Charlotte Hornets should take a long look at undrafted Kavell Bigby-Williams

Undrafted big Kavell Bigby-Williams will play for the Charlotte Hornets in Summer League, and could be an intriguing addition to the main roster.

Some NBA Draft prospects are blessed with the opportunity to get draft in the first round and receive a guaranteed contract.  Others have to take an alternate route in order to get to the NBA. Kavell Bigby-Williams may have went undrafted this year, but he’ll have the chance to show the Charlotte Hornets and other teams around the league that he can play at the next level, starting with Summer League.

Bigby-Williams is a 6’11” center who played for LSU during the 2018-19 season. Prior to that, he played a season at Oregon. On the season, the 23 year old who was born in England averaged 7.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.

He recently signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Hornets. If you don’t know what that is, it’s basically a one-year, minimum contract that allows the NBA team to convert it into a two-way contract if they choose to do so prior to the start of the regular season.

I really think that Bigby-Williams is an underrated prospect. He was a bench player in college, but he showed a lot of signs. He runs the court very well for his size, he’s an excellent shot blocker with really long arms, and he’s a lob threat around the basket. With the right player developmental staff, he could turn into a legit player.

He’s going to be a project, so perhaps a two-way contract would be ideal for him. That will give him the chance to go and play big minutes in the G-League with the Greensboro Swarm, while being able to spend up to 45 days with the Hornets.

Charlotte’s two-way players from last season are J.P. Macura and Joe Chealey. Both players improved a lot playing in the G-League, and they will both be free agents this off-season.

One area where the Hornets have been determined to improve upon is rim protection. Obviously Bigby-Williams wouldn’t play a major role with the Hornets right away if they decide to keep him, but like I said earlier, he’d be a good project for them to deploy down the road. He has the tools to be a very good rim protector.

The only true rim protector on Charlotte’s roster is Bismack Biyombo, and he may not even be on the team next season. There have been rumors going around that he could be waived using the stretch provision.

Hopefully Bigby-Williams can get some good minutes during the Las Vegas Summer League, which begins on July 5th. It will be a great opportunity for him to show off in front of a growing audience filled with fans and scouts from all over the league.

The Charlotte Hornets are bringing in multiple undrafted free agents for Summer League and some for training camp eventually. I believe that Kavell Bigby-Williams is a prospect that makes sense for the Hornets and is absolutely worth a look, whether it’s for a regular roster spot or a two-way spot.