NBA Draft: How JT Thor will impact the Charlotte Hornets

Just before the 2021 NBA Draft tipped-off, the Charlotte Hornets had an agreement with the Detroit Pistons to take on Mason Plumlee’s contract while swapping the 57th overall selection with the 37th. This allowed the Hornets to take a risky move by selecting JT Thor early in the second round. The former Auburn prospect was well known around scouts and experts as he is one of the most talented players at just 18 years of age.

After selecting James Bouknight and Kai Jones during the first round, Charlotte kept on taking big swings at raw talent that needs time to develop. General manager Mitch Kupchak was proactive and decided to chase who he viewed as a great fit for the team and the organization, especially considering the way the Hornets played during James Borrego’s tenure.

Thor is a skilled and versatile forward that spent his lone college season with Auburn shifting between the power forward and center role. This helped him show off his versatility on both ends of the floor and the Hornets front office fell in love with this aspect of his game.

The challenge now is to be able to develop every young player on the roster, the frontcourt is especially stacked with raw talent. It will not be easy to find minutes and touches for every big man in the organization especially if we count that Miles Bridges and PJ Washington will probably eat the most playtime available at the power forward and center positions. Using the Greensboro Swarm team properly and maybe waiving Nick Richards could be the answer to this problem.

Looking ahead to Thor’s development, it is fair to say that the front office took a chance on him because of his possible outcome as a versatile forward much more than because he played some minutes at the center position. The staff will then push on solidifying his handle and shooting abilities to make him a solid power forward in the league.