Breaking: Kennedy Chandler Selected in 2022 NBA Draft

Former Tennessee point guard Kennedy Chandler has been selected 38th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft. Per a report NBA Insider Shams Charania for the Athletic, Chandler will be traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, meaning Chandler will play in his hometown of Memphis.

Chandler becomes the sixth Vol in the last four years to be taken in the NBA Draft and the 55th in program history. Chandler is the first VFL to be selected in the second round since Admiral Schofield in 2019. The Vols produced a pair of first-round picks in 2021 with Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer. 

Chandler was a first-round selection in almost every mock draft leading up to draft night, making his fall to the second round a surprise. However, the fall results in Chandler returning home, as the Memphis native will begin his NBA career with his friend and long-time supporter, Ja Morant.

The former Volunteer point guard becomes the sixth SEC player to be taken in the 2022 draft. 

Chandler's selection makes him the 30th NBA Draft pick to have been coached by Rick Barnes, six of them being Vols. Chandler is the 13th second-round selection for Barnes in his 35-year head coaching career, and he is the eighth one-and-done selection in Barnes' coaching career. 

Chandler is and will be the only Volunteer selected in this year's NBA Draft after Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James announced they were returning to Tennessee for their senior seasons. 

The Memphis native enters the pros coming off a tremendous freshman season at Tennessee in which he accounted for 33.6 percent of Tennessee's offensive scoring. Chandler's efforts in the SEC Tournament won him the SEC Tournament MVP and helped the Vols achieve their first conference tournament title in over four decades. 

The second point guard to be selected in the draft thus far–behind Kentucky's TyTy Washington Jr. who went 29th overall–Chandler figures to serve as a serviceable option off the bench for the Grizzlies to begin his NBA career. Chandler's usage in year one will depend on whether or not Memphis keeps Tyus Jones on the roster for the 2022-2023 season. 

Chandler did an incredible job creating for himself and others while in orange and white, but it was his defensive prowess that significantly improved under Barnes in 2021.

"I think Kennedy's biggest improvement, since the Texas game, his defense has gotten so much better," Vols head coach Rick Barnes said before the SEC Tournament. "He has become more locked in defensively and because of that he has gotten so much better with it. His preparation, knowing at that spot all eyes are on him, and if you are going to be out front and do the things that we need that position to do it takes a great deal of preparation. Kennedy, since the Texas game, has been a different player too in terms of his defense. The fact is, he has improved a lot."

The 6'0", 171-pound point guard even drew comparison to a current NBA star from ETSU head coach Desmond Oliver this past season. 

“He reminds me of a young Kyrie Irving. I felt like his matchup, there was no one on the court that could slow him down," Oliver said of the comparison between Chandler and Irving. "Shot-making, pace of play, hang time in the lane, taking contact.”

Chandler will look to further live up to his potential at the next level in Memphis. The 2022-2023 NBA season begins this October.  

Below are additional achievements from Chandler in his lone year on Rocky Top: 

• 2022 CollegeInsider.com Freshman All-America Team
• 2022 SEC Tournament MVP
• 2022 SEC All-Tournament Team
• 2022 All-SEC Second Team (Coaches, AP)
• 2022 SEC All-Freshman Team
• 2022 USBWA All-District IV Team
• SEC Freshman of the Week (Feb. 28, 2022)
• Dick Vitale's 'Elite Eight Diaper Dandies' (Feb. 23, 2022)
• Bob Cousy Award Top 10 Finalist (Jan. 31, 2022)
• Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List (Jan. 27, 2022)
• SEC Freshman of the Week (Nov. 15, 2021)

Info courtesy UT Athletics

Click here for a list of all 55 Volunteers to be taken in the NBA Draft over the years. 

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