NBA Mock Draft: Thunder Buy Low on Potential Steal

There’s several players that have star potential but come at a high risk in the upcoming draft.

Now that the regular season has ended, the Oklahoma City Thunder are locked in with the fourth-highest lottery odds. As as result, their pick will land somewhere between the first and eighth overall pick. The Thunder also own the LA Clippers’ first-rounder which will either land in the top four, or 12 to 14.

Outside of the lottery, they also have the No. 30 overall pick via the Phoenix Suns. With that pick, they could look to add depth and potentially take a swing on a high-risk prospect.

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 landing a microwave scorer with the last pick in the first round.

Is Oklahoma City in a position to swing for the fences?

15. Charlotte Hornets: Jeremy Sochan (Forward | Baylor)

Jeremy Sochan, 2022 NBA Draft
Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports

16. Atlanta Hawks: Nikola Jovic (Forward | International)

NBA Draft
Brad Penner / USA TODAY Sports

17. Houston Rockets: Kennedy Chandler (Guard | Tennessee)

Kennedy Chandler, 2022 NBA Draft
Bryan Lynn / USA TODAY Sports

18. Minnesota Timberwolves: Tari Eason (Forward | LSU)

Tari Eason, 2022 NBA Draft
Benny Sieu / USA TODAY Sports

19 Chicago Bulls: Blake Wesley (Guard | Notre Dame)

Blake Wesley, 2022 NBA Draft
Brad Mills / USA TODAY Sports

20. Ousmane Dieng: Jean Montero (Forward | Overtime Elite)

NBA Draft
Brad Penner / USA TODAY Sports

21. San Antonio Spurs: MarJon Beauchamp (Forward | G League Ignite)

MarJon Beauchamp, 2022 NBA Draft
Ken Blaze / USA TODAY Sports

22. Memphis Grizzlies: Kendall Brown (Forward | Baylor)

Kendall Brown, 2022 NBA Draft
Chris Jones / USA TODAY Sports

23. Milwaukee Bucks: Dyson Daniels (Guard | G League Ignite)

Dyson Daniels, 2022 NBA Draft
Darren Yamashita / USA TODAY Sports

24. San Antonio Spurs: EJ Liddell (Forward | Ohio State)

EJ Liddell, 2022 NBA Draft
Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY NETWORK

25. Brooklyn Nets: Patrick Baldwin Jr. (Forward | Milwaukee)

Patrick Baldwin Jr., 2022 NBA Draft
MARK HOFFMAN / MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL-USA TODAY NETWORK

26. Dallas Mavericks: Jean Montero (Guard | Overtime Elite)

NBA Draft
Brad Penner / USA TODAY Sports

27. Miami Heat: Christian Braun (Guard | Kansas)

Christian Braun, 2022 NBA Draft
Evert Nelson / The Capital-Journal-USA TODAY NETWORK

28. Golden State Warriors: Wendell Moore Jr. (Guard | Duke)

Wendell Moore Jr.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

29. Memphis Grizzlies: Walker Kessler (Center | Auburn)

Walker Kessler, 2022 NBA Draft
Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

30. Oklahoma City Thunder: Jaden Hardy (Guard | G League Ignite)

Jaden Hardy, 2022 NBA Draft
Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports

Coming into the season, Hardy was a projected lottery pick. After a somewhat disappointing season in the G League, his draft stock has dropped.


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Published
Nick Crain
NICK CRAIN

Nick has spent the last four seasons covering the Oklahoma City Thunder and has grown quickly in the media since starting. He’s continued to produce Thunder content through writing for Forbes.com and podcasting with The Uncontested Podcast, as well as branching out to cover the NBA as a whole for SLAM Online.