Obviously that doesnt ensure anything for Baldwin Jr., but the former top-five prospect still has the length and shooting acumen to bring substantial upside. If Holmgren does play, itll be the first time hes played in a professional game since last years summer league, which was highlighted by a dominating debut. 2022-23 Oklahoma City Thunder roster. Its been quite a rise for LaRavia, but it seems like NBA teams have taken notice along with public-facing evaluators. 12. The Magic do have significant investments in big men already, but Mo Bamba may not be long for Orlando and, more than anything, the No. Nobody is at that size. 12: Malaki Branham, Ohio State, Cody Taylor, Rookie Wire (6/20), No. ESPN Matt Millers 2023 NFL Mock Draft (from February 6) Round: 2. June 27, 2022 1:28 pm ET In the days leading to the NBA draft, it was widely speculated Chet Holmgren wanted to land with the Oklahoma City Thunder over the Orlando Magic. 8:33 pm ET, 76ers' Tucker admits he didn't want to leave the Heat, Suns' Durant Era feels like the start of a special run, Durant begins Suns era with masterful two-way sequence, Warriors have climbed standings without Steph Curry, Knicks vs. Nets odds, picks, prediction, bets, Celtics vs. Cavaliers odds, picks, prediction, bets, NBA Draft: OKC selects Chet Holmgren with No. He shot 42% from distance for the Tigers a season ago, and boasts some tremendous moves to create his own shot. 2023 NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Arkansas backcourt, SEC prominent in lottery. https://okcthunderwire.usatoday.com/lists/2022-nba-mock-drafts-oklahoma-city-thunder-post-lottery-picks-projections/, Projections for 2nd overall in 2022 first round, Projections for 12th overall in 2022 first round, Lakers vs. Thunder: Lineups, injury reports and broadcast info for Wednesday, Lakers vs. Thunder: Prediction, point spread, odds, best bet, Player grades: Thunder losing streak extends to five with 123-117 loss to Lakers, PHOTOS: Best images from the Thunder's 123-117 loss to the Kings, Player grades: Thunder swept by Kings in season series with 123-117 loss, PHOTOS: Best images from the Thunder's 133-130 win over the Lakers, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. With SGA, Giddey, Smith and wing Luguentz Dort acting as building blocks in Oklahoma, some might believe that the team should draft a center with the second of its two lottery picks. Still, the 6'6" sophomore wing has emerged as a lottery prospect for his shot-making and budding pull-up scoring game. LOS ANGELES The Pacers and Pistons had already lost by the time the Thunder and Clipperstipped off Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena, which left just two scenarios in the upside-down standings. The Oklahoma City Thunder will continue to build from scratch through the draft, and only three teams will have a better chance of winning the 2022 NBA lottery. The Magic could use a productive forward such as Murray, who can find ways to score off the ball by getting out in transition, cutting, shooting and crashing the glass. His injury has hurt his case, Jaylen Hoard, Georgios Kalaitzakis making most of NBA opportunity with Thunder, How to watch the Thunder in 2021-22 NBA season. The Thunder own two draft picks in this mock draft. WebThe Ultimate NBA Mock Draft 2022 begins as the Locked On NBA local experts make the pick for their teams. CBS Sports Gary Parrish gives the Thunder's pick an A+. The Spurs have not been known to worry about position or needs in the draft, and they'd ignore them again in this situation. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images). Whether its at one of the two guard spots or out on the wing, best player available should be the name of the game at 12. The San Antonio Spurs would be one of those teams, either to move up for a star big or down for a defensive-minded one. If the Pistons want to go a bit safer, they could lean in the direction of Keegan Murray or A.J. Round 1, No. The Rockets almost cant go wrong with this pick in their current form. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. 1 pick. In Denver, he could work well as a cutter that doesnt need much on-ball equity. 2023 NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Arkansas backcourt, SEC prominent in lottery. Williams would give OKC an imposing presence around the rim with his 7'7" wingspan for finishing and shot-blocking. His feel is impressive and his shooting has come a long way. 6-keys: media/spln/nba/reg/free/stories, at Thunderous Intentions 1 year Jalen Green heads to OKC Thunder in CBS NBA Mock Draft Thunderous Intentions 1 year OKC Thunder: Top tweets of week May 23 - With the second pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, theres likely just four players the Oklahoma City Thunder are seriously considering. For general manager Sam Presti and Ivey would join Dejounte Murray to give San Antonio one of the NBA's fastest backcourts. