NBA Draft 2022: Updated mock draft post combine and lottery results

26. Dallas Mavericks – Tari Eason – LSU – Forward – Sophomore

The Mavs would be thrilled if Eason fell this far, as this seems to be my biggest difference between other mocks and mine. I think I’m definitely lower on him than the consensus. However, his strengths are evident. Eason is a big-bodied four with terrific movement skills, posting impressive steal and block numbers. LSU’s system certainly aided that, but I have confidence he’ll be a multi-positional defender at the next level. If he can become a small-ball five in the playoffs, that helps his value tremendously.

My qualms stem from the offensive side where I think he’s a tad overrated. Particularly as a driver, where he had good finishing numbers, but I see him as very right-hand dependent. The jumper will be a huge swing skill, and shooting projection is not easy, but I don’t buy Eason’s projection. The shot feels weird to me, coming from the side of his face. If he can shoot, Eason may become a plus role player. I feel confident enough in the defense though that he likely sticks

The Mavericks are coming off an impressive playoff run, but could use some versatile front-court defense. Eason likely won’t fall this far, but if he does I like the fit.

27. Miami Heat – Patrick Baldwin Jr. – UW-Milwaukee – Forward – Freshman

Sometimes adding to your strengths and going all-in on them can be a good thing. Miami was top 10 in both threes made per game and percentage, but in deep of some front-court depth, I think they go Baldwin Jr. here (he’s also a clear best player available on my board).

Baldwin came into the year as a highly-coveted prospect, but a bad team context forced him into a ball-dominant role where he struggled. That’s not to say his struggles are all on the team. Baldwin objectively had a bad year and there’s some concern about his lack of competitiveness. He also had some bad athletic testing numbers at the combine, but I think those are a bit overblown.

If you still believe in Baldwin as a shooter, which I do, then you see a 6’10 sniper that can space the floor and that in itself is an NBA role player. While he’s top 20 on my board, I think his range of being drafted is wide and he’s one of the names I’m interested to track on draft night.

28. Golden State Warriors – Wendell Moore – Duke – Wing – Junior

With some backup wings entering free agency, the Warriors should try to patch that hole with Moore. After struggling with, well, everything as a sophomore, Moore finally combined skill and consistency with his noticeable tools. He isn’t the biggest wing in the class, but Moore does a little bit of everything well. Paolo Banchero was Duke’s best prospect, but at times Moore felt like Duke’s best player.

Moore has shown he’s capable of attacking off the bounce, playmaking, defending (although I’d like him to be a bit better with his sheer tools), and he has a good-looking shot. Those skills alone should help him pair well with Golden State’s core and I think he can contribute right away.

29. Memphis Grizzlies – Trevor Keels – Duke – Guard – Freshman

This is a bit of overlap after taking Terquavion Smith a few picks earlier, but Keels has more on-ball usage to me in the long run. He put the country on notice as a real prospect with a terrific opening game against Kentucky. From there, we saw moments of greatness from Keels, coupled with some bad games. He’s a strength-based guard with long arms. He’s not the best athlete, but Keels has shown he’s a good straight-line driver.

The shooting projection is interesting because the raw numbers weren’t ideal, but he had some good pull-up shooting flashes. Keels was oftentimes the third or even fourth option on Duke and didn’t have the usage of some other prospects. His body looked slimmer in his pro day and he’s one of the younger prospects in this class, making me feel confident in his development.

30. Oklahoma City Thunder – Caleb Houstan – Michigan – Wing – Freshman

Houstan was the most noticeable prospect to skip the combine entirely, making some teams believe he has a promise in the first round. It could be earlier, or he might not have a promise at all. But with multiple first-round picks, and Houstan fitting the current roster, I could see it being OKC.

Houstan was billed as an elite shooter entering Michigan but struggled to hit shots all year. Some poor spacing and a lack of a true point guard certainly hurt. He was in the 77th percentile in open jumpers, but just the 37th in guarded ones. But with his height, Houstan should shoot over defenders better. He also was a subpar defender and didn’t look great athletically, moving very upright.

There were some flashes off playmaking attacking closeouts, but the former projected lottery pick definitely underwhelmed. His shot looks good mechanically and if he can regain that consistency, there’s always room for 6’8 shooters. The Thunder have a plethora of ball-handlers, and will likely add to their front-court with the No. 2 overall pick, so adding a wing floor-spacer makes sense.