Swarm and Sting
Fansided

Charlotte Hornets: V.J. Beachem, Kadeem Allen highlight first set of pre-draft workouts

By Jerry Stephens

Jan 28, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward V.J. Beachem (3) drives against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Josh Okogie (5) in the first half of their game at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward V.J. Beachem (3) drives against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Josh Okogie (5) in the first half of their game at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Pre-draft workouts for the Charlotte Hornets are officially set to start on June 7th as the team scouts this year’s draft prospects.

The Charlotte Hornets have announced the first set of prospects that they will workout prior to the NBA Draft. Kadeem Allen, Austin Arians, V.J. Beachem, Jack Gibbs, Przemek Karnowski and Mangok Mathiang were the six players listed. Of the prospects, Allen and Beachem are the biggest names that stand out.

Charlotte’s pre-draft workouts were originally (tentatively) scheduled to begin on June 1st but instead got pushed back to June 7th. With the NBA Draft right around the corner on June 22nd, the Hornets will be one of the final teams conducting their pre-draft workouts. Depending on how you look at it, that could be good or bad.

It looks like the team’s looking for second round/ undrafted free agent players with this first set of prospects. All six of them are projected to either be selected late in the second round or go undrafted. Maybe they will find a diamond in the rough when scouting these prospects.

More from Swarm and Sting

According to DraftExpress.com, V.J. Beachem is the 75th overall prospect. The 6’8 small forward is coming off of his senior year where he averaged 14.5 points per game and 4.1 rebounds on 49.5% shooting from two and 36.1% from the three-point line for Notre Dame. He is the second-highest-rated prospect among these six players.

As for Kadeem Allen, the 6’3 point guard from Arizona is the top prospect coming in at #69 on DraftExpress‘ top-100 list. During his senior season, he averaged 9.8 points per game, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 46.6% from inside the arc and 42.7% from three. Allen is a North Carolina native.

Austin Arians is a senior forward out of Wake Forest who averaged 8.5 points. Despite averaging 22.1 points during his senior season, Davidson point guard Jack Gibbs isn’t listed among the top-100 prospects. Magok Mathiang is a 6’10 center prospect who averaged 7.8 points in his senior year. Przemek Karnowski was one of the most recognizable players in college this past season as he helped lead Gonzaga to a National Championship appearance as the 7’1 big man averaged 12.2 points on the season.

Looking at mock drafts and rankings, Kadeem and V.J. are the only two players in this group who have a chance at getting drafted in the second round. The rest will probably be signed as undrafted free agents and fight for a spot on summer league and training camp rosters.

Next: Hornets' fans rank as one of the most loyal in NBA

P.J. Dozier and Derrick White are two more names scheduled to workout with the Hornets prior to the draft. More players will be announced as Charlotte continues to scout prospects. If one of these players really impresses the team, they may very well draft one with the 41st overall pick in the second round.

Home/Hornets News