The Charlotte Hornets entered the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery with a slim chance to make a leap at real change. Instead they pick 11th and will hope for a late-lottery steal come draft night.
There is no history of NBA Draft Lottery success for a Charlotte professional basketball team, whether they wear the moniker of Hornet or Bobcat. Even so, fans hoped for something special on Tuesday night during the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery. That hope was squashed out when the Charlotte Hornets‘ name was announced at No. 11, their expected draft slot.
The pain of unmet expectations bloomed for Charlotte in 2012, when the team lost an unprecedented number of games in 2012 just to have New Orleans – owners of their rightful name – jump them for Anthony Davis. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist hustles, but he’s no superstar transforming the big man position.
The odds of leaping into the top-three were slim indeed, so this is where Charlotte expected to be. Assuming they keep the pick, this will be the first time in franchise history that Charlotte selects a player with the 11th overall selection. Now they have to come to grips with who they will take – and who they expect to be available when things roll their way.
There are a number of prospects who are almost certain to be selected through the first 10 picks. The strength of this year’s lottery is the point guard class, from the expected top two picks — Washington’s Markelle Fultz and UCLA’s Lonzo Ball — to Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox and NC State’s Dennis Smith.
More from Charlotte Hornets
- Brandon Miller, not Victor Wembanyama, is the rookie to watch in 2023
- 5 players who will challenge Victor Wembanyama for Rookie of the Year
- Ranking the 10 championship-less NBA teams by closeness to title
- 4 Reasons drafting Scoot Henderson should be a no-brainer for Hornets
- Ranking the 5 best available power forwards in 2023 NBA free agency
On the wing, Kansas’ Josh Jackson is in the mix for the top overall pick, with a mix of elite defensive tools and offensive playmaking. Jayson Tatum, a combo forward out of Duke, is also a sure thing to go in the top 10. Finally, Kentucky’s Malik Monk is one of the best shooters in the draft and prognosticators agree he will be off the board.
After those seven, things are a little more uncertain. Team preference and need will begin to be more of a priority. Does Dallas go with a point guard, such as France’s Frank Ntilikina, or a future Dirk Nowitzki successor in Arizona’s Lauri Markkanen? Does a team fall in love with Jonathan Isaac out of Florida State, or will he drop based on concerns for his ability to be a team’s primary scorer?
During the draft process, players have a chance to shoot up the draft boards as well. Sometimes that is warranted, such as when Thon Maker was taken 10th overall in last year’s draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, an unexpected move after Maker was projected in the late first. He looks like a budding star for the Bucks after one season.
Other times it is not, such as when Anthony Bennett shot ahead of players such as Otto Porter and Nerlens Noel to be taken first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2013 NBA Draft. Bennett impressed Cleveland during the pre-draft process, and they fell in love with the idea he could be their LeBron James replacement. Instead he is out of the league just four seasons later.
Potential candidates to jump are often hard to identify. Could the Minnesota Timberwolves receive positive medical information on Duke forward Harry Giles, once the top prospect in the class, and take him at seventh? Do the Sacramento Kings get their point guard with the fifth pick, and opt for a shooter such as Duke’s Luke Kennard at 10th?
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
Do Kentucky Wildcats Hamidou Diallo or Edrice “Bam” Adebayo test out of the gym in private workouts and make a leap? What about Donovan Mitchell, the star of the NBA Draft Combine, who tested like the next coming of Dwyane Wade? Zach Collins could be the center teams are looking for, as no other true bigs are surefire lottery picks.
Charlotte will have options at 11, but it becomes more difficult to determine who those options will be. Thankfully the team has plenty of needs, from backup point guard to shooters to healthy big men. They would welcome the upside of Giles or Collins, the spacing of Kennard, or the unique combination of talent Markkanen would provide.
Mock drafts are similarly all over the place in the hours immediately following the NBA Draft Lottery. ESPN Draft expert Chad Ford sees Lauri Markkanen falling to the Hornets. SB Nation‘s Ricky O’Donnell has Gonzaga center Zach Collins still available at 11th, but sees Charlotte passing to also select Markannen.
The Hornets select their backup to Kemba Walker at No. 11 in Draft Express’ mock draft, a player who often is taken in the 8-10 range. CBS Sports’ college basetball writer Gary Parrish agrees with Draft Express, while his coworker Reid Forgrave goes with Zach Collins. Fox Sports writer Andrew Lynch sees the Hornets going with Texas center Jarrett Allen.
Thankfully, selecting 11th is not a death wish, as players have made the leap to stardom from that slot. Hall-of-Fame wing Reggie Miller was taken with the 11th pick in the 1987, and “Big Shot” Robert Horry was 11th in the 1992 NBA Draft. More recently, All-Star Klay Thompson was selected 11th in 2011, and budding young center Myles Turner went at that spot in 2015.
General manager Rich Cho, head coach Steve Clifford, and the entire Charlotte organization will be working hard over the next five weeks to be prepared for draft night. Whether that means taking a player at No. 11, trading the pick for veteran help, or trading down for the right package, this team will have options.
Next: Winners and losers of the NBA Draft Lottery
The only option they don’t have is to pick above their stature. That doesn’t happen to this Charlotte organization.