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Orlando Magic: Jabari Smith, PF, Auburn 
Congratulations to the Magic for winning the lottery! They need a big man to go with their default center, Wendell Carter. Orlando has nothing at power forward, and Jabari Smith is arguably the top prospect in this class. It’s pretty close with Chet Holmgren and even Paolo Banchero and Jaden Ivey, so nothing is set in stone at the moment.
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Oklahoma City Thunder: Chet Holmgren, C, Gonzaga 
The Thunder desperately need size. If Chet Holmgren makes it to No. 2, I’d expect him to be the pick unless Jabari Smith is available. He might be the son of Mike Holmgren – who really knows – but I wouldn’t hold that against him. Holmgren will remain the pick here, as he was last time in this site’s 2022 NBA Mock Draft. -
Houston Rockets: Paolo Banchero, PF, Duke 
The Rockets need mostly everything, so they should just take the best player available. I think that’s Paolo Banchero, though you could make the case for Jaden Ivey. -
Sacramento Kings: Jaden Ivey, SG, Purdue 
I’m still not sure why the Kings traded Tyrese Haliburton, but they’ll need help in the backcourt next to De’Aaron Fox. They could be getting the best player in the draft with this pick. -
Detroit Pistons: Keegan Murray, PF, Iowa 
The Pistons need another big man to go with Isaiah Stewart, so Keegan Murray might seem appealing to them at No. 5. This pick makes even more sense in the wake of the Jerami Grant trade. -
Indiana Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin, SF, Arizona 
Malcolm Brogdon could be on the move, per some trade rumors. If he goes, the Pacers will need another wing to go along with Buddy Hield. -
Portland Trailblazers: Dyson Daniels, SG/SF, Australia 
The Blazers lost C.J. McCollum, so they need a better backcourt mate for Damian Lillard. If the Australian pans out, the Blazers will have a nice trio with him, Lillard and Jerami Grant. -
New Orleans Pelicans: Ousmane Dieng, SF, France 
The Pelicans could use another wing to go along with Brandon Ingram, and the French product could help fill that void. Ousmane Dieng reportedly impressed the Pelicans in a recent workout. I assume he impressed them with his basketball skills and not something else. -
San Antonio Spurs: Jalen Duran, C, Memphis 
The Spurs need to replace LaMarcus Aldridge, so they could pursue Jalen Duran. Their biggest need is helping Gregg Popovich regain his sanity, but it’s unclear if Duran can help make that happen. -
Washington Bullets: Shaedon Sharpe, SG, Kentucky 
The Bullets are a truly miserable team. They’re desperate for help at guard, small forward and center, so they should obtain the top player at one of those positions. -
New York Knicks: A.J. Griffin, SF, Duke
Kemba Walker was a predictable bust signing for the Knicks, so they’ll need to find a new point guard. They could also target a wing like A.J. Griffin, who seems like a great fit. -
Oklahoma City Thunder: Johnny Davis, SF, Wisconsin
Johnny Davis was one of the worst coaches in NBA history. Let’s hope his potential son is a better player than his potential dad was a coach. The Thunder need a wing to go along with Mike Holmgren’s possible son. -
Charlotte Hornets: Jeremy Sochan, PF, Baylor 
The Hornets have two picks to get this right. They need frontcourt help to get them over the hump and into the real playoffs. -
Cleveland Cavaliers: Ochai Agbaji, SG, Kansas 
The Cavaliers desperately need help on the wing, so perhaps they’ll take the Kansas prospect to fill that void. -
Charlotte Hornets: Mark Williams, C, Duke
I’m sure the Hornets will be hoping that Jalen Duran will fall to them at No. 13. That is the case in my previous mock draft update, but I don’t think you can discount Mark Williams at 15 if Duran is chosen at No. 13. The Hornets have had major problems at center for a long time, and they could double dip on big men to make sure that they finally fix the issue. Either way, Williams makes sense at this juncture.
Go to 2022 NBA Mock Draft: Picks 16-30
Sorry for cutting this into two halves; I’ve received complaints about load times and putting the mock draft on two pages saves bandwidth.
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