As is custom, given that it’s one day after the draft, here’s where I’m starting with the 2022 NBA Mock Draft. And yeah, this thing is a doozy.
The best way to look at something like this so early in the process is to consider it more of a watch list than an actual ranking. That is especially true in this class. Why? The presence of many high-upside players who, for one reason or another, might be blocked in terms of playing time or scheme or merely might take more than one year to become a genuine draft prospect. This class is not considered to be quite as strong as the 2021 group, especially at the top. I quite like Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren, but I’d have them below the top four prospects in the 2021 class.
On top of that, a lot of these prospects haven’t been seen quite as much as players in past years. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the early evaluation portion of the process. Due to the cancellation for the second straight year of the all-star exhibition circuit, including the McDonald’s All-American, Hoop Summit and the Jordan Brand Classic, NBA personnel aren’t quite as familiar with this class as they have been with previous ones.
If there were ever a year where the preseason, way-too-early draft rankings are going to make me look dumb, this is probably the one due to us having less information than we typically do at this point. And in that vein, I expect I’ll be a bit more aggressive in moving around players earlier in the draft cycle than I typically am.
But here’s what we’re working with now that the 2021 cycle has passed us by:
1. Paolo Banchero | 6-10 forward | 18 years old, freshman | Duke
I’m probably going a bit off board here by not having Chet Holmgren at No. 1, but I am an enormous fan of what Banchero brings to the table.
