The Charlotte Hornets selected two players in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft. It was reported before the draft that the Hornets would be trading the 57th overall pick to the Detroit Pistons to receive Mason Plumlee and the 37th overall pick. This wound up being Auburn’s JT Thor who would be joined by Florida’s Scottie Lewis who was selected with the 56th overall pick.
Charlotte brought Thor in for a workout during their pre-draft process and he was receiving first-round shouts from a few draft experts. With the selection of Thor and first-rounders James Bouknight and Kai Jones, it’s very possible that Charlotte drafted three players that they had a first-round grade on. Lewis will have a tough path to make the team but his defensive ability is nothing to scoff at.
Here are my draft grades for Charlotte’s second-rounders.
JT Thor – Auburn – 37th overall pick
Going into the draft it was almost a guarantee that Charlotte would be looking to move up in the second round. They had to take a contract dump player in Plumlee to do so but even that may prove to be an ok pickup as Plumlee is solid depth at the center position who brings a unique passing skillset for a big man. He had two triple-doubles last season, which is one more than Rookie of the Year Award winner LaMelo Ball who we consider being one of the best playmakers in the NBA.
The draft selection of Thor should intrigue a lot of Hornets fans. Thor stands at 6’10 and has a 7’3 wingspan. He’s quick on his feet, has potential as a shooter, and is just 18 years old. He’ll need to put weight on to bang bodies with bigger centers in the paint, but he’s still got a lot of time to grow into his body, he may even add a few inches to height.
His offensive role isn’t quite clear at the moment. He should be able to act as a pick and roll lob threat early in his career but it’s going to take some time before he’s able to expand his game as he’s extremely raw on this end of the court. His shooting numbers aren’t great with splits of 44/30/74, but Thor’s form is solid and as his decision-making improves and he starts gets better looks at the NBA level his shot will hopefully start to drop.
Assuming everyone on the Hornets roster remains healthy, I would expect Thor to spend a lot of his first season on Charlotte’s G-League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm. He’s a true developmental piece that’s going to need time before he’s ready to contribute at a high level. The upside of the pick is great and Thor is one of those guys that if he booms, then you might have a potential star on your hands.