Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ potential depth charts, Is Justin Jackson a good fit?
Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
We are less than a week away from the Game One of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at potential Charlotte Hornets‘ depth charts, projecting Justin Jackson’s fit with the team and Steve Clifford finishing as a finalist for the Rudy Tomjanovich Award.
Projecting the Hornets’ Depth Chart for Next Season (BaselineBuzz.com)
"Given everything above, let’s outline a few potential depth charts to start next season: If Charlotte trades for a center (Lopez or Okafor), Depth Charts A and C stay mostly the same with Cody sliding back to the second unit for Brook and starting over Jahlil."
Our friends over at BaselineBuzz put together an extensive Offseason Preview which was excellent. The most intriguing part though was their projected depth charts for next year. Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marvin Williams and Cody Zeller were the starters for all three which will without a doubt be the team’s starting five next season.
As for the backups, they fluctuated depending on who the Hornets’ went after in the draft (i.e. guard, wing or big man). Shabazz Muhammad was an interesting name that appeared on two of the three rosters. Charlotte could and probably should go after him in free agency as they need a backup small forward because Marco Belinelli and Jeremy Lamb are shooting guards. Backing up Kemba, the names varied from a rookie to Darren Collison and Brandon Knight. All are options and would be intriguing.
Is Justin Jackson a good fit for Charlotte? (BballBreakdown.com)
"Jackson’s ability as a shooter should help space the floor more for the Hornets. Kemba Walker, Nic Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller, and Frank Kaminsky are capable of getting a team to the playoffs. Adding in Jackson bumps them up slightly in the pecking order of middling Eastern Conference teams."
It’s hard to say who the Hornets will target on June 22nd. They could go in a number of directions with the 11th pick but if they decide to draft a wing player then Justin Jackson should be at the top of the list. While he doesn’t have as much upside as some other prospects, the North Carolina product would be a solid addition as a two-way wing which Charlotte desperately needs.
He may not ever be a star player in the league but Jackson would provide consistent shooting and pretty good defense with his length and athleticism. The junior will likely be a late-lottery selection this year which means that he will probably be on the board when the Hornets make their pick. Although, it will be hard for them to pass up the likes of Frank Ntilikina, Zach Collins and Donovan Mitchell.
Steve Clifford falls short of winning NBA Media Cooperation Award (NBA.NBCsports.com)
"The Professional Basketball Writers Association announced the winner Friday. Van Gundy was one of five finalists for the award. The others were Steve Clifford of the Charlotte Hornets, Mike D’Antoni of the Houston Rockets, David Fizdale of the Memphis Grizzlies and Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics."
Next: Charlotte should consider trading down in the draft
Clifford’s former mentor in Stan Van Gundy took home the Rudy Tomjanovich Award this year. Steve has always been fantastic with the media and that’s why he named a finalist. Even though he didn’t win the award, credit to Coach Clifford for cooperating with media members.