NBA Mock Draft: Thunder Take Swing on Duke Prospect

With their third selection of the first round, the Thunder could land one of the talented Duke prospects.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are set to have three first round picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. After selecting No. 2 and No. 12 in the lottery, they’ll round out the first round with pick No. 30.

This was a selection acquired from the Phoenix Suns in the Chris Paul trade, and ultimately became the last pick of the first round after the Suns finished the 2021-22 season with the best record in the NBA.

After selecting who could be two franchise cornerstones in the lottery, Oklahoma City could look to add another key first rounder that has a chance to make an impact immediately.

Who makes sense for the Thunder in that range?

Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated released a mock draft for the 2022 class following the lottery, which gives insight into where some of the top players in the upcoming rookie class could land. His projection has the Thunder selecting a two-way guard with the last pick in the first round.

15. Charlotte Hornets: Mark Williams (Center | Duke)

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16. Atlanta Hawks: Tari Eason (Forward | LSU)

Benny Sieu / USA TODAY Sports

17. Houston Rockets: Ousmane Dieng (Forward | International)

Brad Penner / USA TODAY Sports

18. Chicago Bulls: Patrick Baldwin Jr. (Forward | Milwaukee)

MARK HOFFMAN / MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL-USA TODAY NETWORK

19. Minnesota Timberwolves: Walker Kessler (Center | Auburn)

Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

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

Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY NETWORK

21. Denver Nuggets: Blake Wesley (Guard | Notre Dame)

Brad Mills / USA TODAY Sports

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

Chris Jones / USA TODAY Sports

23. Brooklyn Nets: TyTy Washington (Guard | Kentucky)

Trevor Ruszkowski / USA TODAY Sports

24. Milwaukee Bucks: Jaden Hardy (Guard | G League Ignite)

Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports

25. San Antonio Spurs: Wendell Moore (Guard | Duke)

Rob Kinnan / USA TODAY Sports

26. Dallas Mavericks: MarJon Beauchamp (Forward | G League Ignite)

Ken Blaze / USA TODAY Sports

27. Miami Heat: Bryce McGowens (Guard | Nebraska)

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

28. Golden State Warriors: Terquavion Smith (Guard | N.C. State)

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29. Memphis Grizzlies: Max Christie (Guard | Michigan State)

Nick King / Lansing State Journal-USA TODAY NETWORK

30. Oklahoma City Thunder: Trevor Keels (Guard | Duke)

Rob Kinnan / USA TODAY Sports

Keels is an intriguing prospect due to his role in college. On a talented Duke team, he didn’t have many opportunities to showcase his skills as a primary option offensively. Could he have untapped potential on that end of the floor?

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