2022 NBA Mock Draft: First Round Picks & Predictions

The NBA is perfect.

Well, not perfect, but as close as any league can be.

The Finals are done, and to keep the momentum going, the league goes right into the draft and free agency.

The draft, which is scheduled for June 23, is one of the biggest nights of the year for fans of the association.

We’ll have you covered here at FantasyPros with a fantasy fallout from the draft, but leading up to the event itself, I’ll be rolling out my mock drafts each week for how I see the event shaking out.

Now, we will see a lot of movement in the draft. We always do. We see teams moving up, moving down and trading out altogether. While it’s easy to identify some of those teams (Hello, Portland, Sacramento, and San Antonio), for this exercise, we are just going to take the picks at face value with the assigned team.

Let’s get to it and I’m sorry in advance for how much I hate your favorite team.

Big Board & Top-40 Rookie Rankings

  1. Paolo Banchero
  2. Jaden Ivey
  3. Jabari Smith
  4. Chet Holmgren
  5. Keegan Murray
  6. Shaedon Sharpe
  7. Bennedict Mathurin
  8. Johnny Davis
  9. Ousmane Dieng
  10. Dyson Daniels
  11. Jalen Duren
  12. Mark Williams
  13. A.J. Griffin
  14. Tari Eason
  15. Ochai Agbaji
  16. Jeremy Sochan
  17. Malaki Branham
  18. Jalen Williams
  19. Jaden Hardy
  20. Kennedy Chandler
  21. E.J. Liddell
  22. Nikola Jovic
  23. Blake Wesley
  24. MarJon Beauchamp
  25. TyTy Washington Jr.
  26. Kendall Brown
  27. Christian Koloko
  28. Wendell Moore Jr.
  29. Bryce McGowens
  30. Walker Kessler
  31. Jake LaRavia
  32. Dalen Terry
  33. Christian Braun
  34. Hugo Besson
  35. Terquavion Smith
  36. Khalifa Diop
  37. Jean Montero
  38. Patrick Baldwin Jr.
  39. Ryan Rollins
  40. Kenneth Lofton Jr.

