Charlotte Hornets NBA Draft: History of the 12th overall pick

On Tuesday night, the Charlotte Hornets found out that they would receive the 12th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The Hornets are somewhat familiar to this number.

As of late, the Charlotte Hornets have been stuck at the same spot in the lottery for the NBA Draft. On Tuesday, the Hornets found out that they would receive the 12th pick in this year’s draft.

While this pick may not seem good to many Hornets fan, it’s important to note that this pick has benefited many teams in the past. One of those teams who benefited would definitely be the Hornets.

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The Hornets have only had one shot at the 12th spot in the NBA draft, and that was when the team selected Gerald Henderson in the 2009 NBA draft. Henderson played for six seasons in Charlotte and averaged 12 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

This is not the only time that the Hornets had a connection with the 12th pick, they also traded for Miles Bridges when he was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers at the twelfth spot in the draft last year. This ended up being a good pick for Charlotte, as Bridges got to even compete in the Dunk contest during his rookie season.

During the same draft that the Hornets drafted Malik Monk with the 11th spot, the Utah Jazz selected Donavan Mitchell at 12th spot in the draft. This pick was great for the Jazz, and Mitchell almost won the Rookie of the Year Award that season.

To me, the best player to be drafted 12th overall would have to be Julius Erving. Dr. J was selected in the 1971 NBA draft by the Virginia Squires, and he had a Hall of Fame career. During his whole career, he averaged a whopping 24.2 points, 4.2 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Other Key Players selected 12th Overall

Taurean Prince – Utah Jazz
Steven Adams – Oklahoma City Thunder
Jeremy Lamb – Houston Rockets
Thaddeus Young – New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans

I could continue to name off other players, but all hope is not lost for the Hornets in next month’s draft. They have the opportunity to choose from a lot of talent if they do not end up trading their pick.

After the crazy Draft Lottery, it should be noted that the draft can change in a variety of ways now. Many teams will now need to draft another player since they lost their projected spot in the draft, and this opens up the opportunity for great talent to fall to the Hornets spot in the draft.

Personally, I would like to see the Hornets select Bol Bol with their pick, as he is a monster athlete who stands 7’2. He possesses everything that the Hornets needs in a starting center, and I think he may fall to the 12th spot in the draft based on the talent ahead of him.

I would be surprised if the Hornets fail to draft a talented player this year’s draft. Even though the Hornets have the 12th pick, it’s really hard for the Hornets to go wrong in this draft.

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I expect the Mitch Kupchak to get a solid prospect for the Hornets this year after having a year to prepare. The NBA draft is only a month away, and the excitement just keeps growing for many NBA fans.