Charlotte Hornets: History of the 11th overall pick in the NBA Draft

After not moving up or down in the draft lottery this year, the Charlotte Hornets will have the 11th overall pick in the first round.

For the second consecutive year, the Charlotte Hornets will hold the No. 11 pick in the NBA Draft. In 2017, they used it to select Malik Monk. This is only the fourth time in NBA history that a team has had the 11th pick in back to back years (Warriors in 1973-74, Warriors in 2003-04 and Magic 2005-06). What does history say about players selected 11th overall?

There have been 51 players selected with the 11th overall pick in the first-round of the NBA Draft with the first being Mal Graham in 1967. Only two Hall of Famers in Ralph Sampson and Reggie Miller have been selected 11th overall.

There have been 10 all-star players picked at No. 11 including Klay Thompson, Curtis Rowe, Jamaal Wilkes, Kiki Vandeweghe, Fat Lever, Kevin Willis, Reggie Miller, Tyrone Hill, Terrell Brandon and Allan Houston. That means that there is about a 20% chance that whoever Charlotte drafts at No. 11 will be an all-star one day. Those are pretty good odds considering the pick isn’t in the top-10.

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Some other notable players are Ernie Grunfeld, John Salley, Nick Anderson, Robert Horry, Bonzi Wells, Andris Biedrins, Mickael Pietrus and Jared Jeffries.

J.J. Redick, Jerryd Bayless, Klay Thompson, Meyers Leonard, Michael Carter-Williams, Doug McDermott, Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis are all current NBA players who were picked 11th overall.

Although, in the past few years there have been some “busts” like Cole Aldrich, Terrence Williams, Acie Law and Fran Vazquez (has never played in the NBA).

The Hornets had a former 11th overall pick on their team this past season in Michael Carter-Williams who was selected back in 2013.

The Queen City team only has two picks this year with their other being the 55th overall pick in the second round. Here is a closer look at the history of the No. 55 pick. Even though they have two selections, all of the focus is on No. 11 and rightfully so. Charlotte will look to add an impact player in the draft this year. Looking at the past, there is a good chance that the Hornets could be drafting an all-star.

Considering the team’s draft history, it’s a good sign that nearly 20% of 11th overall picks have been all-stars. Another good sign is that there have been a lot of good players selected at No. 11 in recent drafts.

Next: Collective Hornets blogger mock draft

With a talent-laden draft class this year, the Hornets should be able to get a quality player with their first-round selection. Tune into the 2018 NBA Draft which will take place on Thursday, June 21st at 7:00 p.m. EST to see who Charlotte picks at No. 11.

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