NBA Draft Prospect: Freshman “Mongolian Mike” Sharavjamts is a protential 2nd round pick playing for Dayton

Prospect Profile

The first Mongolian player who will ever see the floor for a D1 team, Sharavjamts is one of the low-floor, high-ceiling bets of the 2023 NBA Draft.

Sharavjamts was measured at a quarter of an inch shy of 6-foot-9 at the Nike Hoop Summit, with an 8-foot-8 standing reach. The measurements are certainly intriguing for someone with the potential to shoot from the perimeter and run your offense on a primary level.

A virtually unknown prospect until the summer before the start of his senior year of high school, Sharavjamts had a breakout performance in the summer circuit which earned him a number of offers from high-major college programs.

The intrigue and buzz has a lot to do with his unique combination of skills and size. At nearly 6-foot-9, he can play as a jumbo point guard who is not just able to create for teammates, but also to space the floor with tremendous consistency, being a threat from beyond the 3-point line.

Sharavjamts possesses a vast passing repertoire. He does all the simple things expected of a point forward, such as running the point in transition and making the right plays on drives with effective drive-and-kick passes, but also adds an advanced level of passing which is rare for a player of his size.

The Dayton prospect’s main passing skill is being extremely quick to recognize advantages and having the technique and accuracy to find teammates with advanced passing deliveries. This allows him to be a solid decision maker off screens and make plays as a pick-and-roll handler, where his size allows him to pass over smaller defenders.

He is also elite in catch-and-shoot situations. Sharavjamts jumper looks extremely smooth, boasting a two-motion jumper with a high release point which allows him to shoot over defensive pressure. His jumper is extremely repeatable in his catch-and-shoot attempts, showcasing good alignment and aim.

The Mongolian prospect does mix in some attempts off the dribble, even though he is not at a point where he is consistent enough to consider his movement shooting as a reliable weapon in his offensive arsenal. However, his consistency in the catch-and-shoot game could be an indicator of potential in this area.

Beyond his off-ball ability as a floor-spacer, Sharavjamts also adds value as an on-ball creator for teammates and was tasked with initiating the offense as a high school senior at International Sports Academy.

While Sharavjamts has great height, he needs to get much stronger and put on weight as he’s currently only 182 pounds. This lack of strength is noticeable on tape when he tries to play through contact on both ends of the floor, as he was generally unable to create separation out of physicality as a driver, relying on getting foul calls.

Adding to the concerns on his physical development is the age, as Sharavjamts will already be 20 years old as a college freshman, which is on the older side.

Additionally, he needs to get better as a finisher. Once he’s near the basket, Sharavjamts shows a clear limitation as a finisher which is his left hand. He heavily prefers to finish with his right hand, even if that makes his lay-ups easier to contest for opponents. Without an elite level of vertical explosiveness, and with his aforementioned lack of strength, developing as a versatile finisher will be a key for Sharavjamts in order to add any sort of value on offense as a slasher.

Defensively, there’s also a few questions. As it happens with many tall-but-skinny players, finding the perfect defensive role at the NBA level could be challenging. Sharavjamts’ high center of gravity and lacks proper defensive technique, making it hard for him to cover drivers on the perimeter, as he stays too upright and can be attacked by quicker opponents one-on-one.

On the interior, he contributes defensively to some degree by challenging shots at the rim with his length, but his frame makes it nearly impossible for him as of this point to contribute even as a part-time rim protector. Given his lack of strength, the best bet could be to station Sharavjamts off the ball, banking on him eventually developing into someone who can make plays in the passing lanes and occasionally impact the game on the interior on rotation blocks.

Sharavjamts is someone who shoots spot-up jumpers at an elite clip and is able to contribute offensively by making plays for others with the ball in his hands. Considering his current woes as a finisher, defender and his lack of an NBA ready body, he is clearly not an NBA player right now.

However, there is enough indicators in his game that you can’t help but ask a number of questions about his future as a potential NBA talent down the road as a project.

After committing to the Dayton Flyers, Sharavjamts, the son of a former Harlem Globetrotter, will be the first Mongolian player to ever see the floor for an NCAA D1 team once the college season rolls around.

Highlights

Draft Projection

Potential Second-Round Pick in 2023 NBA Draft.