2022 NBA Mock Draft

2022 Mock Draft by Max Trueblood

1. Orlando Magic-Jabari Smith/Auburn/PF

Should fit well next to Mo Bamba on the front line. Can stretch the floor and gives the Magic 2 long defenders for the interior.

2. Oklahoma City-Chet Holmgren/Gonzaga/C

Sam Presti gets his wish. OKC lacks quality bigs and often had to run forwards like Isaiah Roby and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl out there to play the 5 spot. Chet will need to bulk up but this is the perfect landing spot for him.

3. Houston Rockets-Paolo Banchero/Duke/PF

Another good fit. This roster is loaded with guards and wings who are under contract but lack height and length on the front line. Banchero is not only the best available but a good fit as well.

4. Sacramento Kings-Shaedon Sharpe/Kentucky/G/F

I know people will accuse me of stealing ESPN's Jonathon Givony's early mock but I literally had this written down before their "instant mock" came up on the screen. Something tells me that Keegan Murray may be the pick but I'm going to go with my early gut instinct on this one. The Kings need to get creative and swing for the fences for once. Sharpe's upside is intriguing and fits the bill of going for the fences.

5. Detroit Pistons-Jaden Ivey/Purdue/1/2G

I know this is the 3rd year in a row that the Pistons will draft a guard but Ivey is too good to pass up. He and Cade are both interchangeable meaning that they can play both guard spots. Pistons will figure out who fits the bill as the lead guard in training camp.

6. Indiana Pacers-Keegan Murray/Iowa/PF

Pacers break the Blazer's dream of getting Murray at 7. Indy is another team with loads of wings and guards but not a lot of bigs. Murray is the best available and fits a need.

7. Portland Trailblazers-Bennedict Matthurin/Arizona/G/F

Blazers bounce back from the slight setback and get the best on the board. Will have to fit the glaring hole at the 4 spot some other way.

8. New Orleans Pelicans-Dyson Daniels/G-League/1/2G

It's getting tough this guy has the most upside of big guards on the board. Gave consideration to Johnny Davis, AJ Griffin, Ochai Agbaji and Malakhi Branham. Assuming there are no more hiccups with Zion, the Pels are pretty much set at 4 of the 5 spots on the floor with Jonas, Zion, BI and CJ. A heady player like Daniels can be a big time addition.

9. San Antonio Spurs-Jeremy Sochan/Baylor/PF

Classic Spurs pick. Foreign player who is shooting up the charts. May seem a little high to take him but the Spurs are known to throw curveballs from time to time as evidenced by the Josh Primo pick last year.

10. Washington Wizards-TyTy Washington/Kentucky/PG

How often do you see this? A team chooses a player whose surname matches their geographic identifier. Wiz need a floor leader and he's the best available

11. New York Knicks-Jalen Duren/Memphis/C/PF

Insurance in case Mitchell Robinson tries to take them for a ride in free agency but is a bit of a project as well. If they keep Robinson, they can bring Duren along slowly.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder-Mark Williams/Duke/C

I know that they should steal one of the talented guards or wings that remain on the board but they still lack frontline depth even after getting Chet earlier. If game 1 of the Heat and Celtics taught us anything it's that shot blocking is still a commodity. Williams can swat with the best of them.

13. Charlotte Hornets-Johnny Davis/Wisconsin/2G

Good value at 13 as lots of mocks had him going higher. Davis fills in behind Terry Rozier at the 2 spot.

14. Cleveland Cavaliers-Kennedy Chandler/Tennessee/PG

Cavaliers go for depth behind Darius Garland.

15. Charlotte Hornets-J.D. Davison/Alabama/PG

Another early shocker. Hornets also opt for lead guard depth.

16. Atlanta Hawks-A.J. Griffin/Duke/SF

Enough free falling for Griffin. Probably goes earlier in the draft but I just couldn't find the right fit.

17. Houston Rockets-Tari Eason/LSU/PF

Good value here for this late riser. Perimeter oriented Rockets get another interior presence.

