NBA Draft 2022: Final mock draft predictions of all 58 picks
11. New York Knicks – Ousmane Dieng (New Zealand Breakers)
A 6’9 guard/wing that is an international prospect always comes with its pros and cons. But Dieng could become a quality “3 and D” player for any team that drafts him and the Knicks could potentially wait on his development instead of reaching on someone else.
There are several rumors about New York trying to land a guard and at this range, there aren’t forwards or center you’d want to reach at 11. If this team has trade plans it would make sense to package it but Dieng could be a high-reward prospect to try for.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder – Malaki Branham (Ohio State Buckeyes)
After picking up Chet Holmgren earlier, I think a shooting guard/wing is the ideal move for the Thunder. The two obvious options would be Branham or AJ Griffin but I like the upside of Branham more, a guy that showed he can be a go-to option if given the ball in his hands.
The Thunder does have Luguentz Dort and franchise guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but I believe an eventual shakeup of the roster will involve one of them moving since they’re the top trading chips (Josh Giddey will not be available). Adding Branham and seeing his development would potentially make it easier to offset one of those guards in order to land either a huge piece in return or a top draft pick.
13. Charlotte Hornets – AJ Griffin (Duke Blue Devils)
When you have franchise starting guard Lamelo Ball, you have to draft someone that would compliment his game better. And while there’s a clear positional need (more on that later), the top prospect with upside is Griffin, who was injured for half his freshman campaign at Duke but still managed to shoot 45% from deep and can be a really good scorer at the next level.
Adding Griffin would also be a Plan B in case the team can’t sign leading scorer Miles Bridges to a long-term deal. And with Gordon Hayward also not likely staying after his deal comes up, there would be room on the wings for Griffin to get minutes and be a great shooting wing for Ball to play with.