21) Utah Jazz—Egor Denmin
BYU guard Egor Demin was seen as a top-10 pick before his stock slid this season. Instead, I project him to be selected 18th overall by the Utah Jazz.
Denmin helped himself during the NCAA tournament, showing that his jump shot is not as broken as one thought. He hit five jumpers against VCU, including three threes. That gave teams a glimpse of his potential as a big guard who can create mismatches with his size and court vision and is hopefully capable of hitting from outside.
While being a 6-9 lead guard would normally ensure being picked in the lottery, questions regarding his shooting ability and defensive ability, given his thin frame, will likely place him in the late 20s. The Jazz will scoop them up there.
Never mind that he played for BYU, which is in Utah, but they have two first-round picks and are still early enough in their rebuild that they can afford to take chances on players such as Denim.
Landing him and Dylan Harper would be a great draft by the Jazz, and after picking three players in the top 32 last year, they would have plenty of prospects that could hopefully pan out. Harper is the safest choice, while Denmin is a wild card due to his unique skill set for his size.
22) Atlanta Hawks—Kam Jones
For the third straight mock draft, the Atlanta Hawks are projected to select Providence guard Kam Jones. Jones would give the Hawks a much-needed backup point guard, with him being able to create with the ball in his hands while also being a terrific off-ball option. His size at 6-5 would allow him to play some with Trae Young and do damage.
Jones averaged a terrific 18.4 points, 6.2 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals at Providence this past season and thrived in a new role. He previously played primarily off-ball during his first three seasons and shot the leather off the ball, hitting 38.3% of his 6.4 3-point attempts per game.
His track record as a shooter and his improved playmaking would be a solid addition for the Hawks. Especially with the 25th pick often being hit or miss. Taking a player with a lot of college experience with the hope that they will be ready to contribute would be smart for the Hawks.
After all, they won't have control of their pick in 2026 and 2027, so Atlanta needs to make the most of the 14th and 25th picks in this draft. Therefore, Murray-Boyles and Jones should be the picks.