18. Chicago Bulls-Nikola Jovic/Serbia/SF/PF

Bulls are another team in need of frontline depth. Jovic can spread the floor as he projects as a stretch 4 in the NBA.

19. Minnesota Timberwolves-Malakhi Branham/Ohio St./SG/SF

Another good value pick. Branham will probably go higher when it's all said and done but if he's available here, the Wolves would be wise to snatch him up.

20. San Antonio Spurs- E.J. Liddell/Ohio St./PF

Buckeyes go back to back. Hard working type who will work well with Pop.

21. Denver Nuggets-Jalen Williams/Santa Clara/SF

Another heady, smart player who should stick in the NBA for awhile. Gives Nuggets needed depth on the wing, especially needed given MPJ's questionable back.

22. Memphis Grizzlies-Ochai Agbaji/Kansas/2G

Another free faller. Should probably go higher. Grizz are deep at all spots so they go for best available.

23. Philadelphia 76ers-Walker Kessler/Auburn/C

Disappointing post season drops this big man a bit but the Sixers are crunched by the cap and need big man depth so they get it here.

24. Milwaukee Bucks-Patrick Baldwin Jr./Wisconsin-Milwaukee/SF/PF

Low floor, high ceiling type that teams can start gambling on this late. Played college ball literally 300 feet away from Fizerv Forum.

25. San Antonio Spurs-Blake Wesley/Notre Dame/1/2G

After opting for frontcourt depth in the previous 2 picks, the Spurs get someone who can cover both guard spots here.

26. Houston Rockets-Christian Koloko/Arizona/C

Rockets have a ton of wing talent and depth. Houston goes big with a guy who I'm surprised isn't getting more run after a solid NCAA tournament.

27. Miami Heat-Kendall Brown/Baylor/SF/PF

Not really sure about his fit here but he's the best available who does a bit of a free fall.

28. Golden State Warriors-Jamaree Bouyea/San Francisco/PG

Had to do it. As a USF fan growing up who can remember going to games behind the bench for less than $10, I never thought I'd see the day that a Don would be on the NBA radar. In all seriousness though, he had a great game in the most entertaining round 1 game of the NCAA's this year. Fills in a lot of blanks. Played college ball in the city that the Warriors call home and gives them some depth at a position where Steph is the only one under contract.

29. Memphis Grizzlies-Jaylin Williams/Arkansas/PF/C

Not to be confused with the Nuggets pick who spells his name "Jalen", this guy fits grind and grind culture to a T. Takes charges with the best of them and his hustle will sit well with the Memphis faithful.

30. Denver Nuggets-Wendell Moore/Duke/2G/SF

Another free faller who can play either wing spot for the Nuggets, who need the depth at that spot due to MPJ's injury history.

Do you think Murray can really rebound in the NBA?

What upside does Sharpe have over Murray?

Are you also going to do a second round?

Lol @ Wizards pick.

I don't like having a Nikola Jovic and Nikola Jokic in the league at the same time.

There's a Jaylen and a Jaylin Williams? This is as bad as when there was a draft with a Foye and a Roy.

Is there more shot blocking in your mock first round, than usual?

I remember doing it 2 years ago and then flaking last year. I'll try to get it done this year.

The upside on Sharpe is just that he's incredibly athletic and nobody really knows much about him when it comes to going against top flight competition.

My guess is that Murray will be a weak rebounder but he'll make up for it in other areas meaning scoring and being a good locker room presence.

I was tempted to have Jovic go to the Nuggets but they need wing players and I just don't see it with this guy. I see him as a stretch 4 a la Davis Bertans.

Absolutely more shot blocking. I guess it's recency bias due to the awesome shot blocking we saw from both teams last night. Glad to see that it's still a very important part of the league and necessary when scouting possible draft picks.

I remember Foye and Roy. If I'm not mistaken, they actually got traded for each other.

The Rockets blew their shot when Byron Houston was available back in 1992

Yes they were.

Boston drafted Foye, traded him to Portland, who then traded him to Minnesota for Roy.

After the draft, a draft analyst said it was a bad draft for marketing, because the # 1 pick, Bargnani, wasn't that well known, and no one had a flashy game. Guys like Aldridge and Roy just didn't have the buzz.

