The Charlotte Hornets own their own first-round pick and are owed second-round picks from the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers. Over the next couple of months, leading up to the 2021 NBA Draft, Swarm & Sting will take a look at prospects hoping to hear their name called on draft night.
Age: 21
Height: 6′ 10″
Weight: 240 lbs
College Stats/Awards
During the 2019-20 season, Armando Bacot played and started in 32 games for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He averaged 9.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game, shooting 46.9% from the field. This past season, Bacot played 29 games for the Tar Heels, starting 28, averaging 12.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, and 0.9 blocks per game, shooting 62.8% from the field.
Primary Strengths
Bacot is a good low post scorer; he plays physically and does well establishing himself down low. Bacot is an average athlete but has good strength. He rebounds and sets screens well; he’ll be an effective player in pick-and-roll situations. Bacot is an average shot blocker.
Primary Weaknesses
Bacot didn’t shoot the ball well during his freshman campaign in Chapel Hill but improved last season. He needs to improve his playing-making skills and face-up game. Bacot needs to expand his scoring range; he scores mostly on dunks, hook shots, putbacks, and layups. He’s shown the ability to become a good shooter; Bacot started to step out and take mid-range shots more and needs to continue to develop and gain confidence in that shot. Bacot makes bad choices defensively at times and also needs to make better decisions when he has the ball down low; Bacot has a habit of turning into defenders and forcing shots in traffic. He needs to improve his free-throw shooting; Bacot averaged 65.5% on free-throw attempts in his two seasons at North Carolina.
Draft Projection
Bacot is projected to be picked either mid-late second round or go undrafted. He currently projects to be a rotational big man in the NBA if he can make a roster. There hasn’t been a lot of buzz about Bacot since he declared for the draft. It is more likely that we will see Bacot return for another season in Chapel Hill, where he can expect an expanded role with a great opportunity to expand on his current strengths and work on holes in his game ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft.
The NBA announced on February 26 that for this draft only, all college players must declare their eligibility, regardless of class, if they wish to enter the draft. The NBA Draft Combine will be held on June 21–27. NCAA players have 10 days after the end of the combine to withdraw from the draft.
The draft lottery will be held on Tuesday, June 22 on ESPN. The 2021 NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, July 29 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The draft will be televised on ABC (first-round only) and ESPN.