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and he shined as a rookie, averaging 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. https://okcthunderwire.usatoday.com/category/nba-draft/mock-draft, For The Win mock draft: Thunder get Keon Johnson with pick 16, ESPN mock draft: Jonathan Kuminga falls to Thunder at No. 7 seed and play the No. Make no mistake, this is a massive swing in that Sharpe hasnt even touched a college court, but his combination of athleticism and scoring potential is tantalizing. The Nuggets need defensive help in a significant way and Beauchamp can provide it. In the majority of mocks written up recently, weve been seeing Sam Presti and co. on the board anywhere from first to fourth overall and, in turn, have managed to nab themselves some serious top-tier talent. But that doesn't mean Holmgren's career will play out the same way. The loser will play the winner of the second play-in game, between New Orleans and San Antonio. Eason might go in the lottery. He could play to his strengths as a play-finisher around the basket or behind the arc. January 6, 2022 9:00 am ET Now that we have seen an extended stretch of college basketball, there is a new player who has emerged as the projected No. WebRoundtable mock draft: Thunder make 2 trades, get Kuminga and Sengun. One of college basketball's most dominant two-way stars during his lone season at Gonzaga, Holmgren joins budding superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 2021 No. 2: Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga, Sam Vecenie, The Athletic (6/21), No. On the surface, this may appear as though the Thunder failed to succeed in 2020-21, but this couldnt be further from the truth, as this rebuilding organization now finds itself in possession of the fourth-best odds of landing the top slot in this years NBA Draft, and a 52.5 percent chance of nabbing a top-five pick on the night. Houston has been firing bets on upside dating back to the 2021 draft, and this is another example. 8. Holmgren has been compared to Pau Gasol, or even Rudy Gobert with perimeter skills, by Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft on Thursday the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Chet Holmgren, a 7-foot stretch big with guard skills and potentially game-changing defensive ability. 4 months. Before we preview the 2022 Oklahoma City Thunder draft, lets check in on the picks that they have. Duren should interest a Blazers team with a struggling defense and set backcourt (assuming Anfernee Simons re-signs and Damian Lillard isn't traded). Sacramento Kings: Shaedon Sharpe (Kentucky, SG, Freshman). In this case, Smith seems like a strong fit next to Myles Turner, whose rim protection would make up for the 18-year-old's lack of shot-blocking. Oklahoma City Thunder: Jaden Hardy (G League Ignite: Guard, G League, 6-4) Between Turner's interior defense and Smith's lateral mobility, the Pacers could move forward with one of the league's tougher frontcourts to score against. They will make their first selection after the Magic, who won the NBA Draft Lottery last month. Jun 14, 2022 at 2:51 pm ET 1 min read USATSI The NBA Finals are upon us, which means that 28 teams are now focused on the next major event on the calendar -- the NBA Draft on June 23. For one, he's not nearly as skilled as Durant. So this would be a good year for them to win the lottery withPaolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith at the top of boards. Eventually, the goal will be for Griffin to build on the flashes of step-backs to become a more threatening one-on-one scorer. Agbaji isnt quite big enough or good enough on defense to be a No. This draft is known for the big men at the top, specifically Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith. He can shoot. The Oklahoma City Thunder (28-33) are set to host the Los Angeles Lakers (29-33) on Wednesday at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. 