He could have won a championship with Houston too, a few years later.

At the parade, when fans chant "Houston", they are obviously chanting for him.

Is there anyone that's supposed to be good at steals, like Alvarado or Herbert Jones?

Jovic would have big shoes to follow, playing next to a two time MVP.

A typo on a shirt might accidentally proclaim the rookie the two time MVP.

That would be Jaden Ivey at the top of the 1st round then Bouyea at the end

I had Aldridge going #1 in my mock that year. Keep in mind that they still had Bosh at that time and both of them were Dallas natives. LA could've played C next to Bosh at the 4

How many times has someone played 0 minutes as an 18 year old, either in college, G league, or overseas, and been drafted after that year?

So the plan with him was that he was supposed to redshirt this year, and then play for Kentucky next year?

Who is the strongest rebounder among the top players?

For the Kings, they've been sub 20 in DRTG every year of their playoffs drought. With most years, being sub 25. Is there any good defensive PF or SG that could fit?

Sure new Kings head coach Mike Brown has done a good job with defense in Cleveland before, but there also needs to be some defensive players too.

They are kind of similar players, in a good way. Would have been fun.

Looks like Memphis gets Utah's pick at 22, from the Conley Jr. trade from 2019.

I guess the Jazz need to look for trades, to retool their roster.

Ironically, it was another Kentucky guy and someone who wound up going 4th that year. Enes Kanter, now Enes Freedom, signed with Kentucky out of high school but was ineligible to play for some reason during his freshman season. He applied for the draft that season, in 2011, and was drafted by the Jazz.

Banchero or Jabari would seem to be the best rebounders but they are most likely gonna be off the board by the time the Kings pick.

I wonder what's going on with them. It seems like Rudy and Donovan still haven't mended fences since the covid issue way back when.

We have one 2nd round pick already and if we can somehow acquire another 2nd rounder then we could nab these two. Both fill the need at point guard and center positions for us

Yep, Boumaye is the 1st round crasher that I have bias for since he went to USF but that's a long shot. Since he'll probably be available in the 2nd round, he would be a great fit here. I'm surprised that his stock didn't surge after that Murray St. game though.

Good info on Kanter.

I hated the Kanter pick for Utah. I thought they should have taken Valanciunas.

However, at some point, maybe 2018 or 2019, I decided that Valanciunas had never taken the leap I thought he would.

So I then decided the difference between them wasn't that big anymore (even if Kanter wasn't on the Jazz anymore).

But after Valanciunas play this year (and a little bit of last year), he looks like he finally took that leap, or maybe the Pelicans just have a better system for him.

It's unfortunate Freedom is being blackballed from playing on the court, because of his anti China stance.

IMO, it's just the narrative that the Jazz writers want to portray. I could be wrong, but I think the media is just creating and/or prolonging it, rather than writing about actual basketball stuff.

Some media members look for stories more than analysis.

Speaking of Orlando Robinson, has any team ever drafted a player whose first name matches the team's geographic identifier?

There was a missed opportunity in 1993. Allan Houston was drafted 11th, the Rockets had the 24th pick (and took Sam Cassell). Maybe the Rockets should have traded up.

But then we would have missed a first and 2nd year Sam Cassell, being awesome for Houston on championship title runs.

Not to mention my Byron Houston scenario. Had they drafted him instead Big Shot Bob Horry, they probably don't win at least one of those 2.

The funny thing about that draft was that Houston was projected to go right around when the Rockets were picking. Most people thought he was around 6'7" and with his build, would project as a Larry Johnson sized PF. Problem is that he measured at 6'4" and his stock fell all the way to the bottom of the 1st round.

For the Jazz fan's sake, I hope you're right.

As a Clipper fan, I don't mind seeing another WC rival take a step down

I always see mixed reactions on something like this.

On one hand, when the Raptors won, some people didn't like it, because it was another franchise that won their first before the Clippers.

On the other hand, some people look at it like this. If they can win their first, the Clippers can too.

For me, I don't really care unless they're playing the Clippers in a series, or I find their team annoying.

