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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. -
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. -
Indiana Pacers: Shaedon Sharpe, SG, Kentucky 
Malcolm Brogdon could be on the move, per some trade rumors. If he goes, the Pacers will need a backcourt mate for Tyrese Haliburton. -
Portland Trailblazers: Jalen Duran, C, Memphis 
Jusuf Nurkic is headed for free agency, so if the Blazers don’t believe they’ll re-sign him, they may target a center with this pick. -
New Orleans Pelicans: Dyson Daniels, SG/SF, Australia 
The Pelicans could use another wing to go along with Brandon Ingram, and the prospect from the Land Down Under could help fill that void. -
San Antonio Spurs: Johnny Davis, SF, Wisconsin 
What the Spurs need most is for Gregg Popovich to regain his sanity. That’s not available at this pick, so they can add a wing to help replace DeMar DeRozan. 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. -
Washington Bullets: Bennedict Mathurin, SF, Arizona 
The Bullets are a truly miserable team. They’re desperate for help at point guard, small forward and center, so they should obtain the top player at one of those positions. -
New York Knicks: TyTy Washington, PG, Kentucky
Kemba Walker was a predictable bust signing for the Knicks, so they’ll need to find a new point guard. -
Oklahoma City Thunder: Ousmane Dieng, SF, France
Ousmane Dieng will join Mike Holmgren’s potential son in Oklahoma City, filling a big need on the wing. -
Charlotte Hornets: Mark Williams, C, Duke
I’m sure the Hornets will be hoping that Jalen Duran will fall to them. Instead, they’ll have to settle for Mark Williams to perhaps finally cure their woes at center, which have seemingly existed since Alonzo Mourning’s departure. -
Cleveland Cavaliers: A.J. Griffin, SF, Duke
The Cavaliers desperately need help on the wing, so perhaps they’ll take the semi-local prospect to fill that void. -
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.
Go to 2022 NBA Mock Draft: Picks 16-30
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