NBA Mock Draft: An Unexpected Center Selection

Although the Thunder need a franchise cornerstone in the upcoming draft, taking swings outside of the lottery will also be key. With two picks projected to be outside of the top 14 selections in the 2022 NBA Draft, does it make sense to take a gamble?

This upcoming class has the potential to be extremely deep, even if it’s light on top-level talent. As such, Oklahoma City is fortunate to have several first rounders.

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report recently released a mock draft the 2022 class, which gives insight into where some of the top players in the upcoming rookie class could land. His projection has the Thunder selecting two prospects that could ultimately become impactful players when the team is ready to contend.

If these selections were to be made by the Thunder, they’d be addressing both the wing and center position void on the current roster. Although this team has a ton of potential, it lacks a promising wing and big.

15. Oklahoma City Thunder: MarJon Beauchamp (Guard | G League Ignite)

16. Houston Rockets: Kennedy Chandler (Guard | Tennesse)

17. San Antonio Spurs: Kendall Brown (Forward | Baylor)

18. Minnesota Timberwolves: Blake Wesley (Guard | Notre Dame)

19. Indiana Pacers: Malaki Branham (Guard | Ohio State)

20. San Antonio Spurs: Patrick Baldwin Jr. (Forward | Milwaukee)

21. Denver Nuggets: Mark Williams (Center | Duke)

22. Chicago Bulls: EJ Liddell (Forward | Ohio State)

23. Brooklyn Nets: Dyson Daniels (Guard | G League Ignite)

24. Memphis Grizzlies: Christian Braun (Guard | Kansas)

25. Dallas Mavericks: Nikola Jovic (Forward | International)

26. Milwaukee Bucks: Walker Kessler (Center | Auburn)

27. Miami Heat: Jean Montero (Guard | Overtime Elite)

28. Memphis Grizzlies: Bryce McGowens (Guard | Nebraska)

29. Golden State Warriors: Jaden Hardy (Guard | G League)

30. Oklahoma City Thunder: Christian Koloko (Center | Arizona)

If these selections were to be made by the Thunder, they’d be addressing both the wing and center position voids on the current roster. Although this team has a ton of potential, it lacks a promising wing and big.

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