I reject my "This week's top poster" badge.

The person that make the mock draft, should get that.

Thanks! I have no problem with a runner-up award though

This is true. I sometimes look at the league as a team effort. If the Clippers are out, I tend to root for teams who have never won or haven't won a title in awhile. I would've been fine with any of Phoenix, Utah or Denver breaking through knowing that the Clipper chances were limited without Kawhi.

We dodged a bullet with the Laker "super team" backfiring and then Brooklyn screwing up as well but now the Warriors, winners of 3 of the last 7 titles, are mucking things up. Even if they get bounced, all 3 of the other remaining teams have won 4 titles in the last 14 years.

Yes, but Dallas is the least "successful" franchise, among those 3.

A lot of decent playoffs teams, but only 1 title and 2 Finals appearances.

They probably could have had one more appearance in 2003, but Nowitzki got hurt in game 2. Still, they lead by double digits in the 4th quarter of game 6, but would lose. Had they won that one and game 7, that could have been a Finals appearance. That series had 5 road wins in 6 games (Games 1, 3, 4, 5, 6). Also in that game 6, Dallas didn't get beaten by Duncan, but by Steve Kerr and Stephen Jackson and Speedy Claxton.

2007 could have been another good year, but they lost in the first round to 8th seed Golden State. Part of that series loss was mental. They changed their lineup for game 2, and it wasn't really better. They just didn't look confident once Golden State got a few wins.

However, I also think they were too small in the backcourt. Which is the reason why they had also lost to Miami the year prior. They finally had a backcourt that could match up with Tony Parker's speed, but then were too small against the Wade and Baron Davis types, IMO.

They could have used Kidd a year earlier.

Lastly, in 2010, they were the #2 seed, and to their rival, the Spurs, in the first round, who were the # 7 seed. It was also ironic because the year before, Dallas was # 6, and they beat the Spurs in 5. The Spurs did them one better in 2010 since it was a 2 vs. 7.

I could go for a Dallas title. At this point I just want anyone BUT the Warriors.

Yeah, there's no Cinderella story this year. All teams have won a chip, but I'm rooting for Dallas because they have been the least successful. I would hate to see a Golden State versus Boston Championship series, ugh the rich getting richer. At the very least, this year has at least shown NBA fans what a loathful group up players are on that GSW team. With Draymond flipping off fans in Memphis and Stephen dancing after a three, other team's fans are finally seeing how unlikable that team is.

Agree all the way although Dallas looks pretty much toast at this point. You simply can't beat the Warriors at their own game. Phoenix would've been an interesting matchup assuming Ayton's head is in the game. Beat them down low but instead, Dallas is going full perimeter and it isn't working.

But the premise of what you're saying is true. If Dallas were to miraculously pull through, they only have 1 title and that was 11 years ago. Looks like our best bet is to just hope that Miami and Boston can stay healthy as opposed to continuously going down like flies like we saw in game 3.

Yeah, I forget about the injuries to the eastern teams. I just hate it how injury just decimates contenders. That would suck for yet another year be determined by injury.

Looks like the Nets won't take the Sixers pick that is owed them quite yet. They had the option to take it now or later and they're gonna put it off for at least another year. This is a good move when you think about it. 23 is kind of late in the first round and if the Harden thing continues to blow up in Philly's face, that pick could be really high in upcoming years.

I'll keep Kessler as the pick since both teams have no depth up front plus both are luxury tax crunched so I don't even have to change the comment.

Denver trades Jamychael Green and a future pick to OKC for the 30th pick. I'll just keep Moore in that spot to Denver since they need wing depth due to MPJ's uncertainty

Rockets get Dallas' first round pick in the Christian Woods trade. I'm getting lucky though. Instead of changing the drafted player and then having to switch other picks as well, these teams have basically the same needs. If you look at both Houston and Dallas' roster, they are wing and perimeter heavy with a lack of big men so I'll just keep Koloko as the pick. Either of those teams could use him.

I can't find a 2018 mock draft thread, so I'll post this here, about how a former 2018 draft member is doing.

https://twitter.com/_angenay/status/1538038714026315782

KANGZ!!!

