SB Nation

The 2022 NBA Draft class has a hard act to follow. The 2021 class always looked fantastic at the top, and that group of rookies has immediately shined in the NBA. Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes, and Franz Wagner have each been terrific right away for their new teams. This year’s class is not as strong or as deep. There’s a lack of shot creators at the top of the class because of a down year for freshman guards. The pandemic has also played a role in taking away valuable developmental time for players heading into college. The middle-to-end of the lottery still feels totally up for grabs, but five prospects have emerged to form a solid foundation at the top of the draft. Team need was not taken into much consideration for this mock. Instead, this is a look at the 30 best prospects available in our view. The top three prospects each have a chance to go No. 1 overall. The emergence of Adrian Griffin Jr. and Jaden Ivey has added a necessary talent infusion to the rest of the class.