The Charlotte Hornets traded for a high-upside player when they made a move to secure Kai Jones with the 19th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Charlotte Hornets 2021-22 season preview: Kai Jones
Charlotte is making a huge investment in their youth development with the selection of Jones as a raw big man with huge upside. Whether he hits that potential this year, though, remains to be seen – and his most likely role is going to be nonexistent – at least outside of Greensboro.
Here’s a really good explanation of why NBA teams were enamoured with Jones (by AKelly at Peachtree Hoops):
"In my opinion, if you’re drafting Kai Jones, you’re not drafting for his median outcome. A fully realized version of Jones offers a fascinating blend of skills: a mobile big who thrives in transition with grab-and-go abilities, one who can knock down threes and drive from the perimeter, and can also protect the rim, especially from the help side. In a draft that lacks clear upside bets outside of the top, Kai Jones is as good as any."
There’s a pretty significant chance that Kai Jones is never anything more than an end-of-bench player – but that’s okay. The Hornets know that, and it is important to be realistic about what Jones is going to bring on a night-to-night basis.
At Texas last season (26 games), Jones averaged 16 points, nine rebounds, one assist, and 2.4 turnovers per game on shooting splits of 58/38/69.
In a vacuum, that’s pretty good – especially for a college big man. And you can see exactly where the potential lies for Jones – as an uber-athletic center/power forward that can stretch the floor, catch lobs, and play switchable defense. Whether that mold comes to fruition depends on Jones’s progression and attention from the Hornets (and Greensboro Swarm) coaching staff.
The Charlotte Hornets need big man help, yes, but they simply are not going to get consistent contributions from Jones early on. (If they do, it may mean that his long-term potential is even higher than most recognized).
Hornets coach James Borrego has a project on his hands. It will be fun to see whether Jones gets minutes, but the key will have to be patience. Setting unrealistic expectations for draft picks can be damning early on.