How should the Charlotte Hornets build their team?

Denver Nuggets

Scouting is such an underrated part of the championship process. It’s easy to see the value in a guy like LeBron James or Jayson Tatum. Some guys jump out at you from the jump. The way they move, the skills they possess, and their overwhelming talent is obvious to even the most novice of basketball observers. But what about the other guys? Certainly, every contributing player to a contending team won’t be on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16.

That’s where the scouts come in. To give management the inside information that the other 29 teams may undervalue or dismiss completely offhand. Enter Nikola Jokic. The 6’11 Serbian center was the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA draft. Imagine that. The second-round pick of 2014 may now be the best player in the NBA. And what about Michael Porter Jr? The 6’10 sharpshooting forward was a can’t-miss prospect, but his health concerns dropped him to the middle of the 1st round. The Nuggets had a plan and saw value in taking a risk on a player that others discarded. Even if it meant that he wouldn’t see the floor in his first official year in the league.

Finding Jokic was as much about being smart as being fortunate. No one, not even the Nuggets, could have predicted this (otherwise they wouldn’t have waited until the 2nd round to select him). But Porter’s selection was about consulting the doctors and having patience with the patient. It meant long-term thinking. Something that can be difficult if the people making the decisions themselves are unsure if they will be employed there to enjoy the fruits of their labor. While the Hornets can never be sure of hitting on a back-to-back MVP in the second round, they can adopt the ideas of patience and continuity. And if a talent, like Porter (or maybe Emoni Bates?) were to fall in the draft, it might be worth it to take a risk to secure it.