2022 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Who gets the star big men at the top?

Duren is the centerpiece of an impressive draft haul for the Spurs, with the selections of E.J. Liddell and Ousmane Dieng later in the first round. Dieng is a play for the future and Liddell is player who can contribute right away. Duren is a potentially transformational defensive piece that bridges the gap between the two.

Duren’s appeal starts with his incredible physical tools — 6-foot-11, 250 pounds, a 7-foot-5 wingspan, explosive leaping ability and impressive agility. He is already a terrific shot-blocker and rebounder and has flashed the potential to be switchable on the perimeter and swallow things up in the middle of the floor in drop coverage. On offense, he’s mostly a finisher at this point but he’s an enormous and constant lob threat and has shown that he could be a decent passer making him more of a threat as a screener and on the short roll.

Duren is one of the youngest players in the class and still needs a lot of development. But he’s already polished enough to play minutes right away and could be a defensive anchor for years to come.