Swarm and Sting
Fansided

Do’s and Dont’s for the Hornets in the Draft

By Anthony Boscia

ATHENS, GA - FEBRUARY 19: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Georgia Bulldogs looks on during a game against the Auburn Tigers at Stegeman Coliseum on February 19, 2020 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
ATHENS, GA - FEBRUARY 19: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Georgia Bulldogs looks on during a game against the Auburn Tigers at Stegeman Coliseum on February 19, 2020 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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Do #1: Take the Best Player Available, No Matter what

Charlotte Hornets
LaMelo Ball (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images) /

Don’t make this complicated. This team does not have enough overall talent right now to nitpick on positional needs. And even if they did, BPA is always the best strategy. A lot of scouts seem to think that there are three players ranked above everybody else in this draft class: LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman. This leaves the Hornets situated perfectly at three to snag whoever falls; or have a choice between 2-3 if there are any surprises in the two spots before the selection. Whoever the brass has ranked higher on their board should be picked- no questions asked. Kupchak echoed the sentiment about picking based on talent and not position in an interview with Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, stating:

"“I don’t think our team is at the stage of development where we could say, ‘We need a big’ or ‘We need a guard’ or ‘We need a wing,’ and we pass on maybe better talent (in order) to fill a position… We need to add talent to this team, no matter what position it is. If we have duplication, then great: We’ll figure it out.”"

This is good, it shows that the front office has the correct mindset. As many nice younger pieces that the Hornets have, they do not have any top tier superstar potential pieces in tow yet. That is why adding talent should be paramount, not positional needs.