Charlotte Hornets: Could Isaiah Wilkins make the regular season roster?
After being added to the Charlotte Hornets’ training camp roster, could Isaiah Wilkins earn a regular season roster spot this year?
Isaiah Wilkins may be a longshot to make the Charlotte Hornets‘ final 15-man regular season roster but he does have an opportunity to prove himself in training camp and preseason. The ACC Defensive Player of the Year wasn’t selected in the 2018 NBA Draft and didn’t play in summer league but was still picked up by the Queen City team.
The Hornets added four players to their training camp roster including Joe Chealey, Jaylen Barford, and Zach Smith along with Wilkins. That put their roster at 18 (not including two-way players) heading into training camp. By the start of the regular season, they will need to trim their squad to only 15 players.
Looking at Charlotte’s roster right now, they have three point guards (Kemba Walker/ Tony Parker/ Devonte’ Graham) under contract, three shooting guards (Jeremy Lamb/ Malik Monk/ Dwayne Bacon), three small forwards (Nicolas Batum/ Miles Bridges/ Michael Kidd-Gilchrist), two power forwards (Marvin Williams/ Frank Kaminsky), and three centers (Willy Hernangomez/ Cody Zeller/ Bismack Biyombo).
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With only one remaining guaranteed roster spot left, they would likely add another big man/PF. Although, they may want to keep their options open for the buyout market or to sign someone to a 10-day deal later in the season. At this point, everything is still on the table.
At 6’8 and 205 pounds, he has good length but may need to put one some more size (weight/muscle) in order to match-up with NBA big men. Still, Wilkins has great defensive instincts and is talented on that end of the floor.
The talent is clearly there. Isaiah was named to the ACC All-Defensive Team (2017 and 2018) and was the Defensive Player of the Year (2018). He led the Virginia Cavaliers in rebounds and blocks while ranking second on the team in steals.
He was one of only 12 players big men in all of college basketball to average at least 1.1 steals per game and 1.3 blocks throughout the 2017-18 campaign.
In the end, may come down to how well Wilkins plays during the preseason and how well he performs during training camp practices against legit NBA players at his position.
Next. Dwayne Bacon is ready to make the jump. dark
If the Charlotte Hornets want to add depth at the four, Isaiah Wilkins may be their best bet as they could probably sign him to a partially guaranteed minimum deal. In order to do that, he will need to prove that his defense can translate from college to the NBA. If he can do that, the 22-year old may very well earn a roster spot. Still, I just want to point out that he is a LONGSHOT to make the roster just like every other training camp addition.