Charlotte Hornets: Early NBA Draft writers round-table discussion

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Texas #24 Kai Jones. Mandatory Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman via USA TODAY NETWORK /

Who will the Charlotte Hornets take with their first-round pick?

Giovanni Spillman: Based on where the Charlotte Hornets could fall in this draft, the team could look at taking a big man with their pick. One player that could upgrade their frontcourt is Kai Jones from Texas. Jones has good length, and he would be a great upgrade for the team’s paint defense. Another great prospect to look at is Day’Ron Sharpe from UNC. He’s a great rebounder and can do some work in the paint.

Shawn Simmons: I believe that new Carolina Panthers’ general manager Scott Fitterer will be the first general manager in Charlotte to make a big splash trade. I predict the Hornets will not trade for a center between now and the trade deadline on March 25th and look to find their next starting center in the draft. With the 15th pick in the first round, the Hornets should target Texas center-forward Kai Jones. Jones is a raw talent and will be a project. He is 6-foot-10, 220-plus pounds, and does all the things that the Hornets struggle to do from the position: solid rim protection, block shots and rebound.

Josh Anderson: I think the Hornets’ will target Jared Butler. Butler is in nobody’s top ten list so I think he drops low enough in the first round for the Hornets to be able to pick him up. However, I also believe they will look at getting a center since they are lacking a little bit of depth there. If they go this route, I think they will have their eyes on Western Kentucky University’s Charles Bassey.

Reilly Biller: I would not be surprised to see the Hornets go for another guard in this years’ draft but I really hope they will look into the power forwards and centers because this draft has some quality ones. If they went that route I could see them looking at Ziaire Williams from Stanford, Scottie Barnes from Florida State, or Kai Jones from Texas.

Anthony Boscia: Well, it depends where they would fall in the draft order. Ideally, with either some luck in the lottery or a horrendous ending to the season, the Hornets would be in a position to either select Mobley, Cade Cunningham, or Jonathan Kuminga. More realistically, grabbing a big like Greg Brown or Isaiah Jackson would be nice. At the wing, Ziaire Williams, Moses Moody, Scottie Barnes, or maybe Keon Johnson would be a nice selection.

Josh Flenniken: Kai Jones out of Texas is my sleeper pick. Shaka Smart centers have a great NBA track record, and he’s shown some ability to stretch the floor. He’s definitely a project player, so if he’s the pick, it might be a good idea to re-sign Zeller to a team-friendly deal in the meantime.

Tyler Reed: I would like to see the team take a look at Corey Kispert from Gonzaga. From where I can see this team realistically drafting from, I think Kispert would be a solid choice. While he isn’t the position the Hornets really need, Kispert would be a great offensive addition to the team. Kispert could spread the floor out even more on the offensive side, which is never a bad thing in this league.

Emmett Ball: Realistically if the Hornets are late lottery as predicted, there are a few routes they could go. If they are set on going to fill that center position, they could take a chance on big man Usman Garuba, who is only 18 years old and 6-8, but could develop into a good pick and roll big. They could also take a chance on either B.J. Boston and Jalen Johnson who was very highly ranked coming into their freshman season but have not necessarily lived up to those expectations thus far.