The new year is nearly upon is, which seems like the perfect time to do a way-too-soon NBA Mock Draft to try and give Pistons fans hope heading into 2022.
The Pistons have the worst record in the NBA, but as we know, that doesn’t guarantee anything, as the bottom three teams all have the same odds for the number one pick.
There isn’t a consensus number one yet this season and it’s unlikely there will be, as this draft is not as strong at the top as last season and features a number of guys who could go first.
The Pistons have a number of needs, but mostly it’s just about acquiring elite talent, as teams that are on pace to be the worst in franchise history can’t be too concerned about position or need at this point in the rebuild.
Obviously the Pistons would love to land the number one pick again, as it puts a lot of options on the table, including trading for an established star.
But having the worst record only guarantees the Pistons will stay in the top five, so we let the Lottery Gods at Tankathon decide and on the first spin Detroit dropped to number three.
So who would the Pistons take with the third pick?
2022 NBA Mock Draft: Pick #1
The Orlando Magic catch a break in this simulation and get the number one pick, which they use on forward Paolo Banchero from Duke.
The Magic have young talent at nearly every position, and they are a team I could see trading this pick if they did land it, but if not, taking a high flying forward like Banchero makes sense. He would fit nicely with the young trio of Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner and the Magic rebuild would be well on its way.
2022 NBA Mock Draft: Pick #2
The NBA seems to be trending towards versatile bigs and the Rockets already have two of them in former Detroit Pistons forward Christian Wood and Alperen Sengun, who they drafted last season.
Holmgren is going to be an interesting case in the NBA, as the kid has guard skills in a seven-footer’s body and can block shots as well as anyone I’ve seen in recent years.
But he is so skinny that a stiff breeze might blow him out of Texas, so there are some concerns that he’s going to get trucked by actual centers.
But the skill set is there, and Holmgren is likely to go in the top three depending on who gets the pick.
This would give Houston three versatile big men to go along with Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., so the Rockets would be able to run out some serious scoring and rim protection with this group.
2022 NBA Mock Draft: Pick #3- Detroit Pistons get their guy anyway
I recently put Jabari Smith atop my updated Pistons 2022 NBA Draft big board and if this is how it played out, I’d be pretty happy.
There are some concerns about his ability to put the ball on the floor and score in the paint, but otherwise, Smith would be an ideal fit with Cade Cunningham as a 6-foot-10 forward with a smooth shooting stroke who is hitting nearly 45 percent from long range.
The Pistons could use both his size and his shooting, and depending on what they do with Jerami Grant, could give them a long and versatile starting lineup that would create matchup problems all over the place.
I especially like the potential of Smith and Cunningham in the pick and roll, as their length and shooting ability would make them very tough to stop.
I’ve heard some concerns about Smith’s lateral movement on defense, but if he is playing power forward, that shouldn’t matter as much.
It’s possible the Pistons could go with a guard here, which might not be the worst idea given Killian Hayes has struggled as a scorer and may be best utilized off the bench as the primary ball handler, but the Pistons are too small already and need a big, especially if they have plans to trade Grant.
2022 NBA Mock Draft: Pick #4
The OKC Thunder would be in a tough spot if they dropped to 4th, as the top 4 of this draft is considered to be a bit ahead of the rest of the pack, but they don’t really need another guard.
With SGA and Josh Giddey already on board, Ivey might seem superfluous, but would the Thunder reach for a potentially lesser talent just for the better fit? I doubt it.
I could see OKC trying to move this pick, or potentially trying to move SGA, as they could probably get a haul for him and Giddey looks like the point guard of the future and might be a better fit with Ivey, who can thrive off the ball.
I never really know what OKC is up to and they have so many future draft picks that they might not be interested in adding any more. At some point they have to try and be good right? If so, you take the best player available and most agree that it is Ivey right now.
The Thunder could definitely use some size, but they have a lot of ways to get it, so I think they’d take Ivey here and let the rest work itself out.
2022 NBA Mock Draft: Pick #5
No team would be more likely to trade out of the top five of the draft than the New Orleans Pelicans, who have enough top-end talent already but just need to get it all healthy.
The Pelicans are sniffing the play-in right now without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram in the lineup, so they obviously think health is their biggest obstacle to being a contender.
I could definitely see them packaging this pick along with a couple of their young players for a third star to go with Zion and BI, but for the sake of argument I’ll select Kendall Brown out of Baylor.
Brown can score from all three levels and projects to be a plus defender. The Pelicans drafted defensive standout Herb Jones in the last draft and adding another long, defensive wing makes sense, as they have enough scoring already.
This would give the Pels a tantalizing group of young players to potentially trade and they are a team to keep an eye on, as I think a blockbuster move is coming sometime in the future.
2022 NBA Mock Draft: Pick #6
The Trail Blazers are a hot mess with no clear way to get better outside of tearing it all down.
I think it’s now a matter of “when” not “if” the Blazers blow it up, but if they stubbornly refuse to trade Damian Lillard, then I could definitely see them moving this pick in a package for another player to put around him.
But who is that going to be? Without Lillard being involved, they don’t really have any other assets, especially with CJ McCollum out (though expected to return).
Whether they decide to blow it up or not, Hardy makes sense as a high-ceiling guard who could eventually replace one of their two veterans.
