Latest CBS Sports 2022 NBA Mock Draft features 5 SEC stars in Round 1

The 2022 NBA Draft will take place later this month, on Thursday, June 23, in Brooklyn.

When commissioner Adam Silver steps to the podium, there’s a good chance the first name out of his mouth will be an SEC star.

This week, CBS Sports analyst Colin Ward-Henninger updated his Round 1 mock draft and, as you can see below, had 5 SEC stars going in the first 30 picks, led by Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr. in the No. 1 spot:

• No. 1 — Jabari Smith Jr., F, Auburn — Orlando Magic
• No. 7 — Shaedon Sharpe, G, Kentucky — Portland Trail Blazers
• No. 9 — TyTy Washington, G, Kentucky — San Antonio Spurs
• No. 16 — Tari Eason, F, LSU — Atlanta Hawks
• No. 29 — Kennedy Chandler, G, Tennessee — Memphis Grizzlies

Will Smith be the top pick? He’d be the SEC’s sixth No. 1 overall pick since 2010, joining John Wall (Kentucky, 2010), Anthony Davis (Kentucky, 2012), Karl-Anthony Towns (Kentucky, 2015), Ben Simmons (LSU, 2016) and Anthony Edwards (Georgia, 2019).

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.