Swarm and Sting
Fansided

Re-picking the last five drafts for the Charlotte Hornets

By Elijah Edwards

Charlotte Hornets 2017 NBA Draft (Photo by Ashlee Espinal/NBAE via Getty Images)
Charlotte Hornets 2017 NBA Draft (Photo by Ashlee Espinal/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – FEBRUARY 25: Center Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets is guarded by forward Luc Mbah a Moute #12 of the Houston Rockets at Pepsi Center on February 25, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – FEBRUARY 25: Center Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets is guarded by forward Luc Mbah a Moute #12 of the Houston Rockets at Pepsi Center on February 25, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images) /

The 2013-2014 season was a successful one for Charlotte. Have our additions and subtractions made them better?

The 2013-2014 season was a fun one for Charlotte fans. The addition of Al Jefferson helped catapult that team into the playoffs. Has changing history made them better? Actually, yes. That team finished the season 43-39, good for 7th in the East. Replacing MKG, Cody, and Jeffery Taylor with Giannis, Draymond, and Beal actually got us 5 more wins, according to the Hollinger metric. That would have put the team at the 4th spot in the East, just ahead of the Chicago Bulls due to a tie-breaker. Not too shabby.

Now, up until this point, I haven’t really been factoring in what these changes do to other teams. Obviously, the Wizards not getting Beal would have a huge effect in the long run. So, for the sake of argument, I’ll just surmise that each team we took a player from will get the next player before or behind them, according to what Charlotte does. For instance, since we drafted Beal, Washington will now get MKG. If you remember correctly, MKG was valued at 3.5 wins added the year before. That didn’t really help the Wizards as they were still out of the playoffs. This season, however, both the Bobcats and Wizards made the playoffs. Without Beal, Washington loses about 3 more games, but are still in.

First Round:

Back in the 2014 draft, Charlotte had a protected first-round pick from the Detroit Pistons, stemming from the Corey Maggette for Ben Gordon trade back in 2012. As a result, the Hornets (finally) picked 9th and selected Noah Vonleh. Needless to say, that didn’t work out. With a solid nucleus of young players, the Hornets here are simply drafting for depth. They will select T.J. Warren to be a dependable backup on the wing.

Charlotte also had the 24th pick in the draft, acquired from the Gerald Wallace trade back in 2011. They picked Shabazz Napier, only to trade him to the Miami Heat for P.J. Hairston. With that pick, I will be selecting Nikola Jokić out of Serbia. Now, he wouldn’t play immediately, having spent an additional year in Europe. That’s ok, though.

Second Round:

With the 45th pick, the Hornets selected Dwight Powell. Jordan Clarkson was still available, so let’s pick him instead.