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NBA Mock Draft: Thunder Land No. 1 Pick

If Oklahoma City landed the top pick, who would the ideal prospect be?
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The 2022 NBA Draft will take place next month, with the Oklahoma City Thunder being locked in to the fourth-highest lottery odds. On Tuesday, their draft positioning will be finalized during the lottery event. Luckily for them, their pick will land somewhere between the first and eighth overall pick. Additionally, OKC owns the LA Clippers’ first-rounder which will either land in the top four, or 12 to 14.

Once the draft lottery takes place tomorrow, we’ll know where every teams’ picks will be.

Where those selections land for the Thunder will have a huge impact on the caliber of players the they could land. The difference between the top pick and a selection towards the middle of the lottery can make a significant difference.

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 extremely productive prospects, with OKC landing the No. 1 pick.

Although the draft lottery will ultimately decide the final order of selection for the upcoming draft, the Thunder’s pick has the fourth-highest odds. They also own a pick from the Clippers has the 12th best lottery odds.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder: Paolo Banchero (Forward | Duke)

Paolo Banchero

2. New Orleans Pelicans: Chet Holmgren (Center | Gonzaga)

Chet Holmgren, 2022 NBA Draft

3. Indiana Pacers: Jabari Smith Jr. (Forward | Auburn)

Jabari Smith Jr., 2022 NBA Draft

4. San Antonio Spurs: Jaden Ivey (Guard | Purdue)

Jaden Ivey, 2022 NBA Draft

5. Houston Rockets: AJ Griffin (Forward | Duke)

A.J. Griffin, 2022 NBA Draft

6. Orlando Magic: Keegan Murray (Forward | Iowa)

Keegan Murray, 2022 NBA Draft

7. Detroit Pistons: Bennedict Mathurin (Guard | Arizona)

Bennedict Mathurin, 2022 NBA Draft

8. Portland Trail Blazers: Jalen Duren (Center | Memphis)

Jalen Duren, 2022 NBA Draft

9. Sacramento Kings: Shaedon Sharpe (Guard | Kentucky)

Shaedon Sharpe, 2022 NBA Draft

10. Washington Wizards: Jeremy Sochan (Forward | Baylor)

Jeremy Sochan, 2022 NBA Draft

11. New York Knicks: Johnny Davis (Guard | Wisconsin)

Jaden Ivey, Johnny Davis, 2022 NBA Draft

12. Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Williams (Center | Duke)

Mark Williams, 2022 NBA Draft

13. Charlotte Hornets: Dyson Daniels (Guard | G League Ignite)

Dyson Daniels, 2022 NBA Draft

14. Cleveland Cavaliers: Ochai Agbaji (Guard | Kansas)

Ochai Agbaji, 2022 NBA Draft

Both Banchero and Williams were spectacular at Duke last season. With that in mind, would Banchero be the best option for the Thunder with the top pick?

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