2022 NBA Mock Draft: Seventh Edition

 Here is the seventh 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/Center, Duke: The Rockets land a player here with a ton of skill and upside here in Banchero. There are mixed thoughts about a frontcourt mix of Banchero, Chrstian Wood, and Alpren Sengun, but he and Jalen Green together is a nice foundation long term.

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. 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- Dyson Daniels, Shooting Guard, G-League Ignite: This would be a major reach for the Blazers if this was the selection, but Daniels has been a super fast riser of late. People are skeptical of Daniels due to his shooting numbers, but he is a solid defender and gets to the basket.

8. New Orleans Pelicans (from Los Angeles Lakers)- Sheldon Sharpe, Shooting Guard, Kentucky: The Pelicans are a bit of a wild card with this pick with all the options they have. Sharpe didn't play at Kentucky, but can shoot the lights out of the ball in a bench role on this team.

9. San Antonio Spurs- Jalen Duren, Center, Memphis: The Spurs have some options here with their selection and they should have their eyes on a big with their first of three picks. Duren has double-double potential and he would fit nicely with this newer Spurs young core they have.

10. Washington Wizards- Johnny Davis, Shooting Guard, Wisconsin: This would be a very interesting pick for the Wizards since Bradley Beal is the face of trade rumors. Davis is a very selfless player and even if the Wiz were to keep Beal, he and Davis would be a fun pair together on the perimeter.

11. New York Knicks- AJ Griffin, Small Forward, Duke: This pick would be a slam dunk for the Knicks, despite their need for a point guard. Griffin had a fine season for the Blue Devils and he can come in and provide some good shooting and athleticism.

12. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Los Angeles Clippers)- Ousame Dieng, Small Forward, France: This pick would be a major reach for the Thunder, a player like Dieng is someone that the Thunder should be targeting. Dieng was inconsistent in the NBL, but has tremendous upside with his shot making and ball handling.

13. Charlotte Hornets- 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.

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)- Jeremy Schoan, Small Forward/Power Forward, Baylor: This would be a very interesting pick for the Hornets, who have an abundance of forwards. Schoan is someone that really showed off an elite skill set this past season with the Bears.

16. Atlanta Hawks- Malaki Branham, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, Ohio State: What is interesting here is not only Branham here could be a reach, but the Hawks are a team that has a lot of solid wings. Branahm can shoot it from well from three and gets into the paint often.

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- Jalen Williams, Shooting Guard, Santa Clara: The Bulls are one of the unknowns as we head into the draft in a week. Williams has been a big time riser of late in terms of draft prospects and showed tremendous potential as a three-and-D wing.

19. Minnesota Timberwolves- Walker Kessler, Center, Auburn: The Timberwolves are an up and coming pick to the point they may be looked upon as a West sleeper next season. Kessler is somebody that can help the T-Wolves protect the room since he is an amazing shot blocker.

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- Ty Ty Washington, Point Guard, Kentucky: Washington falling all the way down to the twenties would be somewhat surprising despite flaws teams see. Washington plays with a ton of energy and has positional versatility which would be fun with this Nuggets team.

22. Memphis Grizzlies (from Utah Jazz)- EJ Liddell, Power Forward, Ohio State: Liddell falling this far down would be a steal. Liddell is a steady player and somebody that is a little bit older, but improved each and every season at Ohio State.

23. Philadelphia 76ers- Jaden Hardy, Shooting Guard, G-League Unite: 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. Hardy id a player that didn't live up to hype with Unite, but has a ton of potential that he could unlock.

24. Milwaukee Bucks- Blake Wesley, Shooting Guard, Notre Dame: The Bucks are just searching for players that can help them while they have Giannis Antetokounmpo at the peak of his powers. Wesley didn't impress that much in college, but can shoot the lights out of the ball.

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)- Wendell Moore Jr, Shooting Guard/Small Forward, Duke: The Rockets acquired this pick as I was doing this mock draft as Christian Wood goes to Dallas. Moore has lottery talent, but didn't put it all together until this season with his floor spacing and 3-point shooting.

27. Miami Heat- MarJon Beauchamp, Shooting Guard, G-League Ignite: The third player from the loaded G-League Ignite team going I have Beauchamp. He is a really good scorer and he could be a heat check guy for the Heat, who could end up back in contention next season if they keep the current group intact.

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- Kennedy Chandler, Point Guard, Tennessee: This would be a nice pick fo the Grizzlies, who are picking for depth pieces on what should be a title contender. If it weren't for poor measurements, Chandler could have been a lottery pick due to his other attributes.

30. Denver Nuggets (from Oklahoma City Thunder via Phoenix Suns)- David Roddy, Power Forward, Colorado State: The Nuggets get this pick from the Thunder for veteran JaMychal Green and now they continue to pick for depth pieces on a possible title contender. Roddy is someone that's a stretch four and could be a mismatch for defenders with his three point shot.