2022 NBA Mock Draft: Final Edition

 Here is the tenth and final edition of my 2022 NBA Mock Draft.

1. Orlando Magic- Jabari Smith, Power Forward, Auburn: The Magic can have their pick of one of the big three with Smith, Chet Holmgren, and Paolo Banchero. Smith you can make a case is the safest of the top three draft prospects bet due to his fine all around play in college despite poor guard play around him.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder- Chet Holmgren, Power Forward/Center, Gonzaga: The Thunder have to be doing backflips if this scenario presents itself on draft night. Holmgren is the perfect type of player for this young Thunder nucleus with his ability to create his own shot as a stretch five and protect the rim.

3. Houston Rockets- Paolo Banchero, Power Forward, Duke: The Rockets land a player here with a ton of skill and upside here in Banchero. With Christian Wood out of the picture now, Banchero has a better opportunity to put up some numbers and form a nice foundation with Jalen Green.

4. Sacramento Kings- Jaden Ivey, Point Guard/Shooting Guard, Purdue: This would be an odd fit considering the Kings already have D'Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell, unless the team opts to move one of the two point guards or this pick, which the latter isn't inconceivable. Ivey is a super explosive player, but he lacks the distribution skills.

5. Detroit Pistons- Keegan Murray, Power Forward, Purdue: The Pistons dropping to the fifth spot is not ideal, but it may not be a complete disaster as they have a few viable options. Murray is a nice fit here as he can be a fun pick and pop partner for Cade Cunningham with his shooting ability.

6. Indiana Pacers- Benedict Mathurin, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, Arizona: A hot rumor as we approach the draft in a week is that Mathurin and the Pacers could be a match. Mathurin really broke out in a big way last season and is your classic three-and-D wing that a ton of teams will covet.

7. Portland Trail Blazers- Shaedon Sharpe, Shooting Guard, Kentucky: Sharpe landing here with the Blazers is very ideal for the team from a fit standpoint. Despite not playing in the second college semester, he's a sharp three-point shooter and arguably the best athlete in the draft.

8. New Orleans Pelicans- Dyson Daniels, Point Guard/Shooting Guard, G-League Ignite: This would be a reach for the Pelicans, but more people are higher on Daniels than yours truly. Daniels is a very good defender and really showed improvement offensively throughout the G-League season.

9. San Antonio Spurs- Jeremy Schoan, Small Forward/Power Forward, Baylor: The Spurs could go in a various different number of directions with their first pick. Schoan's skill set is very solid as he would fit nicely with the Spurs young core.

10. Washington Wizards- AJ Griffin, Small Forward, Duke: Johnny Davis was the choice here for a ton of mocks, but there is momentum toward Griffin being the pick. Griffin had a fine season for the Blue Devils and he can come in and provide some good shooting and athleticism.

11. New York Knicks- Johnny Davis, Shooting Guard, Wisconsin: Davis falling here would be ideal for the Knicks, who could use a scorning guard that can create his own shot. Davis is a selfless player and is a good pick and roll player and gets to the line often.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Los Angeles Clippers)- Jalen Duren, Center, Memphis: The best center in this draft falling this far would be somewhat crazy. Duren has double-double potential and he and Chet Holmgren would be a super fun front court to go with Shae GIlgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey.

13. Charlotte Hornets- Ousame Dieng, Small Forward, France: This pick would be a reach for the Hornets, who really should be taking players that can help them right away rather than someone who's a project. Dieng was inconsistent in the NBL, but has tremendous upside with his shot making and ball handling.

14. Cleveland Cavaliers- Ochai Agbaji, Shooting Guard, Kansas: This would be an interesting selection for the Cavaliers, who can use some depth on the wing. Agbaji really put himself in a good position to return to school and winning Most Outstanding Player in the tournament to be a first rounder.

15. Charlotte Hornets (from New Orleans Pelicans)- Mark Williams, Center, Duke: The third Duke player in this mock I have going to Charlotte. The Hornets badly need a center and Williams is someone who had a great tournament in which his stock rose, but he doesn't have high upside.