It might get ugly in Portland, as they are plummeting down the standings and staring down the barrel of making Lillard the highest paid player in the NBA after missing the playoffs. They may have waited a season or two too long to blow it up and that usually spells disaster.
2022 NBA Mock Draft: Pick #7
The Pacers are another team that seems to be on the verge of admitting that their current group is not good enough and that it is time to blow it up.
There have been myriad trade rumors about Myles Turner, Caris LeVert and Domantas Sabonis, but so far no movement.
If the Pacers do move one of their bigs, it makes sense for them to grab Duren, who is one of the youngest players in the draft and has shown high-ceiling shot blocking ability that would eventually replace the rim protection they’d lose by trading Turner.
The Pacers remind me a lot of the pre-rebuild Detroit Pistons, as they have a bunch of good players but no great ones and may be stuck in the woeful purgatory of the 9-10th seeds for the foreseeable future if they don’t blow it up.
2022 NBA Mock Draft: Pick #8
The Kings are another team that could make a move, as they have a few trade chips in Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox that could net them a haul of assets.
It’s hard to say what they would do here, but the Kings have plenty of guards, so an upgrade on the wing makes sense.
Baldwin Jr. would give them size on the perimeter and a guy who is projected to be a good NBA 3-point shooter.
This would allow them to potentially move Harrison Barnes and build around the trio of Haliburton, Mitchell, Baldwin Jr. and whatever haul they get from the guys they trade.
The Kings will almost certainly screw it up because they always do, so it should be fun to watch this mess unravel, as they will probably trade the wrong guy and then have to watch him go off and win an MVP or something. Sorry, Kings fans.
2022 NBA Mock Draft: Pick #9
Keegan Murray is one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2022 NBA Draft and is a guy I could see go a lot higher if he keeps putting up these kinds of numbers.
The Spurs are at a weird point, as they can likely at least make the play-in this season, but Pop may be on his way out, so who knows what the future holds for them.
Murray would fit nicely with what they have now as a guy who can flat out score, grab rebounds and block shots.
His long-range shooting numbers haven’t been great, but he projects as a guy who will get better in that area and the Spurs don’t really care about it anyway.
He is an efficient scorer, getting 23 points on just 15 shots per game, but it will be interesting to see how he handles not being the focal point of an offense.
2022 NBA Mock Draft: Pick #10
The Atlanta Hawks are in a strange position right now.
They made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals last season but have regressed this season, so it’s tough to know what they’ll do.
Will the Hawks try to add pieces and win now or will they admit last year might have been a fluke, sell off some of their veterans and build around the core of young players they already have locked into contracts?
If it’s the latter, then Daniels makes sense, as he is a tall guard who can make plays on or off the ball and would be a nice fit with Trae Young if they end up moving Bogdanovic or Cam Reddish.
Daniels isn’t much of a shooter but he does a little of everything else.
2022 NBA Mock Draft: Pick #11-20
Since it is so early, I will zip through these last 20 picks, as they are a complete crapshoot at this point. However, I do like doing NBA mock drafts early, as it is nice point of comparison later in the season when the draft order becomes a little clearer.
#11-Toronto Raptors: Jean Montero (PG) Overtime Elite
The Raptors are going to need a young point guard at some point and Montero may be the best one in the draft.
#12-Boston Celtics: Kennedy Chandler (PG) Tennessee
Ditto for the Celtics.
#13-Minnesota Timberwolves: Bennedict Mathurin (SG) Arizona
#14- New York Knicks: TyTy Washington (PG) Kentucky
Will they ever find a buyer for Kemba Walker?
#15-Dallas Mavericks: AJ Griffin (SF) Duke
#16-Memphis Grizzles (from LAL): Tari Eason (SF) LSU
#17-Washington Wizards: Mark Williams (C) Duke
#18-OKC (from Clippers): Nikola Jović (SF) Mega Bemax
#19-Denver Nuggets: Johnny Davis (SF) Wisconsin
#20-New York Knicks (from Charlotte): Trevor Keels (G) Duke
2022 NBA Mock Draft: Pick #11-20
The final ten picks are really in “flying blind” territory at this point, but there are still a number of college and International players that will get interest. With so many young players in modern drafts, you can still find NBA-ready talent this late, into the second round and even outside the draft, as we have seen more commonly in recent years.
#21-Philadelphia 76ers: Ousmane Dieng (SF) New Zealand
Is Philly ever going to find a taker for Ben Simmons? If so, they could end up with a much higher pick to go along with this one.
#22-Cleveland Cavaliers: MarJon Beauchamp (G/F) G-League
#23-Memphis Grizzlies: Jeremy Sochan (F) Baylor
The Grizzlies might be in the best position of anyone in this draft, as they have multiple picks and are already pretty good, which usually leads to a big trade. The Detroit Pistons should be following their model.
#24-Houston Rockets (from Miami): Caleb Houstan (SF) Michigan
#25-Milwaukee Bucks: JD Davison (PG) Alabama
#26-Chicago Bulls: Harrison Ingram (SF) Stanford
#27-Miami Heat (from Brooklyn): Yannick Nzosa (C) Malaga
#28-Memphis Grizzlies (from Utah): Ochai Agbaji (SF) Kansas
Another pick for Memphis in the first round=TRADE COMING.
#29-Golden State Warriors: Jabari Walker (F) Colorado
This seems like trade bait as well.