Tag: 2022 nba draft

2022 NBA draft race: March 3 update for Rockets, Nets picks

With Wednesday’s close loss, Houston is now tied with Detroit for the NBA’s second-best 2022 draft lottery slot and only a half-game behind Orlando for the top spot.

With the worst record in the Western Conference, the 2022 NBA playoffs are already off the table for the Houston Rockets. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t something to watch for as the 2021-22 season winds down — and it goes beyond strong individual showings, which we did see out of Jalen Green and Christian Wood in Wednesday’s close loss to Utah.

From now until the regular season’s conclusion on April 10, we’re regularly updating where the Rockets stand in relation to their closest “competitors” in the race for 2022 NBA draft odds and positioning.

Houston owns two picks in this year’s first round: Their own, and one from Brooklyn. For purposes of these updates, we’re going to focus on teams who are currently (at the time of publication) within three games in either direction of both the Rockets and Nets in the standings.

After a second straight season at the bottom of the West, will the Rockets land another elite prospect such as Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, or Paolo Banchero for their troubles? Scroll on for the latest updates as of March 3, along with information on odds and tiebreaker scenarios.

2022 NBA draft race: March 2 update for Rockets, Nets picks

Tuesday was a productive night for Houston from a 2022 NBA draft perspective, since the combination of a Nets loss and Clippers win bumps Brooklyn’s first-round pick to No. 15 overall.

With the worst record in the Western Conference, the 2022 NBA playoffs are already off the table for the Houston Rockets. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t something to watch for over the season’s final weeks.

From now until the regular season’s conclusion on April 10, we’re regularly updating where the Rockets stand in relation to their closest “competitors” in the race for 2022 NBA draft odds and positioning.

Houston owns two picks in this year’s first round: Their own, and one from Brooklyn. For purposes of these updates, we’re going to focus on teams who are currently (at the time of publication) within three games in either direction of both the Rockets and Nets in the standings.

After a second straight season at the bottom of the West, will the Rockets land another elite prospect such as Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, or Paolo Banchero for their troubles? Scroll on for the latest updates as of March 1, along with information on odds and tiebreaker scenarios.

2022 NBA draft race: March 1 update for Rockets, Nets picks

As of March 1, here’s where things stand when it comes to 2022 NBA draft odds and positioning for Houston’s two first-round selections. Both the Rockets and Nets are in action tonight.

With the worst record in the Western Conference, the 2022 NBA playoffs are already off the table for the Houston Rockets. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t something to watch for over the season’s final weeks.

From now until the regular season’s conclusion on April 10, we’re going to regularly update where the Rockets stand in relation to their closest “competitors” in the race for 2022 NBA draft odds and positioning.

Houston owns two picks in this year’s first round: Their own, and one from Brooklyn. For purposes of these updates, we’re going to focus on teams who are currently (at the time of publication) within three games in either direction of both the Rockets and Nets in the standings.

After a second straight season at the bottom of the West, will the Rockets land another elite prospect such as Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, or Paolo Banchero for their troubles? Scroll on for the latest updates as of March 1, along with information on odds and tiebreaker scenarios.

2022 NBA consensus mock draft 1.0: How experts see the first round for Houston

Here’s a look at the dozen or so prospects who are currently projected to be within range of the two Houston Rockets picks in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft.

March is arriving shortly, and that will bring plenty of postseason college basketball action in the form of conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament, known best as “March Madness.”

It also means we’ll see some potential NBA superstars on the biggest stage as they look to turn heads before the 2022 NBA draft. Mock draft season — which is already happening — will hit another gear.

To guide us on who to watch for, our friends over at For The Win compiled a consensus mock draft based on who experts around the Internet are currently picking. The list includes Bryan Kalbrosky, The Athletic, ESPN, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, and NBAdraft.net. The list averages out where each prospect was taken at in the first round.

