Swarm and Sting
Fansided

Are the Charlotte Hornets targeting Jairus Lyles?

By Jerry Stephens

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 18: Jairus Lyles #10 of the UMBC Retrievers dribbles up court during the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Kansas State Wildcats at the Spectrum Center on March 18, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Wildcats won 50-43. Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jairus Lyles
CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 18: Jairus Lyles #10 of the UMBC Retrievers dribbles up court during the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Kansas State Wildcats at the Spectrum Center on March 18, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Wildcats won 50-43. Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jairus Lyles /
facebooktwitterreddit

After bringing Jairus Lyles in for two pre-draft workouts, could the Charlotte Hornets be targeting the prospect in the 2018 NBA Draft?

It’s unclear who the Charlotte Hornets will take with their two picks in this year’s draft but one name to keep an eye on is Jairus Lyles. The Queen City Team has worked out the former VCU and UMBC guard twice prior to the 2018 NBA Draft. He is the only player that they have brought in on two separate occasions and that is reason enough for speculation.

Charlotte originally hosted Lyles on June 3rd in what was their third pre-draft workout group. He worked out alongside Kostas Antetokounmpo, Rodney Bullock, Chris Chiozza, Marcus Foster and Lonnie Walker IV.

The Hornets then brought him in once again on June 17th as he was a part of their ninth group workout. Troy Brown, George King, Kevin Knox, Brandon McCoy, Billy Preston, Demetre Rivers and Thomas Wilder. It’s worth noting that Knox and Rivers worked out separate from the rest of the prospects.

More from Swarm and Sting

It’s unclear why Charlotte worked Jairus out twice but it could be because they liked what they saw during the first workout or they just wanted to get a better look at him. Whatever the case is, the Hornets had two opportunities to scout the point guard.

Lyles also worked out for the Memphis Grizzlies, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Toronto Raptors and the Washington Wizards.

Looking at Jairus, he played four years of college basketball spending his freshman campaign with VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) and his final three years with UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County). He was a vital part of the 16-seeded UMBC team that defeated the 1-seeded Virginia Cavaliers to become the first ever 16 seed to accomplish the feat of taking down a 1 seed in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

During his senior year, Lyles averaged 202. points per game, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.1 steals while shooting 43.9% from the field, 39% from three and 79.2% from the free throw line. He led the Retrievers in scoring, steals and three’s made while being second in rebounds and assists.

The Silver Spring, Maryland native also led the American East Conference in point scored, steals, usage percentage, points produced and defensive win shares. Jairus ranked second in the AEC in three’s made and fifth in assists. His performances in 2017-18 led to him being named to the All-American East First Team.

The 6’2 point guard is projected to either be a second-round pick or go undrafted in this year’s draft. Charlotte does hold a late second-round pick which could be used to draft Lyles or they could sign him as an undrafted free agent if he isn’t selected. Or the Hornets could add him to their summer league team.

Jairus is a shoot-first point guard but is a proven scorer who has a good playmaking skill set. He can also space the floor with his shooting range. Although he is a bit undersized, he is a decent perimeter defender, can rebound at a fairly high level and has the ability to score inside.

Lyles played with current Charlotte Hornets’ player Treveon Graham during his one year at VCU.

Next: Taking a chance on Kostas Antetokounmpo

Lyles could be a decent emergency/third-string point guard option for the Hornets. He could also play for Charlotte’s G-League team in the Greensboro Swarm. It will be interesting to see if Mitch Kupchak and company do in fact draft or sign Jairus after bringing him in for two workouts.