NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Picks for the entire first round

The Miami Heat love athletes, and Kendall Brown is one of the most athletic players in the draft. They also have a top-notch developmental program, which could help Brown put together his physical gifts and add the shot and supplementary skills he will need to be in the Heat’s rotation. His energy, size and athleticism will be a welcome addition to the Heat if he can step up.

The Golden State Warriors are so far succeeding at their strategy of balancing the present and the future. Behind the veteran stars and the in-their-prime support players is a young core of players 22-and-under. Adding to that young core could set up the Warriors for another decade of success. Blake Wesley is raw, but that’s fine because he won’t have a path to minutes early in his career anyway. His length and handle as a 6’3″ guard could make him a backcourt fit with Jordan Poole if his jump shot comes together, and his defensive intensity will fit right in on this team.

If Ousmane Dieng was a home run swing, Patrick Baldwin Jr. is a blindfolded dart throw. He has all of the physical gifts one could ask for, and at 6’9″ with a smooth jumper could be the defense-breaking forward the Memphis Grizzlies are searching for. Yet his freshman season was an abject disaster, and he might just not be the sort of player who can put it all together.

The Oklahoma City Thunder star in the frontcourt by adding another forward in Nikola Jovic, who stands just shy of 6’10” but has a diverse skillset more reminiscent of a smaller wing. Jovic can pass extremely well, and pairing him with Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would mean a team that positively zips the ball around. He will need to grow as a scoring threat to get consistent minutes once the Thunder are good, but there is plenty of upside in Jovic for a tanking team like the Thunder to bite.

From Banchero to Jovic, Magic to Thunder, this 2022 NBA Mock Draft is complete. What do you think about where the top prospects landed?