

          The nature of his spin move and his ability to handle at his size is why he is often compared to Blake Griffin.

          Jabari Smith | Midpost turnaround

          While not as prolific or powerful of an isolation scorer as Banchero, Smith is incredibly polished in the midpost with excellent footwork and a nearly unblockable release -- think Dirk Nowitzki.

          Smith is incredibly comfortable turning over either shoulder, rarely having to be fully square to find the bottom of the net. As you'll see above, he regularly punishes switches with his back shoulder turnarounds, and needs just a sliver of daylight to feel comfortable. Smith has even more in the tank than just a right or left shoulder turnaround jumper. He's great in face-up situations, often inside-pivoting and rising up over the top of his man. He has also mastered the James Harden sweep through, knocking down several and-1 3s out of triple-threat isolations from beyond the arc.

          Smith is really efficient with his dribble and comfortable getting to his spots with minimal dribbles. He is almost like a 6-10 version of Kawhi Leonard based on his ball-movement efficiency. We've seen Smith rock into hesitation pull-up 3s and step back into long 2s, but it's his midpost turnaround game that's simply unstoppable, even if you push him off his spots and contest with length.

          Jaden Ivey | Slow to fast attacks

          Above all else, what makes Ivey the most dynamic guard in the draft is his ability to go from completely relaxed and static to full steam ahead to the rim almost instantaneously.

          Like a Ferrari on the hardwood, Ivey's 0-to-60 time will be among the best in the NBA from the moment he steps foot on the floor, rivaling the type of burst we saw from a young Russell Westbrook.

          From a more nuanced signature moves standpoint, Ivey's Ja Morant-like cross-jab is also one of his most dangerous moves. Against a dropped big in pick-and-roll, Ivey is able to toss the ball out in front from his right hand to his left, jabbing his right foot into the ground as the ball hits the hardwood and exploding past the drop big in one swift motion.

          Ivey has also utilized this in transition to dust defenders. The move you'll see him use most often is a simple hesitation attack, utilizing that uncanny ability to shift gears to terrorize opposing defenses, putting pressure on the defense to the tune of 7.3 free throw attempts per 40 minutes (and 18 against Rutgers). Once he fully pairs his downhill attacks with a consistent pull-up jumper, Ivey will be nearly impossible to keep in front on a spaced NBA floor. As defenses start to sit on that hesitation and he's eventually in even more ball screens in the NBA, he'll have plenty of opportunities to also use the cross-jab move with his million-dollar feet and extreme burst to keep defenses off balance.

          Keegan Murray | Lefty downhill attacks

          As you'll see by his basic signature move, Murray's game isn't flashy, yet he's the draft's most accomplished scorer having averaged 23.5 points in under 32 minutes on 62% from 2 and 40% from 3. What has made Murray so effective and efficient is the fact that he can score in so many different ways without needing much volume. He can run the floor like a big, push himself, knock down spot 3s at a high clip, play out of the post with one-legged fallaways and awkward finishes, and score via off-ball cuts and putbacks.

          But if we were to boil Murray's offensive attack down to one specific move, it'd be his hunger to get downhill to his left hand, slightly edging out his one-legged fallaway out of the post and his step-back going left. Murray, like his twin, Kris, is a natural lefty, he told ESPN during an interview earlier in the year. Their dad had Keegan shoot right-handed when he was young so he could tell the two apart, according to Keegan. You can see the left-handedness in his off-the-dribble attack. In fact, Murray goes to his left hand on 76% of his isolations, according to Synergy Sports, leading to 1.12 PPP, third in the NCAA.

          The loping left-hand drives are even more frequent in the open court, as you can see above. Murray is also developing counters off that, with crossovers and spin moves starting to creep into his game more often. Pair Murray's spot shooting with his ability to attack off the bounce in either direction, along with all the other things he does well, and you have a mismatch nightmare for future NBA defenses.

          Shaedon Sharpe | Sidestep 3 going right

          Sharpe is one of the smoothest perimeter creators in the draft, with several different ways to get to his pull-up or downhill to the rim. He works like a lighter Anthony Edwards, but only when he's fully engaged and aggressive, which is still a question in his game.

          Most space-creation moves you see from Sharpe is that of an NBA All-Star, with his sidestep 3 going right as one of his clear go-tos. Sharpe is incredibly comfortable shooting off of hang dribbles. The next layer to that has been adding the left-foot toe tap on the pickup, which creates space to his right while staying on balance, similar to Bradley Beal, James Harden, Paul George and Damian Lillard.

          Sharpe has elite physical literacy and can shoot the ball out of virtually any dribble move, and rarely needs to be on-platform to have a chance at knocking it down. We have a limited sample thus far and still don't quite know how Sharpe will look against elite competition. But the 18-year-old regularly unleashed the sidestep 3 going to his right during Nike EYBL play, and figures to use that move when given the opportunity as he eventually settles into his NBA career.

          Jalen Duren | Verticality block

          Duren won't be confused with Banchero as a go-to scorer, as most of his offense came by way of lobs, put-backs and an occasional face-up jumper. Offensively, Duren's catch radius and leaping ability make him one of the best finishers in the draft. It's on the defensive side of the ball where Duren showed a little more nuance, particularly as a rim protector, regularly going vertical in the paint to deter shots at the rim.

          So with that in mind, the potential defensive anchor's "signature move" is his defensive verticality, as his combination of strength, length, leaping ability and timing allowed him to rank fifth in the ESPN Top 100 in block percentage behind noted rim protectors such as Walker Kessler, Mark Williams, Holmgren and Christian Koloko.

          Although he can be a bit foul-prone, Duren has gotten really good at timing his jump, staying straight up and down, and allowing the offensive player to collide into his chest, as you see above. He's also starting to master the chase-down block in transition as well as the crack-down block. Like a young Dwight Howard, Duren's shot-blocking -- particularly his verticality -- could be his calling card in the NBA, in addition to his stellar finishing ability.

          AJ Griffin | Step-back 3 going left

          Griffin's superpower is his catch-and-shoot jumper, but he also has the ability to knock down step-back 3s while handling the ball better than most wings, and his body type could ultimately turn him into more than just a standstill shooter.

          Griffin laughed when talking with me about his step-back 3 during our film session in Durham this season, joking that's pretty much the only shot he took during his high school career. Whether it's from the triple-threat position like you see above or off a live dribble, Griffin covers a ton of ground with his step-backs, largely due to his wide base on his jumper.

          He'll also break out a between-the-legs step-back on occasion, and even showed off a counter to that later in the season. Among the 589 players to attempt at least 60 pull-up jumpers last season, Griffin ranked ninth in efficiency, with a heavy dose of those shots of the step-back variety.

          Johnny Davis | Post turnaround

          Davis is an aggressive downhill guard who lives at the free throw line while also doing a ton of damage in midrange areas, partially a product of his studying DeMar DeRozan for years. Davis is a bit of a throwback guard, finding quite a bit of success on the block against both smaller and bigger defenders. He can spin his way to the rim against bigger guards, relying on his footwork to gain an advantage.

          Where Davis is at his best on the block, though, is getting to his turnaround jumper. He has great patience on the block, and can turn over either shoulder, getting square in the air before dropping in often off-balance jumpers. Fifty-three of Davis' 183 made field goals in the half court came on jump shots inside 17 feet, with a heavy dose of those coming out of the post.

          While not every NBA team regularly plays out of the post with its guards, it shouldn't take Davis' next NBA coach long to realize that -- like Jalen Brunson, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker and other guards -- Davis is a real asset on the block thanks in large part to his patience, footwork, midrange shooting touch and improving passing feel.

          Dyson Daniels | Two-foot floater

          Although he converted just under 40% of his floaters this season, according to Synergy Sports, Daniels has one of the best floaters in all of basketball by my estimation, particularly when he's able to get to his two-foot launching pad.

          As you'll see above, he's comfortable dropping in the two-foot touch shot all the way out to the elbows, especially against a dropped big out of pindowns or ball screens.

          Daniels has had to add more nuanced finishes to his game -- particularly off of one foot -- as he was a little too reliant on his floater in the past. His default move was a Tony Parker-esque spin move into a two-foot floater, so often that it became a bit predictable.

          Daniels has expanded his finishing package, but that two-foot push shot is still his safety net (18% of his shot attempts last season) and something he can even unleash out of the post. His footwork, release point, timing and confidence on his go-to shot all stand out. Wherever Daniels lands next season, NBA fans are bound to be raving about his floater game eventually.

          Mike Schmitz is an NBA Draft expert and a contributor to DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by the NBA, the NCAA and international teams.