Charlotte Hornets: 5 potential NBA Draft lottery prospects to target

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Charlotte Hornets draft pick PJ Washington. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

The Charlotte Hornets will likely acquire a top-5 pick in June if the team continues to lose games as they have lately.

With the way the season is going for the Charlotte Hornets, it may be time to start talking about potential draft picks. Since the beginning of 2020, the Hornets have only managed to win five games, and more losses may still come.

As the Hornets sit with an 18-36 record, they went into the All-Star break riding a two-game winning streak. This winning streak has put them at the 11th spot in the Eastern Conference; two losses would’ve put the Hornets at the 13th spot.

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The Hornets have 28 games left in the regular season, and they will play 11 teams that have a similar record. However, the team will face a mixture of tough playoff teams and divisional opponents.

The odds of winning over 25 games on the season will be low considering the teams the Hornets will play, and this should give them a chance for a nice spot in this year’s draft. The Hornets could be looking at their first top-5 pick since they picked Cody Zeller with the 4th pick in 2013.

Even as the Hornets have had a poor season so far, a lot of the team’s young players have been playing well and exceeding expectations. The play of Charlotte’s youth has to have General Manager Mitch Kupchak encouraged moving forward.

Heading into the 2020 draft, the Hornets will have two picks, which consist of a first-rounder and a second-rounder. As of late, both rounds of the draft have brought the Hornets some talented players.

In this article, we will take a look at five potential players that the Hornets could take in the lottery of this year’s draft. A lot can happen between now and June, but these players should make an immediate impact.

Without further ado, let’s start with a talented UNC point guard who has dealt with much adversity this season.