Charlotte Hornets Draft: Desmond Bane’s shooting touch would provide some added firepower

With no real date or schedule regarding the upcoming NBA Draft, we continue to speculate on which players might benefit the Charlotte Hornets. This time, we’ll look early into the second round, where the team could find a nice outside presence.

More and more news is slowly coming forth in regard to what the NBA is going do with the remainder of the 2019-2020 season. All sorts of possibilities are in play for the Charlotte Hornets, who as of now, are still picking in the lottery in the first round of the draft.

As far as the second round is concerned, though, the Hornets have two picks, one early in the second and one fairly late. That early one—the 32nd pick, specifically—could be the most interesting.

Almost all signs would point to the team picking a center in the first round, especially given the names at that position. In the second, though, there are multiple ways the team could go. An area of need after the center spot is most assuredly the shooting guard position.

Should the Charlotte Hornets be looking for extra scoring off the bench, the second round could be where they strike gold.

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Right now, the Charlotte Hornets have some questions at the two-guard spot. Malik Monk may or may not be with the team going forward after a somewhat underwhelming three years in Charlotte and a suspension for violating the NBA’s drug policy

Dwayne Bacon was initially thought to be the incumbent shooting guard coming into the season but regressed so much, he would be assigned to the G-League after struggling mightily for much of the year.

Then you have Terry Rozier, the starting two-guard who isn’t really a two-guard. He’s performed very well at the position, exceeding the expectations of many, but with trade rumors swirling around him, you have to wonder how much confidence the team has in him going forward.

So, if the Charlotte Hornets want a true, bonafide option at the shooting guard spot, the NBA Draft may just be where they find it. One such way would be the senior shooting guard from Texas Christian University, Desmond Bane.

Bane is a bit older, being a senior, of course, but the almost 22-year old from Indiana has some upside that may make the Hornets interested. His 6’6″, 215-pound frame is NBA ready for both sides of the ball, though his lower body could use some development.

His senior season saw him score nearly 17 points a game on 45% shooting and just a shade over 44% from deep. His 6.3 rebounds a game were good for second on the team and he led the Horned Frogs in assists, dishing out 3.9 per contest.

He is one of the better pure shooters in the draft, being most effective off of catch-and-shoot scenarios with his lightning-quick release. He can create off the dribble but will have some trouble against bigger defenders, especially finishing at the rim.

His shot I.Q. is very great, mainly taking shots he knows he can make, with the odd misses here and there. He can be a bit pensive attacking the rim and would be more suited if he could develop extra lift going to the basket.

His passing is exceptional for a two and Bane is able to set up some pick-and-roll situations, either dishing to a cutting big in the paint or passing out from the interior. He’s not going to be the primary ballhandler on offense, but he can run set plays in the right circumstances.

Defensively, he’s solid, being able to handle both the shooting guard and small forward position with few issues. He is not the lengthiest player, with a wingspan of just 6’4.25, but with his lateral quickness, he can somewhat make up for that.

At this time, he could translate into a nice two-way player for the Hornets, akin to someone like a Kendall Gill, but with much better range. His name isn’t the biggest one out there, even among the guys in the later round, but he could be a solid contributor on both sides of the ball.

As the unbearably slow NBA news trickle continues, the Charlotte Hornets maintain a watchful eye on the next batch of prospects that could lace them up in a Charlotte uniform. Could Desmond Bane be one of those guys out of the second round?