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Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ Mock Draft, Cody Zeller Returns

By Jerry Stephens

February 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford reacts while watching game acti against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
February 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford reacts while watching game acti against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Welcome to Buzz City Beat, Swarm and Sting’s daily roundup of the latest and best stories from around the web surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.

The Charlotte Hornets were victorious over the Los Angeles Lakers in their most recent outing. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at Bleacher Report’s mock draft, Greensboro Swarm falls to the Canton Charge and Cody Zeller returns.

Bleacher Report Mock Draft

“Looking for a jolt of frontcourt scoring, the Charlotte Hornets could zero in on Miles Bridges, an explosive small-ball 4. Bridges’ mix of power and bounce would complement Cody Zeller’s finesse game. He continues to shoot it well from three (40.8 percent), which is a key development given his lack of size for a traditional power forward.” (BleacherReport.com)

Bleacher Report has the Hornets’ picking Miles Bridges with the 12th overall pick in the upcoming draft. The Michigan State freshman power forward is one of the most talented players in all of college basketball. He has big time upside and could be Marvin Williams’ replacement next season or in a few years.

Charlotte hasn’t had the greatest run of draft selections over the past decade or so. If they do end up missing the playoffs this season, it could work in their favor in the long run as this is one of the most talent-loaded draft classes ever. Picking in the lottery, they will have a good chance at getting a franchise type player like Bridges might be.

More from Swarm and Sting

Greensboro Swarm Falls to the Canton Charge, 114-108

“The Canton Charge (21-17), powered by the Cleveland Cavaliers, defeated the Greensboro Swarm (13-26), 114-108, at the Memorial Civic Center on Tuesday night. Canton now has a 3-0 lead in the inaugural season series between the two teams with a final matchup left in Greensboro on March 16th.” (Dleague.NBA.com)

The Swarm hasn’t had the greatest inaugural season and it generally isn’t a good sign if your leading scorer is a 37-year old. That being said, Damien Wilkins did put together a nice game with 23 points, five rebounds and five assists for Greensboro. Archie Goodwin added 16 points and nine rebounds while Cat Barber had 14 points and eight assists.

Like I’ve said before, this first season for the Swarm is about developing players and not about wins but it isn’t great for development when Wilkins is the best player on the court for Greensboro. Not taking anything away from him as Damien is still balling out at his age.

Cody Zeller Returns

“Cody Zeller (quad) returned to action on Tuesday vs. the Lakers, scoring six points on 3-of-6 shooting with five rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes.” (Rotoworld.com)

Next: Why Briante Web is the Answer at Backup PG

After missing six consecutive games and 13 of the last 14 in total, it was great to see Zeller back on the court even if it was in a limited fashion. Cody didn’t make a huge impact but he did make a difference. The biggest question going forward is whether or not he will retake his starting role from Frank Kaminsky as the sophomore big man has played great during Zeller’s absence. Ultimately, Cody should return to the starting lineup after a few games.

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