Swarm and Sting
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Charlotte Hornets can’t afford to miss in the 2017 NBA Draft

By Jerry Stephens

Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Noah Vonleh (Indiana) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number nine overall pick to the Charlotte Hornets in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Noah Vonleh (Indiana) shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number nine overall pick to the Charlotte Hornets in the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Instead of playing it safe like they have done in the past, the Charlotte Hornets need to take a calculated risk this offseason with their lottery pick.

The Charlotte Hornets need to break their mold of selecting safe/experienced players and instead throw caution to the wind this summer. Looking at the team’s recent draft history, they have rarely taken risks with their lottery picks. If they want to land a star or a player with loads of potential then their mentality regarding the draft needs to change.

Contrary to popular belief, the Hornets haven’t been terrible in the draft. Although, they also haven’t been great. Charlotte’s had a couple hits, a couple misses and a lot of wasted opportunities. Since 2012, they’ve passed up Bradley Beal, Giannis Antetokounmpo (to be fair, most did), Zach LaVine, T.J. Warren, Justise Winslow, Myles Turner and Devin Booker just to name a few.

No offense to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist but the then-Bobcats should’ve taken Bradley Beal with the second overall pick in 2012. He worked out with Charlotte and was the consensus second-best player in the draft class behind Anthony Davis. Instead, one of the worst offenses in the league chose to draft an offensively inept player in MKG instead of the sharpshooter.

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Then why exactly did they select MKG?

Because he is a “winner” and he works hard. While those are great traits to have, his shooting struggles continue to plague the team to this day.

Cody Zeller was a solid pick in 2013.

As for 2014, the team drafted Noah Vonleh with the ninth overall pick. Despite already having quality big men like Al Jefferson, Cody Zeller, Bismack Biyombo and Marvin Williams on their roster, Charlotte still went with the young power forward. Despite his upside, Vonleh only appeared in 25 games for the Hornets during his rookie season. Before being able to even make an impact, he was shipped off to Portland in exchange for Nicolas Batum.

Heading into the 2014 draft, the team had a clear need at point guard and the wing positions. They later filled their starting shooting guard role with Lance Stephenson (hindsight is 20/20) but they also missed the chance to draft Zach LaVine. Few players had as much potential as LaVine when he came out of UCLA. He was arguably the highest rated shooting guard in the draft alongside Nik Stauskas. Despite their need for a wing, Charlotte (Michael Jordan) chose to go with a big man in Noah. (InsideTheHall.com)

Don’t even get me started on the 2015 draft for the Hornets. They chose Frank Kaminsky, a seven-footer with little upside, and decided to not only pass up Winslow, Turner and Booker but they also turned down a reported six (YES! SIX!) draft picks because MJ was obsessed with Frank. Even Steve Clifford reportedly wanted to draft Devin Booker.

While Kemba Walker and Zeller have been good picks, how many more mistakes can Jordan make before handing over the draft duties to someone else? In my opinion, it’s been time.

With a lottery pick in a loaded draft class this year, Charlotte can’t afford to miss. They need a player who can not only come in and make an impact immediately but also develop into a star down the road. While that is easier said than done, the Hornets can’t pass up a young prospect with upside.

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The Charlotte Hornets should take a risk this summer. Go with a somewhat unknown player like Frank Ntilikina or a freshman with potential like Jarrett Allen or Zach Collins. Drafting isn’t easy but they’ve missed too many times in the past for that trend to continue and if it does, at least show fans that you’re trying to get better by taking a risk instead of playing it safe.

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