Charlotte Hornets: Focus on who, not where in 2019 NBA Draft

The Charlotte Hornets will likely own the twelfth pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and they must stay focused on finding the right player with the pick.

The NBA draft is an essential part of building a team. Whether you are the Golden State Warriors or you are the New York Knicks, the draft is very important. June’s 2019 NBA Draft will be key for the Charlotte Hornets.

In the case of a team such as the Warriors, you are looking to add a prospect deeper into the draft; a player that you can potentially slot into your system right away and play a small role. But if you are the Knicks, then you are hoping to be picking a franchise-altering player to build around near the top of the draft.

My point is that every single franchise in the league is looking for an impactful player to select, regardless of their draft positioning. These young, talented players are the future of the NBA and no team wants to leave a future star on the board when their pick is in.

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Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is talent. Many teams pass on certain players because of hype from other prospects that are perceived as better uses of a team’s pick.

Talent is not exclusively found within the top few picks. Although the best players are commonly found at the top of their relative drafts, there is usually a handful of great players that are discovered much lower in their draft.

Current stars in today’s league were selected at spots scattered from pick number one all the way through number sixty. Players like Giannis Antetokounmpo being the fifteenth pick, Jimmy Butler being the thirtieth pick, Isaiah Thomas became an all-star and he was the sixtieth pick! These examples prove my point that every single pick can be of tremendous value.

The Hornets’ recent second-round selections also support my point, as Dwayne Bacon and Devonte’ Graham have undoubtedly produced beyond what you might expect from their relative draft spots. They look like important building blocks for the team’s future.

The Hornets are likely to be receiving pick number twelve in the first round of this summer’s upcoming draft. While the twelfth pick is a decent place to be selecting, this draft is viewed by many scouts as a very top heavy draft. Consequently, it is crucial that they look desperately for underrated prospects that may slip to them since their pick is not expected to have tremendous value.

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So far, Mitch Kupchak has looked to be very knowledgeable about where he can uncover these hidden gems in the draft. That will be very important for the Charlotte Hornets as they should focus on who, not where they are selecting.