Check out where Jabari Smith lands in the latest NBA Mock Draft
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The draft order is not set in stone yet, the lottery and the end of the playoffs will give us a confirmed location to who is picking where.
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1. Houston Rockets
Jabari Smith Jr, Auburn – As I wrote in my article in early April, I think Smith is the best player and the most NBA ready player in this draft, from his shooting ability, his measurables, his age and more, NBA teams are going to love the opportunity to draft Smith. Houston would be a great fit for Smith to play alongside some young guards and develop with this alongside Christian Wood.
2. Orlando Magic
Pablo Banchero, Duke – I believe if Orlando has the number 1 pick it will be a toss-up for them between Banchero and Smith, however if they get to their pick and just one of them left is on the board, it’s a no-brainer for the Magic. Banchero would be the exact need for a team like Orlando, he would just need to use his massive body frame to his advantage more than he did at Duke.
3. Detroit Pistons
Jaden Ivey, Purdue – Detroit needs to find a really good guard to pair with last year's number one pick Cade Cunningham, and if Ivey falls into their lap, they should take him instantly. Ivey is. 6-foot-4 above the rim two guard which is an exact need for the Pistons.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga – Oklahoma City is going to have three first round picks in this year's draft. I don’t think they need to access their needs in their first pick by reaching for a big man or another forward that they like if Smith and Banchero are both taken, so they should go best available and Chet is the perfect example of a raw bodied talent that needs to fill out and use his length and outside ability to his advantage.
5. Indiana Pacers
Keegan Murray, Iowa – The 6-foot-8 forward with incredible scoring ability is exactly what the Pacers should be looking for in this year's draft.
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6. Portland Trail Blazers
Johnny Davis, Wisconsin – Davis was one of the top scorers in college basketball this past year, averaging 19.7 points a game and has shown massive stride from this freshman year to his sophomore year.
7. Sacramento Kings
Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona - A lot like Murray and Davis, Mathurin showed unbelievable progress from his freshman and sophomore years and he led Arizona to an incredible season and a 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
8. New Orleans Pelicans (via Lakers)
AJ Griffin, Duke – Griffin has a tall outside frame which allows him to get up shots from unreal defensive contests and with that he was an unreal three-point shooter at duke going almost 45% from behind the arc.
9. San Antonio Spurs
Shaedon Sharpe, Kentucky – Sharpe did not play a single game for the wildcats this year due to personal reasons but it shows how talented this guy is to immediately be back in the conversation for a top 10 pick. The 6-foot 5 guard would have been a menace at Kentucky but instead he will go be that guy at the next level.
10. Washington Wizards
Tyty Washington, Kentucky – Getting another guard in Washington needs to be a high priority for the Wizards, and I believe Washington has some of the best upside in the draft after his great freshman season at Kentucky.
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11. New York Knicks
Jeremy Sochan, Baylor – New York needs to builds around RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickly and Sochan would be a great pick at 11 for that plan.
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Clippers)
Ochai Agbaji, Kansas – The Big12 player of the year and MVP of the Final Four, Agbaji improved his stock game by game this year and to go to Oklahoma City and the start of that insane draft rebuild for the Thunder will be perfect.
13. Charlotte Hornets
Jalen Duren, Memphis – Charlotte’s number one need in this draft is a big monster in the paint and Duren’s 6 foot 11, 260-pound frame is perfect for that Hornet uniform.
14. Cleveland Cavilers
Ousmane Dieng, France – Dieng is a 6-foot 10 forward who is compared to Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes, a position that the Cavs need badly.
15. Charlotte Hornets (via Pelicans)
Tari Eason, LSU – Unbelievable defensive player who improved so much between his freshman and sophomore year at LSU would make an immediate impact of the bench for Charlotte.
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16. Atlanta Hawks
Mark Williams, Duke – After Clint Capela's injury, Atlanta looked panicked for the new play in tournament, getting a very similar player in Mark Williams would be a great way to avoid it.
17. Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn)
Malaki Branham, Ohio State – Houston is looking to pair someone up with Jalen Green and their young core of guards plus their first overall pick Jabari Smith.
18. Chicago Bulls
Walker Kessler, Auburn – As noted in the “Five Best Locations for Walker Kessler Article” and on “The Jungle Show” on Friday May 6th , The Bulls are an amazing fit for Kessler. The Bulls really struggled in rebounding and shot blocking as they were one of the last in the NBA in both of those categories. Part of those struggles is due to the fact the only true center on their roster is Nikola Vucevic who is more of a face up scorer rather than a rebounding rim protector.
19. Minnesota Timberwolves
Jaden Hardy, G-League – Coming out of high school, Hardy was projected to be a top 5 pick but after struggling with the G-League ignite team, his stock has dropped but would be a great pairing with upcoming superstar Anthony Edwards.
20. San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto)
Blake Wesley, Notre Dame – San Antonio’s second of their three first round picks in this year draft and getting more guards to build around Dejounte Murray.
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21. Denver Nuggets
Dyson Daniels, G-League – A lot like Hardy, Daniels’s draft stock dropped pretty far when struggling on the G-league ignite team, but the 6-foot 8 guard has extreme potential.
22. Memphis Grizzlies (via Jazz)
Patrick Baldwin Jr, Milwaukee – Baldwin is the rawest player in this year's draft with a 6-foot 9 frame and lack of exposer going to play for his dad at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Baldwin was one of the top-rated players in the class of 2021.
23. Brooklyn Nets (via 76ers)
EJ Liddell, Ohio State – Brooklyn could use anything in this year's draft and I’d expect them to find the best available wherever they pick. Liddell had a great year at Ohio State and shown great improvement from his three years for the Buckeyes.
24. Milwaukee Bucks
Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee – Milwaukee getting a more offensive surrounded guard who is also a great facilitator would be great, and if Chandler falls all the way down to them, it will be a no question for the Milwaukee front office.
25. San Antonio Spurs (via Celtics)
Wendell Moore Jr, Duke – The third and final first round pick for San Antonio. I would love to see them go get a leader and an older guy and that’s exactly who Moore is. Moore was the team captain back-to-back years in coach K’s final seasons as head coach of Duke.
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26. Dallas Mavericks
Orlando Robinson, Fresno State – Dallas has to keep building more and more around their MVP caliber player Luka Doncic. Getting big guys to pair with Luka and Jalen Brunson is a must for Mark Cuban and Dallas.
27. Miami Heat
Nikola Jovic, Serbia – If all those big guys have already been taken like Duren, Willams, and Kessler, I think Miami should go with the next best guy and Jovic from Serbia is right next in line.
28. Golden State Warriors
Ismael Kamagate, France – Golden State needs a backup big guy when James Wiseman comes back healthy after missing most of this season with an injury.
29. Memphis Grizzles
Harrison Ingram, Stanford – Ingram is another guy that struggled this year in college so his draft stock dropped but the long small forward has great potential and would be a great bench role guy on the Grizzlies.
30. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Suns)
Bryce McGowens, Nebraska – McGowens was one of the top players in the 2021 class and was Nebraska’s best recruit of all time but didn’t perform as well as projected for the Cornhuskers so his stock dropped. However, he is a very talented guard and could be very successful at the next level.
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