Charlotte Hornets: Pre 2019 NBA Draft Round-Table Discussion

Who are your two top choices for 12th overall?

Vincent: Honestly, I am stuck between Brandon Clarke and Bol Bol. Both guys have crazy athletic abilities, and I like them both. Clarke has become an underdog in the draft since he has been working on his perimeter shooting, and Bol is just perfect target for me because of his size and ability to score. The Hornets have a lot of talent to select from in the first round, so it could be hard for them to make a mistake.

Caleb: Though I do not love winning the 12th pick, the Hornets have buyable options on Draft Night. While he’s a risk, I would love to see the Hornets be the ones to select Bol Bol. Bol would be talk of the town all over about the possibilities this guy can bring a team. Another rim protector would be Jaxson Hayes. I would be happy with any big man the Hornets can train and build up as the Hornets solution to a currently non-threatening paint.

Filippo: As for now I am really high on Nickeil Alexander-Walker, he is a good and solid prospect that could play the 1 and the 2 spot, it may be too high for a #12. Sekou Doumbouya is a very good prospect too, he is a skilled and well-built PF, much needed for the Hornets, but I think he will be picked up before us.

Elijah: A few weeks ago, I would have said Bol Bol, but I do have concerns about his ability to stay healthy. Even though he’s not a big man, Nassir Little does intrigue me from a pure athleticism standpoint. He never got a chance to show what he could do at UNC and from various reports, he’s shown improvements in several areas of his game. I feel like he’s one of the bigger gambles at this spot. Rui Hachimura is also another player to consider and one many have going to the Hornets. He improved in just about every facet of his game in his junior year and while still a bit raw, he’s shown that he can score in many different ways.

Zack: My two top choices for Charlotte would definitely be Brandon Clarke and Jaxson Hayes. After that, I have a second tier of players like Nassir Little, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and P.J. Washington. Clarke would be my top choice; I think he has a chance to be an elite defender at the next level. He’s also shown signs of offensive promise. Hayes is still young, but has a massive amount of upside at the center position and checks a lot of boxes that the Hornets are looking for.

De: I’m going to be honest and say Kevin Porter Jr, Brandon Clarke and Rui Hachimura are at the top of my draft sheet for the Hornets for my same reasons stated in question one. KP is a super athletic two guard who can do a little bit of everything good for his team. I honestly believe that he’s possibly a better player right now that Malik Monk is, minus probably the athleticism. Clarke could definitely be a future star in the league on both ends, but it’s hard to say that he’ll last until 12. And Hachimura looks to me to be a good fit as a four man next to Bridges due to his defense and inside game. Needs to be able to extend his shooting range though. Both men could be plug and play players and we definitely have a need for each. And as long as we have Zeller, I don’t think we’ll draft a center first. Trade for one, yes. Draft one in the first, nah. Not when we need a reliable third and possible second scoring option.