The Hornets, devoid of shooters, look to add either a shooter or a big man to replace Big Al in this year’s draft.
For the second consecutive year the Hornets hold the ninth pick in the NBA Draft. Last year they used the pick on the versatile Noah Vonleh, and while he didn’t find much playing time in his rookie season he still possesses a ton of upside and should make a much bigger impact in his second season.
The Hornets need shooters in the worst way. Charlotte was the worst team in the league at three point shooting last year, and in a league that’s more reliant on the three ball than ever, that’s not exactly the best recipe for success. Even with their dire need for three point shooting, Hornets GM Rich Cho will likely take the “wait and see” approach.
Leading up to last year’s draft everyone was predicting the Hornets would take a wing that can shoot such as Nik Stauskas or Doug McDermott. However, when it came time for them to make their selection Noah Vonleh was still on the board and he was too good of a prospect for Cho to pass up on.
If a top prospect such as Mario Hezonja, Kristaps Porzingis, Justise Winslow, or Emmanuel Mudiay falls into their hands they will probably the pick. In a perfect world, Mario Hezonja will end up with the Hornets.
The chances of Hezonja falling to ninth are extremely slim. If the Hornets really covet him they would probably have to move up for him, but the Hornets need a player exactly like Hezonja. Hezonja is a great shooter that is also very athletic and can play either SG/SF. On paper, he looks the ideal complement to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Charlotte could really use someone with the “alpha-dog” scoring mentality that Hezonja possesses.
Two other names that have been popularly linked with Charlotte are Arizona small forward Stanley Johnson and Kentucky sharpshooter Devin Booker. There’s a good chance that Johnson will be the best player on the board when it comes time for Charlotte to pick, but the fear is he and Kidd-Gilchrist will never be able to coexist on the wing together. While Johnson was a solid three point shooter at Arizona this season, that’s far from his strength. Johnson should be a great defender that can bully his way to the rim on offense, if he can continue to improve as a shooter and learn to create for himself could have All-Star potential.
Booker was arguably the best spot-up shooter in the nation last season, but that’s about all we know that he CAN do. Kentucky was so stacked we didn’t get to truly see what he can fully do as a basketball player. The big question surrounding Booker is if he’ll be effective when it comes to attacking the rim or not.
Last year Booker took 200 shots in the half court, and 178 of them were jumpers. So in the halfcourt offense Booker only attempted 22 layups, dunks, etc. That’s a concerningly low percentage. Again, Booker’s role for Kentucky was to shoot and shoot only because that team was so stacked, but there are still certainly a ton of questions surrounding him. If he can efficiently attack the rim in the NBA he could be a Klay Thompson-like player, but if he can’t we’re probably looking more at another Anthony Morrow.
Either way, Booker fits Charlottes needs to a tee. He’s been killing it in interviews and is the youngest player in the draft. Some may consider it a slight reach if he goes ninth, but one has to believe he’s gonna be in play here.
If Charlotte doesn’t like Booker they could invest in another wing such as Kelly Oubre or even R.J. Hunter. Oubre is super raw but has a ton of upside on both ends of the floor, he’s kind of like the James Young of this draft. Don’t expect him to make an early impact but if you are patient with him he could turn into a really nice player a few years down the road.
R.J. Hunter is a prospect that’s been on the rise as of late. His shooting percentages from his junior season are a bit of a red flag, but it is important to remember he played for Georgia State and always demanded the most attention of any player on the floor. Like Hezonja, Hunter has a bit of that alpha-dog scorer in him.
A huge part of the Hornets offense is dumping the ball to Al Jefferson and letting him work in the post to create his own shot. This can take up a considerable chunk of time, and often times he’ll have nothing there and have to pass the ball back out late in the shotclock to Kemba Walker who will have to take a contested jumper. Charlotte really needs a player who is going to step up and want to take these shots. Hunter would welcome them.
Speaking of Al Jefferson, he’s entering the last year of his contract assuming he opts in and Bismack Biyombo is a free agent as we speak. Now, most Hornets fans want Biyombo back but he’s shown nothing capable of being more than a backup thus far. Assuming Jefferson isn’t retained after this season, the Hornets will need to begin looking for a new center.
They could attempt to fill that need with this pick if they like one of the guys available. If they go center it would most likely either be Myles Turner or Willie Cauley-Stein.
Cauley-Stein is considered the better prospect by most, and some are even speculating he could go as high as four or five come June 25th. However, if he does slip he has to be an enticing option for Rich Cho.
Cauley-Stein is a terrific and versatile defender but very raw on offense, just like Biyombo. It is important to remember that Charlotte just recently invested top-10 picks in Noah and Cody Zeller. Both of these players can stretch out and hit outside jumpers, so a young core of bigs of Zeller, Vonleh, Cauley-Stein and Biyombo could open up a ton of interesting combinations for the Hornets a few years down the road.
Myles Turner has a smooth jump shot, a trait that’s hard to find in big men as young as him these days. Sometimes Turner becomes too relient on his jumper, he has a lot of potential on offense but he needs to become more agrressive near the rim and attempt to develop a few more post moves.
Also, Turner was sometimes criticized for playing “soft” when he was actually matched up against an opponent as big as him. The biggest red flag he brings though is his leg issues. If you watch Turner run and move he looks so awkard, he’s spending this offseason trying to take advice from doctors on a different way to run to lower his chance of injury. A big man that has leg issues is very scary.
A few other players I could see the Hornets showing interest in include Frank Kaminsky (PF/C, Wisconsin), Sam Dekker (forward, Wisconsin), Cameron Payne (PG, Murray State) and Jerian Grant (PG, Notre Dame).
There are over ten guys I could realistically see the Hornets consider here. At this point in the draft it’s really going to depend on what happens in front of them and who falls. Also, don’t be surprised if Rich Cho gets aggressive and looks to move up if he falls in love with someone such as Hezonja or Winslow. He’s been aggressive on draft day before, and the Hornets are eager to accelerate their rebuild and become a team that consistently makes the playoffs.
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