So… who should the Charlotte Hornets draft?
By Laieke Abebe
The 2016-17 NBA season is in the books and it’s time to look ahead to next season. Who should the Charlotte Hornets draft when it’s all said and done?
The NBA season officially came to an end in Oakland, California as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in game 5 of the NBA finals 129-120 to capture the NBA title. As most fans have begun to do, it’s time to look ahead to the 2017-18 NBA season. The new season begins with the 2017 NBA draft on June 22nd in Brooklyn, NY. All 30 NBA teams come together to celebrate the unofficial beginning of the next season. With that in mind, who should the Charlotte Hornets select with the 11th overall pick this year?
The 2017 NBA draft will have many talented players in it. Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball have dominated the headlines as potentially the two best players in this draft. However, it would have to take a trade or a monumental fall for either to be picked by the Hornets.
Even then, Buzz City has their point guard in all-star Kemba Walker. The team has various needs and has to make a splash in the draft if they want to get back to the postseason.
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?
Let’s say that everything up to the Charlotte Hornets pick goes according to DraftExpress 2017 mock draft. This means Fultz, Ball, Josh Jackson, De’Aaron Fox, Jayson Tatum, Jonathan Issac, Lauro Markkanen, Malik Monk, Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina would all be off the board.
Then, the Hornets are on the clock. With the 11th pick, they have to prioritize what I feel is the biggest team need this summer: a two-way wing player. This player has to contribute well on both ends of the floor. This leads me to one person: OG Anunoby.
Anunoby, the former Indiana Hoosier, has the tools to potentially be a really good player for a long time. He stands 6’6″ with a 7’2″ wingspan and was a great energy player for Indiana last season. Defense and energy are the biggest strengths that Anunoby brings to the table and he could easily impact the Hornets bench.
However, his shooting wasn’t great in college as he shot 31% from three. What alarms me the most is the dismal 56% mark from the free throw line. These things will have to improve as the Hornets are an excellent free throw shooting team.
Next: What improvements can the Hornets make this offseason?
Overall, the Hornets don’t have a player that can electrify a crowd other than Kemba Walker. The Spectrum Center needs energy and OG Anunoby could be the one to bring it. His athleticism and defensive strengths would really help the team. If he develops his shooting, this might be the steal of the 2017 draft. Hopefully, the Hornets pick Anunoby with the 11th pick.