NBA released the latest consensus 2022 mock draft ahead of Thursday’s event. With the 2022 NBA Draft approaching, the lottery is becoming more and more locked in, especially at the top.
Jabari Smith Jr. seems the favorite to go first as 10 of the 12 mocks have him joining the Orlando Magic. Holmgren, 10 of the 12 mocks still have the Thunder taking him at No. 2. The Gonzaga product is expected to be a top-2 pick in the draft.
Twelve of the 12 mock drafts now have Banchero going to Houston, making it the only unanimous pick, per NBA.com. Banchero have to be the obvious choice if Smith and Holmgren are off the board.
Banchero was excellent in his lone year in the NCAA leading Duke to the Final-4. He averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game shooting 47.8 from the field as a freshman.
Banchero was 1st among true freshmen in the 2021-22 season in scoring and 5th among true freshmen in the 2021-22 season in field-goal percentage 47.8 percent. Some teams believe he may be the best talent in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Jaden Ivey continues to look like a lock for the No. 4 pick to the Kings. Sacramento is pretty set in its backcourt with DeAaron Fox and Davion Mitchell, however they can use the dynamic guard as a trade chip for a win-now talent.
The New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies are among the reported interested teams. Both have picks and players to offer, but the Kings will likely seek a star to put alongside Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
One player who continues to see his name climb up the mock drafts is Australian Dyson Daniels. Daniels, who averaged 11.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game with the G League Ignite last season, is linked heavily with the Trail Blazers at No. 7.
Last but not least, Keegan Murray is seeing his name being as high as no.4 and could be going off the board around no.6 according to the latest mock drafts. The 6-foot-8 forward out of Iowa appears either fifth or sixth in 10 of the 12 mock drafts.
No. 1 (Magic): Jabari Smith
No. 2 (Thunder): Chet Holmgren
No. 3 (Rockets): Paolo Banchero
No. 4 (Kings): Jaden Ivey
No. 5 (Pistons): Keegan Murray
No. 6 (Pacers): Bennedict Mathurin
No. 7 (Trail Blazers): Dyson Daniels
No. 8 (Pelicans): Dyson Daniels, Shaedon Sharpe
No. 9 (Spurs): Jalen Duren
No. 10 (Wizards): Johnny Davis
No. 11 (Knicks): A.J. Griffin
No. 12 (Thunder): Ousmane Dieng, Jeremy Sochan
No. 13 (Hornets): Mark Williams
No. 14 (Cavaliers): Ochai Agbaji
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