Mock Draft 1.0: First look at projecting the draft lottery

The great mystery player in this draft, Shaedon Sharpe reclassified into the 2022 NBA Draft after attending a single non-playing semester at Kentucky. After months of saying he was going to play for coach John Calipari he entered the draft and looks poised to be a top pick. The question of how he looks against top-tier competition was never answered, but the late-bloomer was one of the best high school players in the country the past few years. He is 6’6″ with good size for a 2 and enough for a 3, with high-level athleticism and a smooth jumper.

He would be an excellent pairing with Tyrese Haliburton, as Haliburton has the ball-handling and passing chops to run the offense while Sharpe profiles as a high-level secondary playmaker and big-time scoring threat. Can Sharpe handle big, physical defenders? How efficient of a scorer will he be? These questions won’t be answered until after a team takes a swing at him, but the Pacers seem like a solid choice to do so.

Keegan Murray was the breakout star of the college basketball season. The sophomore returned to school and went from role player to star, averaging 23.5 points per game and finishing as a Wooden Award finalist and a First Team All-American. The 6’8″ forward can do it all, scoring inside and out, rebounding and defending. He has very few weaknesses to his game, although his “late bloomer” tag could make a few teams hesitate.

The Portland Trail Blazers need combo forwards, as they have since the beginning of the Damian Lillard era. Murray could step in right away alongside Nassir Little in a young and high-upside forward combo between Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic.