The NBA draft processes continues to roll forward since the Magic have secured the first pick. As each team begins to get a real sense of the player pool and what they can do in pre draft workouts, our first mock draft shows where we currently stand.
| Pick | Team | Player | Pick | Team | Player |
| 1 | Orlando Magic | Jabari Smith | 31 | Indiana Pacers (via HOU) | Bryce McGowens |
| 2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Chet Holmgren | 32 | Orlando Magic | Jake Laravia |
| 3 | Houston Rockets | Paolo Banchero | 33 | Toronto Raptors (via DET) | Walker Kessler |
| 4 | Sacramento Kings | Jaden Ivey | 34 | Oklahoma City Thunder | David Roddy |
| 5 | Detroit Pistons | Shaedon Sharpe | 35 | Orlando Magic | Jalen Williams |
| 6 | Indiana Pacers | Keegan Murray | 36 | Portland Trail Blazers | Christian Koloko |
| 7 | Portland Trail Blazers | Dyson Daniels | 37 | Sacramento Kings | Leonard Miller |
| 8 | New Orleans Pelicans (via LAL) | Bennedict Mathurin | 38 | San Antonio Spurs (via LAL) | Ismael Kamagate |
| 9 | San Antonio Spurs | AJ Griffin | 39 | Cleveland Cavaliers (via SAS) | Dalen Terry |
| 10 | Washington Wizards | Jeremy Sochan | 40 | Minnesota Timberwolves (via WAS) | Jabari Walker |
| 11 | New York Knicks | Jalen Duren | 41 | New Orleans Pelicans | JD Davidson |
| 12 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Johnny Davis | 42 | New York Knicks | Trevor Keels |
| 13 | Charlotte Hornets | Mark Williams | 43 | LA Clippers | Josh Minott |
| 14 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Ochai Agbaji | 44 | Atlanta Hawks | Justin Lewis |
| 15 | Charlotte Hornets (via NOLA) | Tari Eason | 45 | Charlotte Hornets | Keon Ellis |
| 16 | Atlanta Hawks | Malaki Branham | 46 | Detroit Pistons (via BKN) | Trevion Williams |
| 17 | Houston Rockets | Ousmane Dieng | 47 | Memphis Grizzlies (via CLE) | Max Christie |
| 18 | Chicago Bulls | Kendall Brown | 48 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Alondes Williams |
| 19 | Minnesota Timberwolves | TyTy Washington | 49 | Sacramento (via CHI) | Khalifa Diop |
| 20 | San Antonio Spurs (via TOR) | EJ Liddell | 50 | Minnesota Timberwolves (via DEN) | Gabriele Procida |
| 21 | Denver Nuggets | Wendell Moore Jr. | 51 | Golden State Warriors (via TOR) | Yannick Nzosa |
| 22 | Memphis Grizzlies (via UTA) | Blake Wesley | 52 | New Orleans (via UTA) | Jaylin Williams |
| 23 | Brooklyn Nets (via PHI) | Kennedy Chandler | 53 | Boston Celtics | Michael Foster |
| 24 | Milwaukee Bucks | Christian Braun | 54 | Milwaukee Bucks | Forfeited |
| 25 | San Antonio Spurs (via BOS) | Terquavion Smith | 55 | Miami Heat (via PHI) | Forfeited |
| 26 | Dallas Mavericks | Nikola Jovic | 56 | Washington Wizards (via DAL) | Matteo Spagnolo |
| 27 | Miami Heat | Patrick Baldwin | 57 | Golden State Warriors | Andrew Nembhard |
| 28 | Golden State Warriors | Marjon Beauchamp | 58 | Cleveland (via MIA) | Vince Williams Jr. |
| 29 | Memphis Grizzlies | Jean Montero | 59 | Portland Trail Blazers (via MEM) | Caleb Houstan |
| 30 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Jaden Hardy | 60 | Indiana Pacers (via PHX) | Peyton Watson |
Notable Highlights
Explaining and justifying why these picks are where each team lands would be hard. As we inch closer to the draft and continue to update our mock, our final mock draft will feature detail by pick. In our first iteration, we are going to work through four highlights.
