Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets pick Miles Bridges in March mock draft, Nic Batum’s turnaround
Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
After losing to the Toronto Raptors and dropping their third straight game, the Queen City team’s playoff chances fell from 20% to just 15%. (FiveThirtyEight.com) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at who the Charlotte Hornets take in the latest mock draft, Nicolas Batum‘s improved play and the Greensboro Swarm’s victory over the Maine Red Claws.
Hornets select Miles Bridges in March mock draft (FanRagSports.com)
"The Hornets may target the 6-7 southpaw because they don’t have any all-purpose wings. MKG and Lamb aren’t going to take them to the next level, and Monk is undersized and still figuring out how to survive. Bridges could be the total package that outshines all of them with his strong, agile frame and inside-out skill set."
With Kevin Knox, Wendell Carter Jr., Mikal Bridges, and Trae Young all off of the board by the time Charlotte picks at No. 11, Miles is the next logical selection. He is the arguably the best player left and fills a need for the Hornets. Although, if they wanted to go with another position like maybe a backup point guard, Collin Sexton is still available and would be a good option.
With that being said, I still think Bridges is the pick for the Hornets. He is a versatile wing player who can play primarily as a small forward and as a small-ball four. Even though there are concerns about him being a bit of a tweener, I think that he is going to be a solid NBA player. He could even end up being a steal considering that he likely would’ve been a lottery selection had he come out last year.
Nic Batum is starting to turn things around (FantasyPros.com)
"Batum’s play has been nothing short of spectacular over the past few weeks, and it seems like every game he flirts with a triple-double. He’s also getting it done on the defensive side of the floor, as Sunday’s game marked his 11th straight with at least one steal."
After a VERY slow start to his season, it looks like Nicolas is finally healthy and starting to play like his old self. His assists are way up as he’s recorded at least 7+ in the last eight games and even set a season-high with 12 versus the Chicago Bulls at the end of February. He followed up that performance with a season-high 13 rebounds against the Philadelphia 76ers to begin the month of March.
Although, while he has been playing better all-around, his scoring is still lacking. Batum hasn’t put up 20+ points since the beginning of February. Still, it’s a positive sign that Nic is playing better and starting to turn his game around after an agonizingly poor start to the 2017-18 campaign that was plagued by a serious elbow injury. Even if the Hornets don’t make the playoffs, hopefully, he can have a strong finish to the season and build some confidence going into next year.
Greensboro Swarm defeats Maine Red Claws (Gleague.NBA.com)
"Cat Barber, Damien Wilkins and Marcus Paige all scored 20-plus points as the Greensboro Swarm triumphed over the Maine Red Claws, 109-100. Barber led all players with 29 points while Wilkins and Paige added 28 and 21 points, respectively."
Next: Charlotte Hornets hidden future
With the win, Greensboro snapped their four-game losing streak and picked up their first win since February 21st. Cat Barber had a game to remember but the bigger story with the Swarm is the continued strong play of 38-year old Damien Wilkins. Marcus Paige has also performed well as of late and the Hornets’ G-League affiliate had three players finish with 20+ points in this one.