Charlotte Hornets NBA Draft: Tacko Fall could be a late draft steal

The Charlotte Hornets have been searching for a defensive presence down low, and they may be able to get some help. Tacko Fall could be a second-round steal if the Hornets select him.

It’s unclear on what the Charlotte Hornets will do with their first-round pick in this year’s draft. The Hornets could pick someone, and they could even look to trade their pick.

No matter what the Hornets do with their pick, they should begin to look at prospects that they could swipe in the second round of the draft. The Hornets currently possess two second-round picks at #36 and #52 overall.

I would suggest that the Hornets look at Tacko Fall if he’s still available by the time they make their second-round selection. Fall is a player who played four years in college, and he will turn twenty-four in December.

About Tacko Fall

Height: 7’6”

Weight: 310 pounds

Wingspan: 8’0″

2018-19 stats: 11.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 75% FG, 24.9 minutes

Strengths:

• Great inside scoring
• Excellent rim protection
• Great size and length
• Finishes well through contact
• Great at rebounding the basketball
• Nice weapon for getting second-chance points

Weaknesses:

• Cannot shoot well outside the paint
• Raw and unpolished offensive game
• No perimeter shooting game
• Does not possess great speed that can keep up with guards
• His age may not sit well with GMs

Tacko Fall is an interesting prospect that I recently started looking into. If Fall is drafted into the league, he will be one of the tallest players to play in the league since Yao Ming and Slavko Vranes; Fall would be the fourth NBA player to be 7’6.

A prospect of his stature has a lot of potential when it comes to inside scoring. He could easily dominate in the post and lay the ball in over defenders. Of course, it’s not that easy though, as centers in the league today need to be able to have multiple skill sets.

Fall easily had the best season of his college career last season while playing his fourth year at UCF. He finished the season with seven double-doubles, and he even had a 23 point and 20 rebound game in a win over SMU last season.

One of the things that I am most impressed with is Fall’s shooting percentage. Fall finished the season in second place in two-point field goal percentage with 75%. He started in thirty-three games last season and only missed fifty-two shots out of the 206 that he took.

Fall was able to rack up 2.6 blocks per game, and his defense really showed in the playoffs when he was defending possible #1 overall pick, Zion Williamson. That game came down to the wire, but Fall was not going down without a fight. Fall also finished the season ranked #8 in blocks per game.

I am excited about Fall entering this year’s draft, and I think his strength and enormous size could be used in the Hornets’ frontcourt. He’s not first round talent, but I could see him falling to the Hornets in the second round if they decided to pick him.

This pick will depend on if the Hornets go with a center in the first round. I do not see the Hornets taking two centers, but I do see Fall making an impact in the paint with any team that selects him.