From a Houston Rockets perspective, we’re focused on possibilities for their own first-round pick and the one headed their way from Brooklyn. While most mock drafts at the moment have those picks at No. 3 overall and No. 16, those are merely projections based on current standings. Eventual changes to the standings over the final six weeks of the 2021-22 season — along with draft lottery results — could make each pick go up or down a few spots, relative to current projections.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the general range of players that could be available with both selections. For the Houston pick, we’ll focus on prospects from No. 1 to No. 7 based on current lottery probabilities, while we’ll go with a range of No. 15 to No. 18 for the Brooklyn pick.

Where does LSU’s Tari Eason land in ESPN’s latest mock draft?

ESPN has Tari Eason just outside the lottery picks in its latest 2022 NBA mock draft.

The lottery for the 2022 NBA draft is three months away, so it will be a while before finding out who will have the draft’s top picks. Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, Duke’s Paolo Banchero, and Auburn’s Jabari Smith are expected to be the first three players off the board.

But what of LSU’s star forward? In the latest mock draft from ESPN, Tari Eason was slated to go at pick No. 16 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The sophomore played his first season at Cincinnati last year before transferring to the Tigers. While with the Bearcats, Eason played in 23 games, starting in eight. He averaged 7.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Eason also shot 46% from the field. His 1.3 blocks per game ranked fourth in the AAC.

Eason is long and athletic and plays well on both sides of the floor. So far this season, Eason is averaging 16.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 2.0 steals per game. He is shooting 53.4% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc. Eason leads the Tigers in scoring despite coming off the bench.

With Eason’s size and athletic ability, he could make the NBA a solid wing player. His ability to play both sides of the floor will be a critical factor in Eason getting drafted. If he can continue to improve his three-point shot, his draft stock will rise.

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Latest NBA mock draft has a pair Alabama players selected

Where does ESPN’s latest NBA mock draft have JD Davison and Keon Ellis projected?

Much like the NFL, mock drafts for the NBA are updated almost daily. Also like football, Alabama is becoming increasingly represented on the mock draft scene.

Early Wednesday morning, ESPN released its all-new NBA two-round mock draft (subscription required) and it featured a pair of Alabama players in freshman guard JD Davison and senior guard/forward Keon Ellis.

Davison is currently projected to be selected by the Miami Heat with pick No. 27 of the first round. If Davison indeed enters the draft and is selected in the first round that would put the Crimson Tide having a first-round pick in three out of the last four NBA drafts.

Ellis is projected to be a second-round selection and No. 49 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans. If Ellis is selected by the Pelicans, he would join fellow former Alabama players Herbert Jones and Kira Lewis Jr. in New Orleans.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to monitor the draft status of both JD Davison and Keon Ellis.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

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Where does ESPN have E.J. Liddell in latest mock NBA draft?

What do you think of this placement? #GoBucks

It’s been a while since Ohio State basketball has had a player selected high in an NBA draft, but figures to change when current forward E.J. Liddell most likely makes the jump after his junior season this year. Liddell flirted with heading off to the NBA after last season but ultimately decided to come back for one more year to work on things he received valuable feedback on as a part of the draft process.

Work on those things he has. Each year, Liddell has taken a step in development. This season, he’s focused even more on better conditioning, ball-handling, and improved 3-point range to be one of the best college basketball players in the country.

Because of his ability to show that he has hard work and an ever-expanding and versatile game that should translate well to scouts and NBA executives responsible for making personnel selections, he has been appearing pretty high up draft boards.

In fact, according to ESPN’s latest 2022 NBA mock draft (subscription required), Liddell is a top fifteen prospect. The worldwide leader has him going off the board at No. 14 to the Atlanta Hawks.

Feb 21, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes forward E.J. Liddell (32) reacts in overtime against the Indiana Hoosiers at Value City Arena. Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

And by now, you know the Big Ten is loaded with player of the year candidates. Ahead of Liddell from the B1G is Jaden Ivey of Purdue, Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis, and Keegan Murray of Iowa.

