Charlotte Hornets met with Duke big man Wendell Carter Jr.
Top draft prospect and former Duke star Wendell Carter Jr. reportedly met with the Charlotte Hornets.
According to Basketball Insiders, the Charlotte Hornets are one team that’s met with Wendell Carter Jr. The Duke big man has also had meetings with the Atlanta Hawks, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Dallas Mavericks, the Chicago Bulls, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
NBADraft.net projects Carter Jr to be selected 7th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2018 NBA Draft. They compare him to Juwan Howard and Al Horford. Wendell is clearly one of the top prospects and big men in this draft class. Charlotte holds the No. 11 pick in the draft this year so they may not have the opportunity to draft Carter unless he falls outside of the top-10.
The 19-year old averaged 13.5 points per game, 9.1 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.0 assists during his one year at Duke. He was fourth on the team in scoring, second in rebounds, third in assists and first in blocks. Wendell played alongside a number of potential NBA players such as Marvin Bagley, Trevon Duval, Gary Trent Jr. and Grayson Allen.
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During his one year under Mike Krzyzewski, Carter helped lead the Blue Devils to a 29-8 record and an Elite Eight appearance in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. He ranked third in the ACC in rebounds, fifth in blocks, second in PER, fifth in true shooting and second in win shares.
Wendell measured in at 6’10 and 257 pounds with a 7’4.5″ wingspan. He has the ability to play both power forward and center. The Georgia native is a good interior defender, can rebound well, finish inside and has shown some ability to stretch the floor. Carter must improve his outside shooting and low post game going forward.
There’s no doubt that he would be a great fit with the Hornets. Charlotte could either pair him with Dwight Howard in what could be a deadly frontcourt duo or trade D12 and make Wendell their starting center for the future.
Carter is a top prospect and should be able to fit with just about any team that drafts him in the lottery. While it’s unlikely that he falls to the Queen City team at No. 11, it isn’t out of the question as he is a projected lottery pick.
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It will be interesting to see where Wendell lands in the draft this year. With Carter’s connection to North Carolina (Duke), it will obviously raise speculation between him and the Charlotte Hornets. With both Marvin Williams and Dwight Howard on the wrong side of 30, getting a young big man with potential wouldn’t be the worst move for Michael Jordan and Mitch Kupchak.