James and Darian break down three NBA prospects at the guard position. The two discuss the strengths, weaknesses, and team fit, while also revealing how strongly they’d covet each prospect. The players discussed on this episode are Labaron Philon Jr., Ebuka Okorie, and Bennett Stirtz.

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Michigan beat writer Jake Singer (SB Nation) joins the show to break down the Wolverines’ impressive frontcourt trio of Yaxel Lendenborg, Morez Johnson, and Aday Mara.

Singer shares his impressions of each player’s personality off the court, their in-season development, and how he evaluates their long-term NBA upside. From strengths and weaknesses to pro…

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Richie and Brian return to grade Brandon Miller and Tidjane Salaün’s seasons. They look at their strengths on both ends of the court, their drawbacks, and hand out a letter grade.

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Matt and James break down four NBA prospects at the wing position. The two discuss the strengths, weaknesses, and team fit, while also revealing how strongly they’d covet each prospect. The players discussed on this episode are Brayden Burries, Dailyn Swain, and Cameron Carr.

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Tyler Rucker of No Ceilings joins James to share his insights on the NBA Draft and strategic decision-making for Charlotte, which has the 14th and 18th picks. The two look back on Kon Knueppel’s rookie season and look ahead to multiple 2026 prospects, including Morez Johnson Jr., Hannes Steinbach, Yaxel Lendeborg, and more.

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Brian and James break down four NBA prospects at the forward position. The two discuss the strengths, weaknesses, and team fit, while also revealing how strongly they’d covet each prospect. The players discussed on this episode are Yaxel Lendeborg, Nate Ament, Karim López, and Koa Peat.

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In this episode, James power ranks the top 10 players the Hornets could realistically trade for in a straight-up deal with the 14th pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Which players are worth the gamble, and which deals should Charlotte avoid?

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Matt and James recap the NBA Combine with their final thoughts on some of the prospects in Charlotte’s range, including Koa Peat, Cam Carr, and Morez Johnson. The two talk about how much sway the results of these workouts have on their overall big board. Finally, they pit two prospects against each other and debate their preferred selection.

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Richie returns to grade another player off Charlotte’s roster, Moussa Diabaté. He looks at their strengths on both ends of the court, their drawbacks, and hands out a letter grade.

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Richie returns to grade a couple of more players on Charlotte’s roster, LaMelo Ball and Sion James. He looks at their strengths on both ends of the court, their drawbacks, and hands out some letter grades.

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Brian and James recap the NBA Lottery and how the results could affect the Hornets. The two also review the NBA Combine measurements, both positive and negative. To wrap up, James participates in a mock draft leading up to the Hornets’ 14th pick.

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The improbable didn’t happen. Charlotte stayed put at No. 14 in the draft order.

The post‑lottery stretch is always one of the most interesting periods of the draft cycle. It’s the first moment when mock drafts begin to carry some real informational value—though they’re still far from gospel. As a reminder, this time last year, not a single major mock had Kon Knueppel landing in Charlotte, while VJ Edgecombe was the overwhelming favorite. So, as always, take everything with a healthy pinch of salt.

Less than 24 hours after the lottery results were finalized, every major outlet rushed to update its mock drafts. If you follow the NBA draft closely, you’ll know the feeling—your timeline suddenly fills with dozens of picks, big boards, and projections. While I see most of them, I only track a small group that I genuinely trust.

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James reacts to the Hornets staying put in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery. He runs through all the pick slots and considers how the order could affect Charlotte in the coming years. Could the outcome have been worse?

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Richie reflects on the 2025-26 season and hands out grades to Ryan Kalkbrenner, Josh Green, and Coby White. He considers the strengths, weaknesses, preseason expectations, and role when evaluating the player’s impact.

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Brian and James return to kick off the NBA Draft season. The two chat about the lottery and its implications, a consensus “big board” among the hosts, and the qualities that Charlotte’s front office values in prospects.

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After months of internal discussion and league‑wide debate, the NBA has settled on a preferred draft‑lottery reform model, commonly referred to as the “3‑2‑1” system. While the exact structure of this model has not been publicly reported in detail until now, many of its elements borrow from anti‑tanking proposals the league has explored in recent years.

Pending formal approval, the proposal is expected to be signed off on at the Board of Governors meeting on May 28, with the intention of implementing it for the 2027 NBA Draft. If passed, it would represent the most significant lottery overhaul in decades.

So how would it work, and more importantly, what would it mean for the future of the Charlotte Hornets?

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Richie, Brian, and Matt reflect and hand out awards for the 2025-26 season. After compiling votes from all the co-hosts, this episode reveals the top-3 nominees and winners in the following categories:

• Win of the Year

• Loss of the Year

• MVP

• Worst Take

• Offensive Play

• Defensive Play

• Dunk of the Year

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At Buzz Beat, we believe in owning both our hits and our misses. With the season now in the books, it’s time to revisit those predictions and see how they played out.

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Matt invites Jeremy Grandison to reflect on the end of the Hornets’ season. The two look back on the blowout loss to the Magic, the key questions heading into the offseason, and the strategic moves Jeff Peterson needs to make moving forward.

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