The Charlotte Hornets missed out big time in the 2012 NBA Draft
This article will begin a series of articles that look back on the draft history of the Charlotte Hornets. Did the Hornets make the right choice in the 2012 NBA Draft?
It is no secret that the Charlotte Hornets had a variety of players to choose from with the second overall pick. With their pick, they would go onto to draft Michale Kidd-Gilchrist, the teammate of the first overall pick, Anthony Davis.
At that time, Kidd-Gilchrist was a defensive machine coming out of college, and there were huge expectations for him. Since then, Kidd-Gilchrist has done well for the Hornets defensively.
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The only negative aspect of Kidd-Gilchrist is his ability to be an offensive force for the Hornets. During this season, Kidd-Gilchrist has been coming off of the bench, and he is currently averaging 6.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Only one question arises now; did the Hornets make the right choice with their draft pick in the 2012 NBA Draft? Here are some notable players that the Hornets passed up on, to draft Kidd-Gilchrist:
- Bradley Beal (Taken by the Washington Wizards at #3 overall)
- Damian Lillard (Taken by the Portland Trail Blazers at #6 overall)
- Harrison Barnes (Taken by the Golden State Warriors at #7 overall)
- Andre Drummond (Taken by the Detroit Pistons at #9 overall)
- Draymond Green (Taken by the Golden State Warriors at #35 overall)
It’s hard to imagine that anyone would pass up on any of these listed players, but the Hornets did it. It is also hard to believe that one of those players would go on to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award.
The sad part of this draft is that the Hornets have only received half of the production from Kidd-Gilchrist, that they could have gotten from one of the other prospects. Moreover, Kidd-Gilchrist has not even been close to being an All-Star like the others.
It was no secret that the Hornets needed to improve their defense at that time, but there were still so many prospects that could help on both sides of the court. The Hornets had a chance to draft another all-star, but they blew it.
In my opinion, the best prospect that the Hornets could have picked at that time was Damian Lillard. In today’s NBA, Lillard’s production has been skyrocketing, and he only seems to get better with each new season. Lillard would have been a great player to pair with Kemba Walker.
Related Story. Ranking the Charlotte Hornets last eight first-round draft picks. light
The Charlotte Hornets missed out by a lot in this draft, and many of these players could have taken the franchise to another level alongside Walker. Luckily, the Hornets have a new General Manager, so drafts like these might be a thing of the past.