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The 2020-21 Charlotte Hornets season ended in disappointing fashion, but the future remains bright. Outside of Gordon Hayward, the team’s key pieces range from the ages of 19-27. Charlotte finished only two games away from a playoff berth in their franchise point guard’s rookie season. Now the mission becomes finding him a running mate.
Devonte’ Graham, Miles Bridges, PJ Washington, and Jalen McDaniels all provide solid rotational depth. Bridges and Washington even possess the potential to become more than that. However, if the Hornets wish to set up Ball perfectly for the future, a solid pick in this upcoming draft could go a long way.
The Hornets own three draft picks this season - their own first-round pick, the Nets’second-round pick, and the Clippers’ second-round pick. While the second-rounders pose a much larger challenge, hitting on the first should be a priority for Mitch Kupchak. His first-round draft choices panned out well so far, so here’s hoping he pulls it off again.
Last season when writing for the Celtics, I wrote a series on incoming rookies that would fit well with the team called Parquet Prospects. Each article broke down what the player does well, his weaknesses, and why he would fit in well with the team. (Currently taking name suggestions for the series because I cannot think of a catchy Hornets equivalent to “Parquet Prospects.”)
Barring another lucky jump into the top four, the Hornets’ first-round pick should land around the 10-13 range. Charlotte obviously has a glaring hole at the center position, so a majority of coverage would be of that nature. However, any prospect within the Hornets’ reach could be covered.
Jonathan DeLong wrote a great article covering potential selections, so starting with a couple of those players is an obvious choice. If there are any prospects you want to see covered, comment down below and I’ll make sure to get to as many of them as possible. Looking forward to this year’s draft and seeing who the newest faces in Buzz City will be.