Three draft prospects who could interest the Hornets in the lottery
This year's NBA draft lottery and the draft itself loom large for the Charlotte Hornets. Assuming Al Jefferson opts in to his contract for next season, the Hornets are pretty well committed financially to their core. The draft, then, offers one of the only avenues for improvement for a Charlotte team coming off a disappointing season that started with playoff aspirations and ended just on the outside of the postseason.
If the Hornets want to make a big splash for their rookie selection, then there are three names that immediately come to mind, according to Bleacher Report's Justin Hussong: Stanley Johnson, Willie Cauley-Stein and Sam Dekker are all intriguing potential picks for the Hornets.
Johnson could be the most talented player left when the Hornets come up to pick, assuming he enters the draft and that he falls that far. "Johnson may still need work in terms of finishing around the rim and creating off the dribble, but his offensive talents are undeniable. He can score in a multitude of ways and would immediately be an impact talent for the Hornets," Hussong writes.
On the prospect of Cauley-Stein, Hussong writes, "Charlotte's most glaring need is clearly outside shooting; the Hornets were last in the NBA with a 31.5 percent success rate in that department in 2014-15. However, picking Cauley-Stein would further establish the team's identity as a feisty defensive squad. ... Someone has to protect the paint, and nobody did it better in the NCAA than the Kentucky 7-foot junior." And there's this:
As for Dekker, patience could be important as his shot develops, but Hussong likens him to one free agent the Hornets probably wish they'd been able to lure to Charlotte: "He is a very good athlete and would fill some of the void left behind when the Hornets whiffed on signing Gordon Hayward this past offseason. Dekker still has work to do to become more consistent, especially as a shooter, but there is no question he can light it up when he is in rhythm."
It'd be nice to say that the Hornets can't go wrong, but Charlotte's recent draft history proves that's not the case. So no pressure, Hornets! Your future just depends on this pick.
(h/t Bleacher Report)
