NBA Draft 2022: Final mock draft predictions of all 58 picks

17. Houston Rockets – Blake Wesley (Notre Dame Fighting Irish)

With Banchero on the roster, point guard/ball-handler is the next position of need for Houston. Although Kevin Porter Jr. had a breakout season as a facilitator (5.9 ppg), I have my doubts about him being the ball-handler of the future. There are a couple of perimeter options around this range but Wesley has the most potential in my view, even though he’s not a true point.

Despite being on a team with a bunch of seniors, the 6’5 guard led the Irish in scoring and was comfortable having the ball in his hands. He gives the Rockets another capable scorer in the backcourt and can easily play off the ball alongside Porter Jr. and Jalen Green.

18. Chicago Bulls – Tari Eason (LSU Tigers)

When healthy, the Bulls were a competitive team in the Eastern Conference and was a solid shooting team overall, led by DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine. Nikola Vučević is a solid offensive big man but isn’t good defensively and the team has no true impact power forward, a former top-4 pick Patrick Williams simply hasn’t worked out.

Eason was a breakout star after transferring over to LSU and was one of the best individual defenders in all of college. The 6’8 forward also averaged 17 ppg in just 25 mpg and could be an offensive force as well. Chicago does have plenty of scoring but needs a defender like Eason to help make the team true contenders in the East next season.

19. Minnesota Timberwolves – E.J. Liddell (Ohio State Buckeyes)

Assuming the trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and De’Angelo Russell remains intact for the team, they’re free to add either a guard or forward that can contribute offensively. I’d argue that the frontcourt is more needed to help take pressure off of Towns, who had his struggles in the NBA Playoffs and they can find an upgrade over Jarrod Vanderbilt at the four-spot.

Liddell may be a bit undersized at 6’7 but that didn’t stop him from being a two-time All-Big Ten defender against bigger and talented frontcourt players. He can space the floor as well to complement Towns and can be a double-digit scorer in the NBA, which would be a boost to the Wolves.