NBA Draft 2022: Round-Up of Expert Mock Drafts After NCAA Championship
The 2022 NBA draft does not have a consensus No. 1 overall pick yet, but it does have four clear-cut top prospects who can earn that title.
Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren, Duke's Paolo Banchero, Purdue's Jaden Ivey and Auburn's Jabari Smith all register in the top four of most mock drafts.
The debate over the next two months will be about which player deserves to be the No. 1 overall selection.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman placed Smith on top of his latest mock draft with Banchero, Holmgren and Ivey following in that order.
ESPN's Jonathan Givony had Holmgren land on top of his most recent mock draft with Banchero, Smith and Ivey behind the Gonzaga big man.
The list of prospects after the top four is up for debate, but Iowa's Keegan Murray made a strong case to be the best of the rest.
Debate over Top Prospect Split Among Four Players
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You will hear a lot of conversation about the four top prospects headlining the 2022 NBA draft class over the next two months.
Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero and Jaden Ivey all bring different skill sets to the court.
The No. 1 overall draft pick may come down to what the team at the top of the draft order needs the most in terms of positional help.
The Orlando Magic may be more inclined to go after Holmgren or Smith since they already have Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs at the guard positions.
Any of the four prospects may be intriguing to the Houston Rockets since they have plenty of roster holes to fill around Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr.
The Detroit Pistons could be swayed by any of the four prospects because they would all complement Cade Cunningham well. None of the top four players need to be on the ball as often as last year's No. 1 overall selection.
The Oklahoma City Thunder might end up as the most open franchise to all four players because their roster is incomplete.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the true star on the team, but he does not have a load of help around him.
Holmgren comes into the NBA with a ton of skill for a 7-footer, but he needs to work on his build to deal with the physical nature of the league schedule.
Smith and Banchero could play either on the wing or as a scorer out of the backcourt, while Ivey can line up either on the ball or at shooting guard in a backcourt setup.
No clear-cut top prospect has been determined yet, and it may take the two months of evaluation for one to be favored above the others by the team that eventually lands the No. 1 pick.
Keegan Murray in Mix to Be Top-5 Pick
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Iowa's Keegan Murray boosted his draft stock the most over the last few months out of the players heading into the 2022 draft.
Murray led the Hawkeyes to the Big Ten tournament title. He averaged 23.5 points per game and shot 39.5 percent from three-point range.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman and ESPN's Jonathan Givony both have Murray landing at the No. 5 pick in their respective mock drafts.
Murray's length and high-volume scoring ability make him an intriguing selection for any of the teams that miss out on the top four.
He could even move into the top-four conversation if a team that lands there in the lottery prefers him over one of the other top prospects.
If the lottery goes chalk, the Indiana Pacers could be in position to keep Murray in Big Ten country and partner him with Tyrese Haliburton.
The Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings would also love to land Murray and his shot-making ability to partner with their experienced ball-handlers.
Shaedon Sharpe Expected to Be Lottery Pick If He Enters Draft
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Shaedon Sharpe is a player you may hear a lot more about in the buildup to the draft.
Sharpe graduated from high school early to enroll at Kentucky for the spring semester. Sharpe did not play a single minute for the Wildcats.
He is eligible for the NBA draft because he turns 19 before the selection process.
If Sharpe decides to enter the NBA, he will be a lottery selection. Wasserman listed him at No. 7, while Givony placed him at No. 6, one spot behind Murray.
Sharpe's selection, if he declares, will be based on potential. He was one of the highest touted recruits in his age class.
The shooting guard can show off his abilities in individual workouts with certain teams. That could convince the franchises sitting at No. 5 and lower to pick him.
