Jabari Smith remains the betting-market favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft — and he might actually become the first pick. We'll see later this month. But there's still been no definitive reporting that states Orlando is 100% settled on the former Auburn star. So I'm keeping Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren at the top of this mock draft (for now) based on the idea that I genuinely believe he should be — not necessarily that he will be, but that he should be — the first player off the board.
I just believe in his upside.
Is the body a concern? Sure, I guess.
But the body didn't prevent Holmgren from being the top-ranked high school player in his class. And it didn't prevent him from being a top-shelf freshman for a team that was the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. So I'm going to trust that the body also won't prevent him from being a future NBA All-Star thanks to an incredibly unique skill set that allows him to rim-protect on defense and shot-create on offense. Even most NBA Draft analysts who have Smith projected to go ahead of Holmgren acknowledge they believe Holmgren is the biggest-upside prospect available. I agree with them on that point. And that's why, ultimately, I'll still be a little surprised if the Magic pass on Holmgren when it comes time to announce a pick on June 23.
Mock Draft
Round 1
Round 1 - Pick 1
The concerns about Holmgren's slight frame are legitimate — but he's such a unique prospect with incredible potential that Orlando should be uncomfortable passing on this 7-foot rim-protector who can also bounce it like a guard and reliably make 3-pointers. He has the highest ceiling in this draft and, for that reason, should be the first player selected.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
Smith still needs to develop in lots of ways but he's already a great shooter and switchable defender who plays with undeniable energy. If he doesn't go first in this draft, it's hard to imagine him slipping past Oklahoma City.
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Round 1- Pick 3
Banchero is probably the safest option at the top of this draft on account of his floor being so high. He's a big, strong and skilled forward who could be an incredible building block in Houston alongside Jalen Green.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
Ivey is an explosive athlete who plays big and is capable of attacking the rim in a variety of ways. There are questions about whether he's actually going to be a point guard in the NBA, but that shouldn't matter much to a Sacramento franchise that should simply prioritize the best prospect available.
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Round 1 - Pick 5
Murray is a switchable big who can guard in space and consistently make shots from the perimeter. What he does, at his size, is perfectly suited for the modern NBA and would fit well with a Detroit franchise trying to return to respectability with Cade Cunningham as the centerpiece.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
Even though he enrolled in January and was eligible to compete, Sharpe never played at Kentucky in part because the people around him wanted to protect his status as a projected top-10 pick. Unless he really bombs in workouts, it's hard to imagine the explosive athlete going much lower than this considering he's a gifted scorer with the physical tools to be a disruptive defender on the wing in Indiana.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
Mathurin was the star of Arizona's team that won the Pac-12 and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The 6-6 wing is an impressive athlete and above-average shooter who would be a nice addition for a Portland franchise still building around Damian Lillard.
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From
Los Angeles Lakers
Round 1 - Pick 8
It took Griffin a little while to get comfortable at Duke because of a preseason knee injury that seemed to affect his ability to show his athleticism. But the five-star high school recruit, who is the son of NBA assistant coach Adrian Griffin, eventually showed glimpses of why he's a lottery talent, mostly by proving to be a fantastic 3-point shooter who made 44.7% of his 4.1 attempts from beyond the arc per game.
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Round 1 - Pick 9
Duren isn't really the type of floor-spacing big franchises prefer these days, but he's such a physical specimen and great athlete that there's probably a place for him in the top 10 of this draft. At worst, he should be a terrific rim-running and rim-protecting center who alters shots, dunks everything and is good enough guarding in space.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
I'm higher on Agbaji than most simply because I don't understand what's not to like about a 6-5 athlete who is a plus-defender on the wing and excellent 3-point shooter. Once you get past the top-tier prospects in this draft, the Kansas All-American makes as much sense as anybody and would provide Bradley Beal with a new teammate equipped to help from Day One.
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Round 1 - Pick 11
Davis went from a mostly anonymous power-conference player to a candidate for national player of the year in his sophomore season at Wisconsin. An ankle injury limited him down the stretch, but he showed enough as a shot creator and scorer before that to justify his status as a projected lottery pick.
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From
Los Angeles Clippers
Round 1 - Pick 12
 
