Charlotte Hornets: NBA Draft history of the 55th overall pick
With the draft approaching for the Charlotte Hornets, we take a look back at the history of the 55th overall pick.
The Charlotte Hornets hold two picks in the 2018 NBA Draft. They have one in the first round at No. 11 and one in the second round at No. 55. This is the first time ever that the Queen City team will select at 55th overall.
There have been 57 players selected as the 55th overall pick dating back to 1950 when the first-ever NBA Draft was held. Back then, there were 12 rounds and only 11 teams. Since Charlotte entered the league in 1988, they’ve had 19 second-round picks but none later than No. 54 (except for a third-round selection at No. 58 in 1988).
From 1989 to 1994 there were only 54 picks made which means that for those six years, there were no 55th overall picks. There has been one all-star picked at No. 55 Larry Brown (3x). There have also been two Hall of Famers picked in Al McGuire and Larry Brown. Although, both were inducted as coaches.
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Some notable players selected as the 55th overall pick include Joffrey Laugergne, E’Twaun Moore, Jeremy Evans, Patty Mills, Ryan Bowen, Kenny Gattison, Jerry Eaves and Marc Iavaroni. Although more than half of the players drafted at No. 55 never actually played in the NBA, there has been a lot of recent success in the second-round and late in the draft.
That is evident with the likes of Patty Mills and E’Twaun Moore who have been impactful role players in the league. While it’s unlikely the Hornets find an all-star or even a starter with the 55th overall pick, they could get a role player or someone who could develop in the G-League into a role player one day.
Marcus Paige, who is a two-way player for Charlotte, was picked No. 55 in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets.
The most recent player picked at No. 55 is Nigel Williams-Goss who was selected last year by the Utah Jazz.
The best 55th overall pick ever is probably been Patty Mills. He’s scored more points than any other player selected at No. 55 and has played in the second-most games behind only Marc Iavaroni who Mills will pass next season.
Most teams pick draft-and-stash players from overseas with their late second-round picks. It’s worth noting that Charlotte had pretty good luck with Dwayne Bacon at No. 40 last year as he played in 53 games (six starts) for the Hornets in his rookie season.
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Even though there hasn’t been an exorbitant amount of success with the 55th pick over the years, there have been some decent players selected. If the Charlotte Hornets can find a player that can one day make their regular-season roster, then I think that would be considered a success.