The Miami Heat have been lucky enough to continue to develop solid rotation guards and small forward to pair with Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry. Herro, Robinson, Strus, Vincent and Oladipo all have had an impact in the playoffs this season and should continue to improve going forward. The glaring weakness in Miami though is that their front court is thin with only Tucker, Bam, Deadmon and Markieff Morris(?) finding any type of playing time they need to find youth up front to match their budding back court rotation. Patrick Baldwin helps solve this and the move is mutually beneficial for both parties. Baldwin was once considered a top prospect in this draft but slipped when he underperformed at Milwaukee. Currently he has chosen to stay in the draft instead of taking an additional year at Power Five school. Miami has a system that has been proven to develop young talent and get the most out of players both young and old. The “Heat Culture” is draped in a championship pedigree and a desire to get better every day. While Baldwin may not be ready to play significant minutes, the goal would be to help develop him into the player many thought he would be in college. This addresses the impending size question and could give them a lottery level prospect at the end of the first round.
The Spurs have gone from dynasty to rebuild and while every year may be Greg Pop’s last, they are slowly inching closer to being back in the playoffs. They have youth at every position and a star to build around in Murray. However, they need to add high quality depth to the roster and their first round addresses just that. Capitalizing on a surprise in the draft when Daniels goes to Portland, the Spurs have AJ Griffin fall to them at #9. Griffin was injured part of the year and had some up and down games but his ability to put the ball in the basket is going to be immediately valuable off the bench. During his freshman year his efficiency stood out and that is immediately translatable when coming in off the bench. Providing floor spacing behind Vassell and hopefully allowing the front office to move Josh Richardson are just additional benefits to the pick.
Later in the round, the Spurs address some size and take a swing on upside. During the season, Keldon Johnson played exceptionally well this year and when Zach Collins gets back into the NBA routine, he should take over the starting center role. With the starting front court locked up, acknowledging that Johnson is small for a PF, the Spurs select EJ Liddell at #20. Liddell has impressed in the combine, played well in his senior season and addresses a major front court need. A big man suited for the 2022 NBA, he can play behind the arc or down low. His senior leadership will carry over into the NBA and he should become a positive impact player during his first year. At #25, the Spurs reach for upside. Similar to Josh Primo who was not seen as a lottery pick last year, San Antonio takes Terquavion Smith. Smith was undrafted until recently and has found himself slotted on most boards in the second round. The Spurs bet on him here and are going to use the pick to develop him in the G-League. I wouldn’t expect Smith to get minutes on the main roster until later in the season but he is the type of high ceiling player the Spurs are willing to bet on to get back into the championship window.
Overall, they get one of the best shooter in the draft, a high upside guard and versatile big man. Addressing their needs and betting for the future puts the Spurs in a position to compete going forward.
The set up for Kessler in Toronto starts in the first round. With the uncertainty surrounding Kyrie Irving, the aging Pattie Mills and the general fog surrounding the Brooklyn Nets, if they keep the pick we believe they draft Kennedy Chandler as an insurance policy. The more likely outcome is that they defer the pick to Philadelphia who also needs a scoring punch from the guard position and they select Chandler, who would jump Jaden Springer in development. Regardless, the place that Kessler would be drafted in the first round ends up being a guard causing him to slide. The Raptors come onto the clock with their pick of Kessler, Kamagate or Koloko and decide to go with Kessler. Overall, any of these three could end up going but as a presumed first round pick the unexpected slide of Kessler is going to be something the Raptors can’t pass up. He should see minutes throughout the season and make an immediate impact on both ends of the floor. He has continued to improve his game but could elevate to an even higher level in Toronto’s development system.
#59 Portland Trail Blazers: Caleb Houstan
If Caleb Houstan stays in the draft, he in my opinion, is going to be a second round pick but only based on the value that he has previously held. If Houstan wasn’t a highly touted prospect with the skillset and physical attributes he touts he would probably be back at Michigan preparing for his sophomore season. Through the tournament he had a few chances to increase his draft stock but instead was treading water. Yet, this doesn’t mean he isn’t worthy of taking a risk. Portland seems to be a bit influx and developing Houstan could be one of the best picks in the draft if he develops fully. Another player that was supposed to be one of the top picks this year he has faltered but if Portland can recapture or even tap into the game that made him elite he could be the next great Blazer. Houstan’s situation will be monitored going forward.