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Charlotte Hornets: Taking a look at potential second round draft prospects

By Jerry Stephens

Mar 25, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Dillon Brooks (24) drives around Kansas Jayhawks guard Josh Jackson (11) during the second half in the finals of the Midwest Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Oregon defeated Kansas 74-60. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Dillon Brooks (24) drives around Kansas Jayhawks guard Josh Jackson (11) during the second half in the finals of the Midwest Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Oregon defeated Kansas 74-60. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 8, 2017; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Kobi Simmons (2) celebrates after scoring against the Stanford Cardinal during the first half at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 8, 2017; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Kobi Simmons (2) celebrates after scoring against the Stanford Cardinal during the first half at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports /

Kobi Simmons

Simmons is probably the prospect with the most upside and potential on this list. According to DraftExpress.com’s mock draft, they have the freshman being selected with the 55th overall pick in the second round. Despite having such a late projection, Kobi has already hired an agent ahead of the draft. He appeared 37 games for the 32-5 Arizona Wildcats but only manage to average 8.8 points per game and 2.0 assists per game.

Although he has upside, Simmons wasn’t able to display a lot of his skill during his time in college as he fell out of the team’s rotation late in the season. There is still a long way for the 6’4 guard to go until he can compete at the NBA level. He likely needs a year or two in the D-League just to hone his game and become a more complete and smarter player.

If Charlotte chose to select Kobi, it would be an investment pick. They would be banking on him figuring out his game in the D-League with the Greensboro Swarm and hopefully being a contributor in a couple of years. Considering that he was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, he may be worth the risk because the skill set is there.

Jaron Blossomgame

As for Blossomgame, he is just about the opposite of Simmons. The 6’7 combo forward still has plenty of skill but at 23-years old, the upside just isn’t there. With that being said, Jaron had much better numbers this past season as he averaged 17.7 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game throughout his senior year.

Not only did he lead Clemson in scoring but he also was second on the team in rebounds, fourth in assists and second in blocks. Although he shot 49.9% from the field, Blossomgame struggled from the perimeter only shooting at a 25.5% clip from deep. That could be a problem going forward as he transitions his game to the NBA level.

After going through the pre-draft process last year, Blossomgame chose to return to school for his senior season. There is no turning back this time and if the Hornets choose to take a chance on Jaron in the second round, he would likely have a Treveon Graham-type role with the team. He may not be there when Charlotte picks though because DraftExpress.com has him going just before they select at 40th overall.

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