Rumor: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander unlikely to fall past the Charlotte Hornets
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could be selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 11th overall pick if he falls to the Queen City team.
According to Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is unlikely to fall past the Charlotte Hornets at No.11. Woo projects the former Kentucky guard to land somewhere in the 8-11 range of the 2018 NBA Draft. It’s unclear if the Queen City team is targeting SGA but if he falls to them, it seems like Mitch Kupchak and company will select him.
Gilgeous-Alexander has not had a known workout for any team prior to the draft. (HoopsHype.com) It hasn’t been reported as to why that is but it makes him one of the more intriguing prospects this year because of the questions surrounding him and his game. Despite not working out for any teams, his draft stock hasn’t been affected much.
NBADraft.net has Shai being selected by the Los Angeles Clippers at No. 12 but the latest report suggests that he won’t fall that far in the lottery. The site compares him to Ron Harper and Dejounte Murray.
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The teams in the 8-11 range include the Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Hornets.
Looking at Gilgeous-Alexander, he averaged 14.4 points per game, 5.1 assists. 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals during his lone year at Kentucky. He also managed to shoot 48.5% from the field, 40.4% from three and 81.7% from the free throw line. Shai proved to be one of John Calipari’s best players and led the Wildcats in assists and steals while ranking second in scoring.
The Canada-native has great size and length for a point guard at the next level measuring in at 6’6 with a 7’0 wingspan.
If Charlotte trades Kemba Walker (as the rumors continue to surround the all-star), Gilgeous-Alexander could be their point guard of the future and someone that they can build around going forward.
A recent report from Marc Stein of the New York Times has the Toronto Raptors eyeing a top-10 pick in order to draft SGA. If they are successful in their pursuit of a top-10 pick, it will assure that Shai doesn’t fall past No. 11.
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Based on how highly Shai was ranked coming out of college, Mitch Kupchak should have enough footage to scout the 19-year old without a workout so that shouldn’t be a problem. It will be interesting to see if Gilgeous-Alexander does fall to the Charlotte Hornets at No.11. it would be the second consecutive year that a Kentucky guard falls out of the top-10 and to the Queen City team (Malik Monk).