Charlotte Hornets NBA Draft: Second round grades

Scottie Lewis – Florida – 56th overall pick

Taking a shot on a defensive wing player like Lewis is just fine with the 56th overall pick. All offseason the talk around the Hornets has been about how they need to address their defensive woes and bringing in guys who specialize on this end of the court could help.

It’s going to be a tough road for Lewis to cement himself on the Hornets roster but his defensive prowess gives him a fair shake. He stands at 6’5 with a 7′ wingspan and was one of the most athletic players on Florida’s roster.  He uses these traits well to make instinctive plays on the defensive end of the court. Whether that’s breaking into passing lanes, or providing help defense in the paint to block shots,  Lewis was all over the court. He averaged 1 block and 1.6 steals per game. He plays with that chaotic reckless abandon that you love to have on your team but absolutely hate playing against.

Offensively there’s not a lot there to suggest that he could be a true two-way player. He shot 31.8% from three and 67.3% from the free-throw line which is not promising at all if he’s to play on the wing. Lewis needs to improve on this end of the court if he’s to carve out a role for himself in the NBA.

Lewis will be competing for a roster spot directly with Cody and Caleb Martin, and likely a veteran wing that gets brought in from free agency. The Martin twins (Cody to a higher extent) have already cemented themselves a role in the NBA as guys who can knock down shots and contribute on the defensive end. Lewis may have them beat on the defensive end but it might be closer than fan opinion may suggest.

The best-case scenario for Lewis this season is that he secures a two-way contract with the Swarm to buy himself some time to continue developing his offensive game. The defensive upside is promising from Lewis and with it being one of the final picks of the draft, you can’t be too mad at that.