The Collective Charlotte Hornets Bloggers 2018 Mock Draft
By Noah Purser
Lonnie Walker was a highly-touted freshman coming into the 2017-18 NCAA season. However, as the season progressed, Walker’s deficiencies as a player became more evident. An average 35% shooter from three, Lonnie shot over five three-pointers per game. He didn’t post extraordinary advanced numbers either, despite finishing with a 22.4% usage rate for the Miami Hurricanes.
Lonnie is an above-average cutter and is not often caught standing. However, his concerns will cause a slip down the draft board, come June.
Minnesota finished dead last in the three-pointers attempted last season. The Timberwolves will look to add any type of perimeter shooting available at pick 20. In the committee’s opinion, that’s Dzanan Musa. The European is a prolific shooter from beyond the arc and that will likely be his sole purpose on the Timberwolves.
Standing 6’9″ with a seven-foot wingspan, Musa will be able to get his shot over the bigger, stronger defenders of the NBA. If Musa can bring the same success shooting the ball to Minnesota, he could carve out a role very quickly within Tom Thibodeau’s tight rotation.
Another two-way player, Jacob Evans was the head of the snake for the Cincinnati Bearcats the past two years. Boasting a 120 Offensive Rating, along with a 93 Defensive Rating per 100 possessions, Evans might be one of the best statistical two-way players available in the entirety of the draft.
Evans size at 6’6″ will hold him back from playing full-time small forward for any NBA franchise. However, the Jazz could use another back up to the sensational Joe Ingles. Evans would offer a defensive boost, while also offering a couple buckets on offense as well.
Troy Brown is an attacking wing player who finds a way to get to the rim. At 6’7″ and 220 pounds, Brown is built like a football player and isn’t afraid to play like one on the court.
He doesn’t exactly have the fantastic stats for a fanbase to pray for, but Brown does all the little things a team would ask for at the small-forward position; think Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with more shooting potential. Wait, what pick did we use to draft Michael Kidd-Gilchrist?