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Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets select Kennard in mock draft, What Kemba and Lonzo Ball have in common

By Jerry Stephens

Apr 2, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) passes the ball behind Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jerami Grant (9) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) passes the ball behind Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jerami Grant (9) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.

The Golden State Warriors took a 2-0 lead over the San Antonio Spurs in Western Conference Finals while the Charlotte Hornets landed the 11th overall pick after the NBA lottery drawing. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the team taking Luke Kennard in latest mock draft, taking a chance on Harry Giles and what Kemba Walker and Lonzo Ball have in common.

Hornets select Luke Kennard in latest mock draft (USAtoday.com)

"Other than All-Star point guard Kemba Walker and 31-year-old Marco Belinelli, the Hornets regressed big time on 3-pointers last season. Kennard would fit with team philosophy and need and should be able to play as a rookie, which coach Steve Clifford tends to value."

In my opinion, there is no way Charlotte should draft Kennard. He may be a solid NBA player but with Zach Collins, Donovan Mitchell, OG Anunoby, Jarrett Allen and Justin Jackson still on the board at #11, Rich Cho would be better off going with one of them over Luke. While the Hornets could use his shooting, his upside isn’t as high as the other prospects.

With that being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if they picked Kennard at 11. It would be a reach and a potentially “bad” pick but we’ve seen Michael Jordan and the team make plenty of those of the years. We will have to wait and see what surprises happen on draft night.

Charlotte willing to take a chance on Harry Giles at 11? (CharlotteObserver.com)

"Yet he is 6-10 and athletic, runs well and does not get pushed around. He has moves and strength and does all the things that a modern big man is asked to do. If Giles stays healthy, he won’t contribute to the Hornets. He’ll star for them."

While Giles is an intriguing prospect, the Hornets shouldn’t draft him. It would be a high-risk, high-reward move but Charlotte’s not in a position to take a chance on Harry. A few years from now, he might be considered a steal from the 2017 draft but he could there is also a likely chance that injuries take their toll and Giles never quite pans out.

The Duke product will probably be a first round pick and depending on how his individual workouts go, he could sneak into the later stages of the lottery. Those individual workouts will play a huge part in determining a potential landing spot. Maybe he does enough to impress the Charlotte Hornets but for no, there are still a lot of question marks surrounding his game.

What Kemba and Lonzo have in common (CharlotteObserver.com)

"Whoever selects Ball next month with the first, second or third pick (he will go no later), will also get his dad. But coaches can handle dads; they all have basketball dad experience. When the Hornets once moved a shooting guard to point guard, the guard’s father said: “Good. He’ll get more shots.”"

Next: Charlotte interviewed Terrance Ferguson in Chicago

An interesting story from Tom Sorensen. Apparently, Kemba and Lonzo both have dads who are very involved in their professional basketball careers. I think the difference is that LaVar is far worse than any other dad we’ve seen of an NBA player with his over the top act and somewhat controlling nature.

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