16. Atlanta Hawks- Jalen Williams, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, Santa Clara: The Hawks are a wild card come Thursday because this pick is totally in play for a trade. Williams has been a big time riser of late in terms of draft prospects and showed tremendous potential as a three-and-D wing.

17. Houston Rockets (from Brooklyn Nets)- Tari Eason, Power Forward, LSU: With their second first rounder, I have the Rockets going with a solid player in Eason. He had a breakout season for the Tigers and is an excellent defender, but has some offensive flaws.

18. Chicago Bulls- Malaki Branham, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, Ohio State: I personally think the Bulls are an unknown in terms of the draft, but here I have them getting depth on the wing. Branahm can shoot it from well from three and gets into the paint often.

19. Minnesota Timberwolves- Blake Wesley, Shooting Guard, Notre Dame: This would be an interesting pick for the T-Wovles, who have an abundance of guards. Wesley is a raw player that really didn't impress much in college, but is unafraid to score.

20. San Antonio Spurs (from Toronto Raptors)- Dalen Terry, Point Gaurd/Shooting Guard, Arizona: Terry is a fast rising prospect with the draft approaching next week. Terry is someone that has great character on and off the court and is the perfect type of Spurs-y player.

21. Denver Nuggets- MarJon Beauchamp, Shooting Guard, G-League Ignite: The second player from the loaded G-League Ignite team going I have Beauchamp. He is a really good scorer and would be a great three-and-D player for the Nuggets to develop.

22. Memphis Grizzlies (from Utah Jazz)- Jaden Hardy, Shooting Guard, G-League Unite: The Nuggets are a team that is looking to add depth on what think could be a title contender. Hardy is a player that didn't live up to hype with Unite, but has a ton of potential that he could unlock.

23. Philadelphia 76ers- Wendell Moore Jr, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, Duke: The Nets chose to defer this pick to 2023, which says a ton about how they may feel about the 76ers next season so there is some pressure to nail this pick. I like the idea of Moore here due to his floor spacing and ability to shoot 3's.

24. Milwaukee Bucks- EJ Liddell, Power Forward, Ohio State: The Bucks are just searching for players that can help them while they have Giannis Antetokounmpo at the peak of his powers. Liddell would be a nice fit here and could eventually go into that Bobby Portis role with his stability.

25. San Antonio Spurs (from Boston Celtics)- Nikola Jovic, Power Forward, Serbia: The Spurs going with Jovic here would be very interesting. He is the safest bet of the international players in this draft and he is your classic "point forward" type of player that does a little bit of everything.

26. Houston Rockets (from Dallas Mavericks)- Ty Ty Washington, Point Guard/Shooting Guard, Kentucky: Washington falling all the way to here would be a major steal for the Rockets. The fit here would be interesting to go with Jalen Green in the back court and he can play with or without the ball.

27. Miami Heat- Kennedy Chandler, Point Guard, Tennessee: The Heat are excellent at developing young players into their system. The Heat might be looking at long term options at point guard with Kyle Lowry getting older so Chandler here makes sense with his shot creating and a good handle.

28. Golden State Warriors- Jake LaRavia, Power Forward, Wake Forest: The Warriors are just looking for depth pieces at this point or they may trade out of the pick altogether. LaRavia has good aspects of the game and can shoot the three ball well, which bolds well for today's NBA.

29. Memphis Grizzlies- Kendall Brown, Small Forward, Baylor: Brown falling to the end of the first round could be a steal for the Grizzlies. Brown can come off the bench and provide solid play and has the athleticism to succeed.

30. Denver Nuggets (from Oklahoma City Thunder via Phoenix Suns)- Jean Montero, Shooting Guard, Overtime Elite: The Nuggets with their second first rounder, take a mystery player here in Montero. He's a solid pick and roll player, but his defense needs some work.