This second installment of analyzing the Charlotte Hornets’ draft history brings us to the 2013 draft; this was a draft that they would miss out on a player who is currently an MVP candidate.
In 2013, the Charlotte Hornets had their sights on a prospect that had a lot of hype following him out of college, Cody Zeller. During the 2013 NBA draft, the Hornets took Zeller at 4th overall.
Zeller came into the NBA averaging a low number of 6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. This may not have been a lot, but it should also be noted that he was the backup to Al Jefferson at the time.
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The crazy thing about this draft was that the Hornets passed on someone who is currently an MVP candidate in today’s NBA. The Hornets passed on Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was selected 15th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Due to the numbers he averaged during his rookie season, I can understand why the Hornets passed on him. In his rookie year, Antetokounmpo only averaged 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Of course, that is nothing compared to what he is averaging presently. The “Greek Freak” is having a monster season this year, averaging 27.4 points and 12.5 rebounds per game for the Bucks. His stat line is good enough that his team is currently the #1 team in the NBA.
While Antetokounmpo is having an MVP caliber year, the Hornets’ Cody Zeller is only averaging 10.1 points and 6.8 points per game. The sad part about this is that Zeller has only played in 49 games this season.
Zeller has been very susceptible to injury as of late, and the Hornets have not been getting the production that they wanted from him. When you compare Zeller to Antetokounmbo, you clearly can see that the Hornets failed in this draft.
The Hornets did not just pass on Giannis Antetokounmpo though; they passed on these players as well:
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Taken at 8th overall by the Detroit Pistons)
- CJ McCollum (Taken at 10th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers)
- Steven Adams (Taken at 12th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder)
- Tim Hardaway Jr. (Taken at 24th overall by the New York Knicks)
- Rudy Gobert (Taken at 27th overall by the Utah Jazz)
There was a lot of potential that the Charlotte Hornets could have gone with, but they chose Zeller instead. Antetokounmpo would’ve been the best selection in this draft for Charlotte.
Antetokounmpo could’ve started for the Hornets if they selected him. His only competition would’ve been Josh McRoberts at the power forward position; Antetokounmpo could’ve easily beat McRoberts for the starting job.
Antetokounmpo’s size alone would have been good enough to excite any team’s GM. I think he would’ve fit nicely next to Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson during that season, as Charlotte also went to the playoffs.
The NBA draft is only two months away now, and the Hornets have the chance to fix their mistakes and draft another NBA superstar. There is a lot of talent in this draft, so how could Mitch Kupchak go wrong?