2022 NBA Mock Draft 1.3

The last mock draft before March Madness includes a thinned field as we project who withdraws and who stays in the pool

It’s officially March. The NBA Draft season is heating up, and with only a few weeks until the season is over, the draft pool is starting to get clearer. Much of mock drafts at this point are talent grabs, taking all available players and throwing them in order based on how we value their play style. These early-season mocks are overcrowded, with many good players who will withdraw from the draft still in the fold.

To combat that trend, we tried our hand at projecting the one-and-done field. Our list of prospects not included in the draft field (available at the end of the video) is long, but ultimately reflective of the inconsistent nature of this freshman group. While some may disagree with the logic of who is or isn’t in this draft pool, we wanted you to have that understanding before going in.

A few notes:

• AJ Griffin is new to the top-five, and Jaden Hardy has dropped down to 21st. Those spots are reflective of consensus more than our view, as nearly every mock that we are seeing puts Griffin as a top-five guy and Hardy as someone in the 20-30 range. For what it’s worth, Hardy is 7th on our current board, and Griffin 17th.

• We still don’t know what to make of Shaedon Sharpe. While other outlets are projecting him in this draft class, we will withhold from doing so until he announces an official declaration. Up to this point, Sharpe has indicated he will play at Kentucky next season and should be considered a 2023 lottery prospect.

• A list of names withdrawn from the draft who were previously featured in our programs:

  • Blake Wesley, Notre Dame

  • JD Davison, Alabama

  • Josh Minott, Memphis

  • Daimion Collins, kentucky

• New to the first round from our previous mocks are Walker Kessler, Malaki Branham, EJ Liddell, Ismael Kamagate and Bryce McGowens.