NBA Draft: What Kind of Player Should the Charlotte Hornets Target With the 32nd Pick?
2. High-motor bigs who play between positions
Recent picks in this mold:
- Draymond Green (35th)
- Jae Crowder (34th)
- Jerami Grant (39th)
- Montrezl Harrell (32nd)
There was a time, not so long ago, when the term “tweener” was slander on an NBA scouting report. It meant guys too short to play power forward, but bulkier than your average small forward. It meant guys who aren’t as tall as your average center, but maybe not fleet-footed enough to keep up with big wings.
Nowadays, no one bats much of an eye at a 6’7” power forward or 6’9” center. However, drafting for size will never go out of style. Aside from freak athletes like Zion Williamson or Onkeya Okongwu in this year’s draft, a big man with first round skills in an undrafted body can be had for a great value if a team can imagine a role for them.
Perhaps there’s no better recent example of what to look for in these kinds of players than a three time champion and former Defensive Player of the Year:
DRAYMOND GREEN. 36th. <h2>Pre-Draft Strengths</h2> <ul> <li>Ability to operate out of the post in more ways than scoring, with great positional passing and rebounding</li> <li>Some shooting and mid-range ability</li> <li>Great leader, fierce competitor, smart basketball player, overachiever. Has everything you want between the ears</li> </ul> <h2>Pre-Draft Weaknesses</h2> <ul> <li>The dreaded “tweener”</li> <li>Not especially athletic</li> <li>Minimal upside, doesn’t project easily to any one role in the NBA</li> </ul> <p><em>Draft profile courtesy of NBAdraft.net</em></p>. Forward/Small Ball Center. Michigan State Spartans
It’s become a bit of a cliché to compare every young tweener with some passing ability to Green. It’s emblematic of how crucial players like him have become in the modern NBA. Every front office wants to find a Draymond and every scout wants to be the one who spotted him.
The fact of the matter is, a player like Green is probably a once-in-a-decade occurrence. Maybe there are some young guys in the league like the Boston Celtics’ Grant Williams or Memphis Grizzlies’ Brandon Clarke who inherit that mantle someday, but right now, it’s all speculation.
St. Mary’s star Malik Fitts is a great physical forward who can handle the ball in space and stretch the defense with his shooting. However, Fitts’ fixation on the basket with the ball in his hands and his inconsistent defense don’t exactly “Fitts” Green’s profile (sorry again).
Playing for fellow Big 10 member Penn State, Lamar Stevens can fill the stat sheet across the board like Draymond. His passing vision and decision-making skills leave a lot to be desired though. He was also never able to drag the Nittany Lions to the NCAA tournament in any of his four years (although he might have this season before it was cancelled).
On the other hand, Virginia’s Mamadi Diakite is a national champion, a versatile defender, and showed an improve outside jump shot in his senior season. However, Diakite has next to no offensive creation skills, and no signs he’ll develop them.
To find a player who can put it all together, with the kind of high-level success, skill set, and leadership skills that Green possessed, we’re drawn back to East Lansing:
Junior. <h2>Pre-Draft Strengths</h2> <ul> <li>Strong interior defender with the smarts and just enough quickness to hold his own on the perimeter</li> <li>Good passer for a big man who facilitates well from the post, elbow, and even top of the key. Intelligent offensive player who doesn’t need the ball in his hands to make an impact</li> <li>Mature player whose versatility allows him to contribute in a lot of little ways on both ends</li> </ul> <h2>Pre-Draft Weaknesses</h2> <ul> <li>Not a great jump shooter, though he has good touch and has improved slightly (especially on corner threes)</li> <li>Slightly undersized for a post player, although he didn’t struggle much against bigger centers</li> <li>Lack of lateral quickness might limit him against NBA wings</li> </ul> <p><em>Draft profile courtesy of Synergy and NBA.com</em></p>. Power Forward/Small Center. Michigan State Spartans. XAVIER TILLMAN
Look, I know it isn’t much fun to put another Michigan State player here after covering Winston on the previous page. I would have really liked to put a diamond in the rough in this spot. But the fact is, the similarities between Tillman and Green go beyond the Spartan connection.
Both are Michigan natives. Both won Sixth Man of the Year, All-Defense, and All-Conference awards in the Big 10. Draymond’s senior season box score stats were 16.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.9 blocks, 1.5 steals, and 3 turnovers. Tillman put up 13.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2.1 blocks, 1.2 steals, and 2 turnovers.
While the two are similar, Tillman has certain traits that are unique to him as well. He’s not a developed shooter the way Green was, but he is Michigan State’s all-time leader in blocked shots in only 45 career starts. While Draymond’s leadership style is more fiery, Tillman’s is mature and measured (he even has a wife and daughter). And, as well-regarded as Green was as a passer coming out of college, Tillman actually had a better assist to turnover ratio in his last season, albeit on lesser volume (1.5 to Draymond’s approximately 1.3).
Again—with P.J. Washington’s 2019-20 All-Rookie campaign cementing him as a rebuilding piece, Tillman may seem like a redundant pick. Maybe he’s too small to start at center, placing him squarely at the 4. However, as with Winston and Graham, positional overlap shouldn’t prevent the Charlotte Hornets from taking the best player they can.
As a versatile defender, a good facilitator for a big man, and a hustling rebounder, Tillman could develop as a player that helps tighten up the bench squad on both ends. He might even develop into a starter who can hustle and keep the ball moving.
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