22 1 option role. They will make their first selection after the Magic, who won the NBA Draft Lottery last month. For the Houston Rockets version,click here. May 18, 2022 10:49 am CT The Oklahoma City Thunder will select 2nd and 12th overall in the 2022 NBA draft following Tuesdays lottery results. NBA Summer League is set to take place July 7-17 in Las Vegas. As Norlander says, Holmgren's floor still appears to be pretty high. Defensively, there are some concerns, but there is enough to work with in terms of basketball IQ and frame to get by. Kainani Stevens is joined by Rafael Barlowe & Richard Stayman from Locked On NBA Big Board to breakdown every pick. Detroit Pistons: Bennedict Mathurin (Arizona, SG/SF, Sophomore). 7 odds up to the No. 1 overall pick. Jabari Smith figures to get heavy consideration, but Holmgren's defense behind Williamson is the major selling point. Brown is a crazy athlete who should be able to defend well, and if he can find a role on offense, look out. He'd get immediate reps, late-game shots and a green light to continue strengthening his three-point shooting. Here's what CBS Sports senior writer Matt Norlander had to say about Holmgren, whom he ultimately projects as a good-but-not-great player: I think it's more than reasonable to project at least one of the big three (Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero and Holmgren) to not be a top-five player in this class by the time we look up in 2030 and take stock of all that's happened. 7), and Carolina Panthers (No. James is expected to go No. OKC Thunder owns the No. The Thunder own four total picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. 9. With the 16th pick, OKC was slotted to take Texas big Kai Jones. There is a misconception that hell be a game-changer on defense immediately, but Davis should find a soft landing spot in the back half of the lottery somewhere. It honestly wouldnt surprise me if he was a top-20 pick. NBA Mock Draft 2022: The Orlando Magic Are On The Clock Brad Rowland May 17, 2022 The 2022 NBA Draft is less than six weeks away and, as of Tuesday evening, the board is set. Mathurin has long been a favorite in this space, and his offensive skill set is a lot of fun. 34: E.J. Despite recent uncertainty, the heavy favorite to go No. This will be a huge day for the future of the franchise in OKC, as this will determine the range of prospects the front office will be evaluating in the pre-draft process. While the Thunder have a ton of future draft capital to attempt to move up on draft night, teams werent willing to move back in the 2021 NBA Draft. For the 2022 NBA Draft, the final selection order will be decided on May 17. Here are what some national mocks are projecting who the Thunder will take as of May 17. The Thunder ended up jumping in the lottery after entering the night with the fourth-best and 12th-best (via the LA Clippers) odds. Sports (6/20), No. Much has already been made of Atlantas need for a secondary creator in the wake of an early playoff exit against Miami. 17), so Presti may feel more pressure to improve and balance out the offense. Sign up for our newsletter and get every update delivered to your inbox! For general manager Sam Presti and Co., the process seems to be coming to fruition. Were talking about yet another frontcourt player who can stretch the court (45% shooting from three-point range as a freshman. 3 pick, an 11.5% chance at the No. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. News. 2 to the Thunder continues to be Gonzaga forward Chet Holmgren. Keon Johnson #45 of the Tennessee Volunteers drives to the basket. Hes also a plug-and-play role player as an off-ball shooter and a very intelligent cutter. Citing his raw potential and the fact that Oklahoma City is far away from contending anyway, writer Jonathan Wasserman believes that the 19-year-old would be an ideal selection for the franchise at this point in the draft: His stats will come later as he builds on the flashes of post scoring and tougher shot-making he showed inFebruary and March. 4 spot in the 2022 NBA Draft lottery. The bottom-three teams have a 14% chance at the No. 4), Las Vegas Raiders (No. Here are the latest projected picks for the Thunder, according to TSN's Kyle Irving: Jordan Greer is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News. 1 wing defender, but hell be good in a secondary defensive role. 34: Patrick Baldwin Jr., Milwaukee, Sign up for the OKC Thunder Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. While this is the consensus belief that the OKC Thunder will fall into such a range, Bleacher Report recently posted a mock where the team lands outside of the top-five where, at sixth overall, they go on to select Tennessee wing,Keon Johnson. The Thunder own four total picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. The Orlando Magic won the draft lottery , taking a 14 percent chance and 1 pick or, at least one within the first five, should they fall out of such an area, theyll still likely be able to bring on a high-quality prospect. 