For the first time in a long while, the Charlotte Hornets can boast of a fruitful offseason. That was rarely the case when Michael Jordan was still the majority owner. With president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson as the lead decision-maker, the Hornets finally look like a team with a clear direction.
That much was evident during this year's draft when they aced the No. 4 pick with the Kon Knueppel selection and managed to add three more promising prospects with a late first-rounder and a pair of early second-rounders. Charlotte went into the draft knowing what kind of players it wanted to bring to the fold.
As one front office executive said, per Keith Smith of Spotrac, they "didn't want one-skill guys." The organization looked at this year's Finals participants, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, and realized how important it is to have versatile players.
Hornets had a solid draft strategy and executed it to perfection
Knueppel is the perfect epitome of that archetype, proving during Summer League that he is more than just a long-range sniper. More than half of his field-goal attempts came inside the arc, he averaged nearly four assists per game, and his defense was better than expected.
As John Hollinger of The Athletic (subscription required) succinctly pointed out, the former Duke University star is more than just a "perimeter specialist."
Even late-first-round selection Liam McNeeley was a revelation during his brief stint at Summer League. He showed that he was more than just an outside scorer, as he demonstrated his abilities to crash the glass, serve as a secondary creator, and play smart team defense.
Ryan Kalkbrenner also displayed versatility as an interior defender while demonstrating his knack for spacing the floor and setting hard screens on the offensive end. He certainly is a work in progress despite joining the NBA as a 23-year-old rookie, but he has the tools to be a serviceable big man in the big league.
Meanwhile, Sion James, who unfortunately suited up in just two games due to a left hip injury, seems to be more than just a defensive specialist. He helped set up his teammates for scoring opportunities whenever he was on the floor.
Interestingly, the executive expressed that the Hornets actually had both James and Kalkbrenner on their board at No. 29, but they just could not pass on McNeeley. Fortunately, the prospects were still available when it was their turn to draft at Nos. 33 and 34.
Only time will tell how well Charlotte's rookies fare once the regular season starts. Even so, the consensus is that it passed the draft test with flying colors, which was seldom the case for the franchise under Jordan's guidance. The only two drafts that the hoops legend didn't fumble were arguably those in which he brought in Kemba Walker in 2011, LaMelo Ball in 2020, and Brandon Miller in 2023.
The Hornets still have a lot of work to do to achieve respectability in the NBA, although learning from the mistakes of the past is a necessary step toward reaching that goal.