Charlotte Hornets should seriously consider drafting Luke Kennard

Luke Kennard is quickly moving up draft boards and the Charlotte Hornets should seriously consider taking him at No. 11 in the draft.

With the NBA draft quickly approaching, the Charlotte Hornets have yet to zero in on a top prospect. They have been heavily linked to Zach Collins but Luke Kennard is making a strong push as of late to make the team’s in the lottery consider the shooting guard. Looking at what the shooting guard offers, Charlotte should take an extended look at him.

In their latest mock draft, DraftExpress.com projects the Hornets to select Kennard with the 11th overall pick. Just a couple of weeks ago he was closer to the 20th pick in most mock drafts but the Duke product is quickly moving up draft boards.

Even though Charlotte hasn’t brought in any prospects for pre-draft workouts just yet, Rich Cho was in New York to scout Luke at his pro day. Expect Kennard to workout for the Hornets about a week into June when their pre-draft workouts are set to begin. If he impresses them, it wouldn’t be surprising if they took him on June 22nd.

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With the direction that the league is going, a team can never have too many shooters on their roster. To an extent, not having enough consistent three-point marksmen was part of the problem for the Hornets. Outside of Kemba Walker who made 240 three’s, the next closest was Nicolas Batum who made 135 but only on 33.3% shooting. (Basketball-Reference.com)It’s clear that Steve Clifford wants and needs more shooters to help space the floor for Kemba.

During his sophomore season under MikeKrzyzewski, the 20-year old averaged 19.5 points per game, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 52.5% from inside the arc and an impressive 43.8% from three. While his 6’5 height isn’t bad for an NBA two-guard, Luke does lack the length and finishing ability that people love in prospects. Still, that isn’t too much of a problem if he can manage to shoot above 40% from deep.

In an advanced method to find every top prospect’s NBA comparison, one Reddit user found that Rodney Hood was the most similar to Kennard. While that may be a bit underwhelming because the Utah Jazz guard isn’t a star, it should excite fans. Hood has proven himself to be a consistent scorer in the league and is an above average role player.

Not everyone can be a star and with Luke, at least the Hornets know what they are getting. He may not have as much upside as Zach Collins or OG Anunoby but there is also has less risk involved which is right up Charlotte’s alley as they have tended to shy away from big risks in the draft in recent years.

While there are concerns about his defense and

Just take a look at his silky smooth lefty stroke:

Sure he was simply making uncontested three’s in a gym but it was still really impressive. Not many players can shoot with that kind of accuracy. Remember when Stephen Curry made 77 three-pointers in a row and 94 out of 100 in total? I’d love to see what Kennard could do if he shot 100 three’s.

I was skeptical of Luke a couple of weeks ago but seeing more of his game and how it could translate to the NBA is making me a believer.

Next: How the Hornets can become contenders by 2019

The next couple of weeks leading up to the draft will be crucial for every prospect but keep a close eye on Kennard and the Hornets. I have a feeling that Charlotte’s front office will fall in love with Luke and he may very well be their first round pick this year.

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