Dyson Daniels
SG
G League Ignite
• 6'6"
/ 199 lbs
Daniels isn't quite the prospect previous Ignite stars have been but is still a fascinating guard with size who can play with or without the ball. His jumper, at this point, is the biggest area of concern but shouldn't prevent him from going in the lottery.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
Williams, like fellow projected lottery pick Duren, is more of a traditional big than a modern big. But any franchise in need of a rim-protector and lob-catcher — like Charlotte — would have to consider him at this point in the draft.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
Branham is a shooting guard with good size and great length who really flourished in the second half of the season. While shooting 41.6% from the 3-point line, the one-and-done standout became the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year and a legitimate lottery option for his home-state franchise.
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From
New Orleans Pelicans
Round 1 - Pick 15
Sochan is the rare sub-100 high school recruit who should be a one-and-done top-20 pick. His ability to guard multiple positions, and his potential as a shooter, are among the reasons he's a tantalizing prospect and one of the most versatile players available in this draft.
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Round 1 - Pick 16
Williams has probably helped himself more in the pre-draft process than any other prospect. He's a 6-6 wing who shot 39.6% from 3-point range for a Santa Clara team that finished third in the West Coast Conference.
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From
Brooklyn Nets
Round 1 - Pick 17
 
Ousmane Dieng
SF
France
• 6'9"
/ 185 lbs
Dieng is a long and skilled prospect who still needs to develop but is worth a serious look anywhere outside of the lottery. He might not contribute immediately but definitely projects as an interesting long-term investment.
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Round 1 - Pick 18
Kessler was arguably the best defensive player in college basketball this season while averaging 4.6 blocks per game. He's an incredible rim-protector with the potential to also develop into a comfortable perimeter shooter.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Washington mostly played off the ball in his one season at Kentucky but projects as a lead guard in the NBA. Ankle injuries limited him in the second half of the season — but the one-and-done Wildcat showed enough before he was hampered to solidify his status as a top-20 pick.
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From
Toronto Raptors
Round 1 - Pick 20
 
Jaden Hardy
SG
G League Ignite
• 6'3"
/ 198 lbs
Hardy didn't do much over the past year to help his draft stock — but he's still a likely first-round talent capable of developing into a special scorer. Being drafted by a strong-cultured franchise like San Antonio would probably be the best thing for the trajectory of his career.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
Adding a young athlete to the backcourt wouldn't be the worst idea for a Denver franchise that needs to provide two-time MVP Nikola Jokic with more help. Wesley didn't finish his one season at Notre Dame with consistently good performances but his upside is such that he's worth a selection somewhere in the 20s.
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From
Utah Jazz
Round 1 - Pick 22
The possibility of Tyus Jones leaving via free agency might have Memphis in the market for a point guard. At this point in the draft, the best option would be Chandler — the Memphis-raised product who has won at every level and already possesses a close relationship with Grizzlies' star Ja Morant.
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Round 1 - Pick 23
Eason was a breakout star at LSU after transferring following a so-so first season at Cincinnati. He's a versatile frontcourt option who can guard multiple positions and punish defenses in transition opportunities.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
Liddell is the type of player who could help Milwaukee's core — a core highlighted, of course, by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo — theoretically compete for another title next season. He's undersized but effective and ready to contribute.
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From
Boston Celtics
Round 1 - Pick 25
Braun is a wing with size who can guard his position, reliably make jumpers and finish in transition. He's the type of prospect who could flourish with a San Antonio franchise that already has some other interesting young pieces.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
Terry wasn't overwhelmingly productive in his two seasons at Arizona — but he showed enough, as a guard with great size, to place himself on NBA radars. He needs to develop in a lot of ways but would be an interesting fit for a Dallas franchise that just advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
 
MarJon Beauchamp
SF
G League Ignite
• 6'7"
/ 197 lbs
Beauchamp is a 6-6 wing with a 6-11 wingspan who should be the third player from the G-League Ignite taken in the first round of this draft. The fact that he only shot 24.2% from 3 this season is a concern, but he does enough other things that impact winning to merit a guaranteed contract.
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Round 1 - Pick 28
Houstan declined an invitation to the NBA Combine, at which point speculation grew that he might have a first-round promise. His lone season at Michigan was largely underwhelming — but he's still a talented wing with size in possession of an encouraging jumper, which automatically makes him a legitimate prospect.
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Round 1 - Pick 29
Brown never really became more than a role player in his one season at Baylor, which is notable and somewhat concerning. But the 6-8 wing still has the physical tools to make him worthy of a late-20s pick by a Memphis franchise with so much young talent it can afford to take a big swing this deep in this draft.
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From
Phoenix Suns
Round 1 - Pick 30
Nikola Jovic
SF
Serbia
• 6'10"
/ 205 lbs
Oklahoma City remains very much in rebuild mode with a young core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort and Josh Giddey. Adding an 18-year-old international prospect like Jovic to the franchise could be a nice long-term move.
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