Round 1

1. Orlando Magic – Jabari Smith Jr. (F – Auburn)
Version 1: Jabari Smith
Version 2: Jabari Smith

2. Oklahoma City Thunder – Chet Holmgren (C – Gonzaga)
Version 1: Chet Holmgren
Version 2: Chet Holmgren

3. Houston Rockets – Paolo Banchero (F – Duke)
Version 1: Paolo Banchero
Version 2: Paolo Banchero

4. Sacramento Kings – Keegan Murray (F – Iowa)
Version 1: Keegan Murray
Version 2: Keegan Murray

5. Detroit Pistons – Jaden Ivey (G – Purdue)
Version 1: Jaden Ivey
Version 2: Jaden Ivey

6. Indiana Pacers – Bennedict Mathurin (SG – Arizona)
Version 1: Shaedon Sharpe
Version 2: Shaedon Sharpe

7. Portland Trail Blazers – Dyson Daniels (G/F – G League Ignite)
Version 1: Dyson Daniels
Version 2: Dyson Daniels

8. New Orleans Pelicans – Shaedon Sharpe (G/F – Kentucky)
Version 1: Johnny Davis
Version 2: Johnny Davis

9. San Antonio Spurs – Jalen Duren (C – Memphis)
Version 1: Jalen Duran
Version 2: Benedict Mathuin

10. Washington Wizards – A.J. Griffin (G/F/ Duke)
Version 1: Benedict Mathurin
Version 2: A.J. Griffin

11. New York Knicks – Johnny Davis (G/F – Wisconsin)
Version 1: Mark Williams
Version 2: Mark Williams

12. Oklahoma City Thunder – Jeremy Sochan (F – Baylor)
Version 1: A.J. Griffin
Version 2: Jalen Duran

13. Charlotte Hornets – Mark Williams (C – Duke)
Version 1: Jeremy Sochan
Version 2: Jeremy Sochan

14. Cleveland Cavaliers – Ochai Agbaji (G – Kansas)
Version 1: Ochai Agbaji
Version 2: Ochai Agbaji

15. Charlotte Hornets – Ousmane Dieng (F – New Zealand Breakers)
Version 1: Ousmane Dieng
Version 2: Ousmane Dieng

16. Atlanta Hawks – Malaki Branham (G/F – Ohio State)
Version 1: Malaki Branham
Version 2: Tari Eason

17. Houston Rockets – Tari Eason (F – LSU)
Version 1: Jalen Williams
Version 2: Malaki Branham

18. Chicago Bulls – MarJon Beauchamp (SF – G League Ignite)
Version 1: MarJon Beauchamp
Version 2: MarJon Beauchamp

19. Minnesota Timberwolves – Nikola Jovic (F – Serbia)
Version 1: Nikola Jovic
Version 2: Nikola Jovic

20. San Antonio Spurs – Blake Wesley (G/F – Notre Dame)
Version 1: Jaden Hardy
Version 2: TyTy Washington

21. Denver Nuggets – Kendall Brown (F – Baylor)
Version 1: Kendall Brown
Version 2: Kendall Brown

22. Memphis Grizzlies – Wendell Moore Jr. (G/F – Duke)
Version 1: Kennedy Chandler
Version 2: Kennedy Chandler

23. Philadelphia 76ers – E.J. Liddell (F – Ohio State)
Version 1: Tari Eason
Version 2: E.J. Liddell

24. Milwaukee Bucks – Jalen Williams (G – Santa Clara)
Version 1: Wendell Moore
Version 2: Wendell Moore

25. San Antonio Spurs – Jaden Hardy (G – G League Ignite)
Version 1: E.J. Liddell
Version 2: Jaden Hardy

26. Houston Rockets – Dalen Terry (F – Arizona)
Version 1: Patrick Baldwin Jr.
Version 2: Patrick Baldwin Jr.

27. Miami Heat – TyTy Washington (PG – Kentucky)
Version 1: Blake Wesley
Version 2: Blake Wesley

28. Golden State Warriors – Christian Koloko (C – Arizona)
Version 1: Christian Koloko
Version 2: Christian Koloko

29. Memphis Grizzlies – Kennedy Chandler (G – Tennessee)
Version 1: Walker Kessler
Version 2: Walker Kessler

30. Denver Nuggets – Bryce McGowens (G/F – Nebraska)
Version 1: TyTy Washington (to OKC)
Version 2: Bryce McGowens

Round 2

31. Indiana Pacers – Ryan Rollins (G – Toledo)

32. Orlando Magic – Jake LaRavia (F – Wake Forest)

33. Toronto Raptors – Justin Lewis (F – Marquette)

34. Oklahoma City Thunder – Jean Montero (PG – Overtime Elite)

35. Orlando Magic – Christian Braun (G – Kansas)

36. Portland Trail Blazers – Walker Kessler (C – Auburn)

37. Sacramento Kings – Julian Champagnie (F – St. John’s)

38. San Antonio Spurs – Dereon Seabron (G – NC State)

39. Cleveland Cavaliers – Gabriele Procida (G – Fortiduo Bologno)

40. Minnesota Timberwolves – Patrick Baldwin (F – Milwaukee-Wisconsin)

41. Charlotte Hornets – Caleb Houstan (F – Michigan)

42. New York Knicks – Kenneth Lofton (F – Louisiana Tech)

43. Los Angeles Clippers – Trevor Keels (G – Duke)

44. Atlanta Hawks – David Roddy (F – Colorado State)

45. Charlotte Hornets – Terquavion Smith (G – NC State)

46. Detroit Pistons – John Butler (F – Florida State)

47. Memphis Grizzlies – Ismael Kamagate (C – Paris)

48. Sacramento Kings – Hugo Besson (G – New Zealand Breakers)

49. Minnesota Timberwolves – Peyton Watson (SF – UCLA)

50. Golden State Warriors – Jabari Walker (F – Colorado)

51. Minnesota Timberwolves – Jaylin Williams (C – Arkansas)

52. New Orleans Pelicans – Max Christie (G – Michigan State)

53. Boston Celtics – Andrew Nembhard (PG – Gonzaga)

54. Washington Wizards – Kofi Cockrugn (C – Illinois)

55. Golden State Warriors – Luke Travers (F – Perth)

56. Cleveland Cavaliers – Khalifa Diop (C – Senegal)

57. Portland Trail Blazers – Ziga Samar (G – Fuenlabrada)

58. Indiana Pacers – JD Davison (PG – Alabama)


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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.