As we near the NBA Finals, the 2021-2022 NBA season is coming to an end. With only four teams remaining, the majority of the league has turned its attention to June’s NBA Draft. For some franchises, this is where the attention has been all along.
For the first version of our mock draft this year, we used our friends over at Tankathon.com to simulate the order of the draft. There were also a few things outside the lottery that need to be cleaned up via coin flip later on. With the exception of the Brooklyn Nets’ decision to defer this year’s pick to the Sixers, the order is now set. The Orlando Magic will have the No. 1 pick with the Thunder and Rockets following behind them. The consensus belief is that the Magic are picking between three options in Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, and Paolo Banchero. The franchise has a chance to build off their historical No. 1 pick success after drafting Dwight Howard in 2004 and Shaquille O’Neal in 1992.
Without any more rambling, here’s our second mock draft of the season.