This will all change through the rest of the college basketball season and as the NBA draft nears. We will continue to keep our ears to the ground to see what’s coming down the line.

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Potential Houston Rockets draft picks entering 2022 March Madness

As March Madness approaches, Purdue guard Jaden Ivey is increasingly cracking the top three in many of the latest 2022 NBA mock drafts.

With February coming to a conclusion, March is right around the corner. For college basketball players, it’s the home stretch leading into the postseason of conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament.

From an NBA perspective, how prospects perform under the bright lights is often a key variable when it comes to projecting their likely upside at the highest level. Thus, for teams with significant draft assets in a given year, “March Madness” is a crucial period for evaluations.

In 2022, one of those teams with major stakes in the upcoming NBA draft is clearly the Houston Rockets. Not only have the Rockets (15-43) held the league’s third-worst record for most of the 2021-22 season, but they also have a second first-round pick headed their way from Brooklyn — and it could be better than expected, since the Nets (31-28) entered the All-Star break with 12 losses in their last 14 games.

It’s possible that Brooklyn’s pick could even end up in the lottery, since the Nets are currently in a spot where they have to make it through the Eastern Conference’s play-in tournament just to make the playoffs.

Given the NBA’s week-long hiatus and frozen standings, a new wave of mock drafts has emerged in recent days. Within those, here’s a look at the latest pick odds and who the experts are projecting the Rockets to select with both their own pick and that of the Nets. Prospect descriptions and analysis can be found at the corresponding mock draft links.

2022 NBA mock draft roundup: Potential Houston Rockets picks at All-Star break

As losses continue piling up for Brooklyn, the second draft pick for the Rockets in the 2022 first round could be better than anticipated. Here’s a look at potential selections.

As the All-Star break arrives, the 2021-22 regular season is approximately two-thirds complete. With regards to the upcoming 2022 NBA draft, the biggest change in recent weeks for the Rockets is the positioning of their second first-round pick — which comes from Brooklyn as part of the blockbuster James Harden trade in January 2021.

Given the roster’s youth and the franchise’s clear rebuilding plan, Houston’s own pick was always likely to be high in the order in 2022. As of Wednesday, the Rockets continue to hold the third-worst record in the NBA, as they have for much of this season (trailing only Detroit and Orlando). But what has changed since we last scoured the available mock drafts (in late January) is the significant downturn by the Nets.

Entering Wednesday, the Nets had lost 11 of their last 12 games, and the no longer have Harden (traded to Philadelphia) waiting in the wings to return. At the moment, Brooklyn is No. 8 in the Eastern Conference, which would put them squarely in the middle of the East’s play-in tournament and at serious risk of missing the playoffs altogether. Should that happen, the Rockets would receive a second lottery pick!

But even if they were to advance out of the play-in tournament, Brooklyn’s pick would be at No. 16 overall as of Wednesday — which is far higher than anyone could have reasonably expected a few weeks ago.

With that in mind, here’s a look at who many of the latest mock drafts project the Rockets to select in 2022 with both their own pick and that of the Nets. Player descriptions and analysis of all prospects can be found at the corresponding links for each mock draft.

New 2022 mock NBA draft has Boston Celtics taking defensive-minded wing, big man

The folks at Tankathon are projecting that Boston leans into their defensive identity at the 2022 NBA draft with this pair of projected picks.

As the 2022 NBA trade deadline draws closer, so too does the 2022 NBA draft. And while, for now, attention is squarely trained on the league exchanging players while it still can ahead of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, it will soon shift to covering the main event of the other way the league’s 30 teams improve their rosters every season.

It’s hard to get a read on whether the Boston Celtics will invest in the roster via the trade market, but if one thing has been consistent this season, it has been the consistency of hovering around a .500 record. So, it’s not unreasonable to assume the Celtics will be drafting on the margins of or just outside of the lottery.

Which is where a recent mock draft by the folks at Tankathon have projected Boston to be selecting this summer.