Final 2022 NBA Mock Draft: What will happen on Draft Night?
By Mike Luciano
Baylor. player. 170. Pick Analysis. PF. Scouting Report. Jeremy Sochan. 15
Sochan is offensively deficient, as he only averaged 9.2 points per game with a poor 3-point shot in college. That doesn’t change the fact that the Hornets should run to the podium to take him here.
Sochan is a rare athlete who can defend guards at 6-9 and 230 pounds. He may have the highest defensive ceiling of anyone in this class, which is just what Charlotte needs.
Pick Analysis. SG. 16. 125. Scouting Report. Ohio State. Malaki Branham. player
Atlanta appears to be moving forward with Onyeka Okongwu in the frontcourt, so Landry Fields needs to get a shooter like Branham that can be on the receiving ends of Trae Young dimes.
Branham needs to tighten his handle just a bit, but that doesn’t negate his excellent shooting, pestilent nature on defense, or poised nature on the floor. The Hawks are a perfect spot for him.
NBA Mock Draft: Blake Wesley is a hot name.
Pick Analysis. player. 169. Scouting Report. SG/PG. Notre Dame. Blake Wesley. 17
Kevin Porter Jr. is still an unreliable presence at point guard, and Houston’s bench was rail-thin last year. Wesley is not super efficient, but everything else about his game screams NBA starter.
A big 6-5 guard who can leap, defend, and avoid costly turnovers, Wesley will immediately be a standout Rockets bench contributor in Year 1 before eventually moving into the starting lineup for good.
Scouting Report. PF. player. 24. Pick Analysis. Ohio State. EJ Liddell. 18
Liddell was a double-double machine in college that should have trouble getting to the rim at the professional level. Chicago needs more frontcourt thunder, and Liddell will provide that.
Nikola Vucevic was carrying a subpar Bulls frontcourt for most of the season, while Patrick Williams became a major injury risk this year. Liddell is more than just insurance, given his excellent bucket-getting ability.
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 86. PF. LSU. Tari Eason. 19. player
The Timberwolves have a surprisingly quality core, but they could use another power forward who can space the floor and score off the bench. Eason was a masterful Sixth Man with a high offensive ceiling.
Eason averaged 25.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.9 steals per 36 minutes. An electric bench big with the ability to create for himself, Eason will become part of the infrastructure in Minnesota.
Pick Analysis. Nikola Jovic. 20. Scouting Report. SF/PF. Serbia. player. 29
Jovic could be the best international player in this draft, as he is a 6-10 forward with guard-like handles and a surprisingly quality jumper. We all know how San Antonio loves international prospects.
Jovic is somewhat positionless, so picking him would allow the Spurs to take one of the best players available and plug him into the system when he is a bit more refined as a prospect.