NBA Draft: How JT Thor will impact the Charlotte Hornets

Thor is a versatile and smart offensive player that always tries to impact the game in every possible way.

Diving into his offensive abilities it is good to point out that Thor is an all-around player. His skill level is not the best but you would expect that there is a good chance he may reach a higher level while getting experience in the NBA. If you add this to his really interesting frame you get a possible steal at #37.

At Auburn, Thor was asked to be active on the screen and roll game and this is where he got the majority of his production. He is a force of nature driving towards the rim where he converted shots at a convincing 66%. With a pick and roll partner like LaMelo Ball, he will be very useful, his screen game needs to be refined but when he can hit the body it is all up to the ball handler to find him near the rim to get easy points. Surrounding Ball with athletic players is a good strategy moving forward and it seems that Kupchak and the front office got this memo.

Being a 6’11” mobile forward makes Thor a living mismatch for opposing defenses. If the defense decides to or is forced to switch when he is involved on offense it will probably mean that easy points are coming for Charlotte. The Hornets system is almost entirely based on exploiting mismatches thanks to the way Borrego used players like Bridges, Washington, and Gordon Hayward during pick and roll situations, Thor fits this scheme pretty well. To be effective at this he has to improve his core strength from what we saw in college. Fortunately, during the post-draft press conference, he already assured that he had been conditioning that part of his body.

https://twitter.com/BarresiFilippo4/status/1422590323075784707?s=20

Despite the lack of overall passing vision, his handles are pretty good for his size and he was able to play the driving game with consistency during his lone college season. Thor is not only a screen and roll player, being able to play the drive and kick game fits very well with the overall Hornets offensive scheme. The consistency in this situation will be the key in projecting his career outcome.

https://twitter.com/BarresiFilippo4/status/1422589140122677252?s=20

Another key skill is his shooting ability from distance. Last year, Thor displayed an ability to be a shooter from three attempting 74 shots and converting them at a 30% clip. Not the greatest, but it’s a good starting point. The overall mechanics of his shot is fine even if he tends to rotate towards one side. His footwork gets messy at times and will need tons of reps to become consistent during the years.