At The Hive

Some people who are invested and follow the NBA Draft year-round say this nearly every cycle, but we have yet another interesting class of prospects on our hands in 2022. Beyond the consensus top-four of Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, Jaden Ivey and Jabari Smith Jr., the lottery is filled with potential impact starters with varying levels of upside and NBA readiness. The Charlotte Hornets weren’t lucky enough to make a jump into the top-four, but having two mid-first rounders as trade ammunition is still a good position to be in, and I’m a personal fan of numerous potential second-round sleepers. The first iteration of this year’s At The Hive mock draft will feature the lottery picks plus Charlotte’s additional first-rounder at 15 and the 45th overall pick in the second round. At this point, the mock selections are mostly influenced by my personal rankings and thoughts on the direction each team should take. Once we get closer to the draft and more intel/rumors trickle out, that’ll become the main factor in each pick.