A Somewhat Early Look at the Charlotte Hornets’ Draft Prospects
It is looking more and more likely that the Charlotte Hornets will receive a lottery pick this season. There are plenty of talented prospects in this year’s draft class.
The NBA season is far from over, but we are entering the homestretch. As the Charlotte Hornets‘ season comes to a close, there are some major questions in regards to their postseason fate. Playoffs or lottery pick? In any case, let’s discuss their draft day possibilities as they exist in the present.
As of right now, the Hornets are projected to pick 12th in the NBA Draft, which qualifies as a lottery pick. This is all conjecture, of course, as the lottery still isn’t until May 16th. Let’s assume, however, that things do hold to form. Who should they pick?
There are multitudes of factors that will affect their decisions. With the upcoming free agency, trades, and whether some players decide to stay in school, will all affect what they do with that draft pick. For the sake of argument, we’re going surmise that the team’s nucleus will remain relatively intact.
More from Swarm and Sting
- Hornets: Where does Brandon Miller’s ceiling rank among other rookies?
- Charlotte Hornets grade out mostly average in position-by-position ranking
- Hornets News: P.J. Washington makes bold statement on Brandon Miller
- Grade the mock trade: Hornets snag Tyler Herro, flip Gordon Hayward
- Will the Charlotte Hornets be in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery?
This year’s draft isn’t lacking in talent, but there aren’t a lot of proven commodities, especially when you get around where the Hornets will be selecting. DraftExpress has the Hornets picking Miles Bridges out of Michigan State at the 12 spot. A young, prolific scorer like Bridges could help bolster a sometimes anemic offense (outside of Kemba Walker, of course).
He’s pretty proficient from deep, as well, shooting just over 40%. He can also rebound as he’s pulled in over eight per game. At 6’6″, 226 lbs, he’s not exactly a small player, so he could easily see time at small forward or even play a stretch power forward role. He’s certainly versatile enough for the Hornets to justify their pick.
Another possibility is UNC’s Justin Jackson. As the newly crowned ACC player of the year, Jackson is a consistent scorer from both mid-range and from deep. Not only does he have range, he’s also very efficient, making 45% of his field goals and 38% from three. At 6’8″, 193, he’s not as strong-framed as Bridges, but his nearly 7-foot wingspan does help disrupt teams from a defensive standpoint.
He doesn’t put up staggering numbers in the rebounding category, averaging only 4.7 per game this year, but that could be due in part to UNC’s brand of post play. As a bonus, Jackson playing college ball for a Carolina-based school would help endear him to local Hornets fans.
Then again, who’s to say the Hornets wouldn’t draft a guard to help support Kemba? Malik Monk would be an absolute steal if he were available at the 12th pick. Monk is a terrific combo guard with a knack for scoring in bunches. He’s averaging just over 21 points per game and is shooting just under 41% from three for Kentucky. He could certainly be a spark plug off the bench and would definitely give the Hornets much needed scoring depth.
Next: Steve Clifford Calls Out Poor Bench Play
Alas, this is all speculation. Who knows what the future holds for the team during their last 18 games? Some fans would love to see the team make the playoffs and not have to rely on a lottery pick, while others would love for the team to be picking in the top 10. In any case, it will certainly be an interesting off-season for Charlotte, playoffs or not, so be sure keep a weather eye on the horizon.