3 Potential offseason targets to help Hornets improve on the fringe
By Adam Taylor
The Hornets draft Ben Sheppard in the second round
Ben Sheppard is a four-year shooting guard out of Belmont that boasts an impressive scoring profile and projects as a ready-made addition to an NBA team’s bench rotation. This past season, Sheppard averaged 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 51.9% from two-point range and 41.5% from deep.
Considering the Charlotte Hornets finished dead-last in offensive rating last season, acquiring some cost-controlled talent that could add some punch to the team’s offensive outlook makes a ton of sense.
At six-foot-six, Sheppard has solid size for his position, allowing him to avoid being targeted by opposing teams, thus allowing him to be relied upon when given playing time. Furthermore, four-year guys are usually more polished than their one-and-done counterparts.
So, while you’re clearly not drafting for future upside with this move, using the 39th pick to add a ready-made contributor that could potentially still improve is the type of move that could strengthen the Charlotte Hornets’ overall roster.