Charlotte Hornets: A history of the 11th overall pick in the NBA Draft

For the first time in franchise history, the Charlotte Hornets will select 11th overall in the NBA Draft this year.

Since the 1967 NBA Draft, there have been 50 players taken with the 11th overall pick. Mal Graham was the first ever 11th selection as that was the first year that the league had more than ten teams. 50 years later, the Charlotte Hornets now have the No. 11 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Some notable players who were selected with the No. 11 are Curtis Rowe, Jamaal Wilkes, Ernie Grunfield, Kiki Vandeweghe, Fat Lever, Kevin Willis, John Salley, Reggie Miller, Nick Anderson, Tyrone Hill, Terrell Brandon, Robert Horry and Allan Houston. Some lesser known names but still decent NBA players are Bonzi Wells, Jared Jeffries, Mickael Pietrus, J.J. Redick and Jerryd Bayless.

Although, there have also been a few of busts like Acie Law, Terrence Williams, Fran Vazquez who has never played in the NBA and Andris Biedrins. Even Cole Aldrich could be added to that can be added to that list because even though he’s been a decent NBA player, he has never lived up to the No. 11 billing.

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Of the 50 players who have been drafted 11th overall, only 10 of them have been named to an All-Star team. That’s 20%. While those odds seem promising, Klay Thompson (2011) is the only player since 1994 to be an All-Star. The other nine came before 1993.

Although, recent history does favor the Hornets. Since 2011, there have been a number of promising players who were selected with the 11th pick including Klay Thompson, Meyers Leonard, Michael Carter-Williams, Doug McDermott, Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis. While not every player on that list is a superstar, most are quality role players. Considering that they all fell to No. 11, I think that bodes well for Charlotte this year.

Of the 14 players taken with the 11th pick since the stacked 2003 draft, only nine of them are still in the league. Acie Law (2007) and Terrence Williams (2009) being the prime example of players who only played a couple of seasons before being out of the league. But that is the worst case scenario. While teams can’t always predict how a prospect will pan out, getting someone who can contribute for more than a couple of years is key for Charlotte.

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The Charlotte Hornets have never selected 11th overall in the NBA Draft before. So one could say that their pick this year will be groundbreaking for the franchise. June 22nd will be an important date for the organization and hopefully, it will be a day that goes down in their history for positive reasons.

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