34. The Oklahoma City Thunder will select 2nd and 12th overall in the 2022 NBA draft following Tuesdays lottery results. This might be a selfish one in that it would be fun to watch Miami develop Brown from afar. 34: Jaden Hardy, G League Ignite, NBADraft.net (6/21), No. So this would be a good year for them to win the lottery with, Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Right now, Holmgren seems to be the leader in the clubhouse. The NBA Draft will be held Thursday, June 23, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. OKC Thunder schedule:How to watch the Thunder in 2021-22 NBA season. OKC hitting on its 12.5 percent odds would significantly help expedite its process of returning to relevance and creating a credible nucleus. 8, and another (via the Clippers) thats likely to convey at No. If you watched ESPNs draft lottery broadcast, you will know that Smith is generating real hype, and many scouts view him as the top guy. However, the Kings still have the choice here and, at least for me, Ivey is a best player available choice. Projected Oklahoma City Thunder draft picks, Ideal Jabari Smith landing spots in 2022 NBA Draft, 1st round, 2nd pick: Jabari Smith, F, Auburn, 1st round, 12th pick: AJ Griffin, F, Duke, 1st round, 17th pick (from Rockets): Jalen Duren, C, Memphis, 2nd round, 34th pick: Kennedy Chandler, G, Tennessee. Griffin showed an outstanding comfort level as a spot-up player at Duke playing alongside other creators. 11. He's better suited to play the 2 alongside a more skilled playmaker such as Murray. The Thunder are not in a position to reach in the lottery. 1 pick is a spot to simply take the best prospect. Hes also not particularly close to being ready on offense, and OKC can afford to be patient. But for Houston, an 18-year-old in a low-pressure situation with a green light and reps seems worth betting on to develop. Analysis: Phillips had six interceptions in 2022, and he has the toughness and instincts to excel playing inside or outside cornerback at 5 OKC Thunder offseason primer: Draft picks, salary decisions and preparing for 2023 G Johnny Davis Age: 20 (Feb. 27, 2002) College: Wisconsin Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 196 pounds Hometown: La Crosse, Wisconsin Davis would admittedly be a reach, especially compared to the players above him. While were still holding out hope that the OKC Thunder will land the No. There were plenty of flashes, however, and his offensive ceiling is very, very high for a player that could slide. With Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander established as the backcourt of the future, Thunder general manager Sam Presti will be looking to add at least one more piece to his young core on Thursday night. 1 overall to the Orlando Magic. Davis would give the Knicks another shot-creator and scorer, while his toughness and knack for making shots in big moments should suit him well for New York's spotlight. James is expected to go No. Charlotte could obviously address that need in free agency or via trade but, if they dont, Williams is worthy of a mid-first round selection. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. Can he hold up to the physical toll of the NBA? OKC will also pick 30th via the Suns, who finished with the best record (64-18) in the NBA. 2022 NBA Draft Lottery Odds Tankathon Owning the fourth-highest lottery odds means the lowest Oklahoma Citys pick can fall is eighth overall. Whoever lands the No. Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today recently released a mock draft the 2022 class, which gives insight into where some of the top players in the upcoming rookie class could land. But by jumping into the top three, the Thunder can plug a hole at forward with a franchise-caliber player. Elsewhere, the Sacramento Kings are a solid winner from the evening, jumping from the No. The NBA officially announced the dates for 2023 summer league, an event expected to be headlined by presumed top-two picks Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Griffin. The Thunder could offer up their 30th pick and a future first-round pick to a squad in Houston that has to continue adding draft capital. It remains unclear on whether he can defend in the NBA, but Jovic is 18 years old and highly skilled and polished in key areas. Early on, hed focus on transition offense, driving, ball-moving and defense until his handle and shooting catch up. Lets see what the final versions of mock drafts have the Thunder taking with the franchises three picks as the draft season is almost over.