I wonder if Detroit re-signs him? And if so, how much?

FWIW, I had him going 4th in that draft to Memphis. With him off the board, they wound up taking JJJ

I think Detroit should either let him walk, or sign and trade him.

I finally figured out that 6'0 player's name:

Angenay Williams.

I would have liked to see her on defense, to see if she would have gotten a few steals or something.

Also, I don't think the Kings should ever listen to another SB Nation article again:

Willie Cauley Stein:

https://www.sbnation.com/2015/4/3/8338409/willie-cauley-stein-defense-nba-draft-2015

Bagley:

https://www.sbnation.com/2017/5/9/15515986/marvin-bagley-iii-dad-basketball-recruiting-2018

Was there a thread / post somewhere? Or did you have it on another platform?

I unfortunately had it on another platform and forgot to transfer it over here. The problem is that the website that I posted it on doesn't exist anymore. I'm trying to figure out who the site owner is and then see if I can get a hold of it. I don't think I have anything prior to the 2020 pandemic lockdown mock on this site. I'll keep you posted.

I'm pretty sure the beginning was this though.

1. Suns-Ayton

2. Kings-Luka

3. Hawks-MPJ

4. Grizz-Bagley

5. Mavs-JJJ

6. Magic-Trae Young

Ok, these are my rankings: Chet Holgren Paolo Banchero: I like his toughness, he seems aggressive around the basket and can bang. Jabari Smith: He doesn't look as good in the paint as Holgren, nor does he look as good of a rebounder. I think he'll have a little harder time in the NBA. Good 3 point shot. His scoring may be fine, but I think the other two are a little better with rebounding and toughness. Keegan Murray: One of the biggest concerns I hear is that he won't be able to play the same way in the NBA. I can say that about a few of the other draft prospects though too, so it's not exclusive to him. He doesn't look like he'll be able to score as well as the other players. But he's a smart player, who can also cut and finish. He and Ivey are close IMO, tiebreaker to me goes to Murray because he can impact the game in more ways (rebounding). Shaedon Sharpe: There's not much footage to go on against good competition, but I give him the edge over Ivey because I think he'll be a better playmaker. He still has a decent amount to prove to show that he can be as good of a scorer as Ivey, but I'd rather take a reach on him being a more versatile guard. It is disappointing that he had so many limitations on his workouts. He's not going to get those kind of dunks in real NBA games. His FT% also isn't that great. There's a lot of areas for him to improve, but I think there's a chance he can be a versatile player, so I don't mind a gamble on him. Ivey isn't going to have the ball in his hands all the time either. Jaden Ivey: ....

Good rundown. Pretty much hit the nail on the head on most of them although Eason projects as a 4 in the NBA. Benedict Mathurin fits your Eason analysis though as I'm still high on him.

Murray may very well have seen his stock rise due to just working out with as many teams as possible and not avoiding teams like Ivey apparently did with Sacramento.

Oops, I thought Eason was a big guard, haha.

Ok, I'll watch clips of Mathurin to see what I think.

Sacramento has picked players in the past that have avoided them. Those players have then said the right things when drafted.

Jabari reminds me of a less rebounding Chris Bosh. And relies too much on facing up. Maybe I'm wrong and he ends up rebounding better I think, but that's how I see it right now.

For Sharpe, even though all of his clips were for scoring, he mentioned defense and making plays for others, 3 different times. It's a small thing, but it gives me some hope that if he's in a good development environment, he can fulfill his complete potential.

Ivey to me seems like he's going to shoot every time, and I don't think he can even make plays for others the way a CJ McCollum occasionally can.

No matter what they do in the draft, I just want to see a major point guard signing. Enough of this feel good stories every year...we want to see the championship banner! A Kyrie Irving signing will have our "Big Three" and likely take us to the promised land. I don't know if Brogdon signing will take us there. The way GSW are built now, we need that "Big Three" to beat them and cash in KL and PG signing. Otherwise, it would be another wasted opportunity and back to the drawing board. If this happens, it would be demoralizing to all of us - Ballmer, FO and the fans!