Charlotte Hornets: Complete 2018 offseason grades
Drafting Arnoldas Kulboka
Teams usually use very late second-round draft picks to pick up a project or an international star they can keep overseas and watch how he develops. That was no different for the Charlotte Hornets with the 55th overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft.
With that pick, the Hornets took a chance on Lithuania star Arnoldas Kulboka. It could turn out to be a valuable chance as Kulboka is still young and has a lot of potential with his ability as a spot-up shooter, according to his draft profile on NBA.com. He’s been adding weight to his 6’10”, 213-pound frame, which could allow him to develop into a strong stretch-4 as he grows his game.
The draft profile for Kulboka further includes that his “feathery shooting touch” is his best asset. While that is a great strength, he has also shown a weakness in his willingness to take it to the rim:
"“Not the most aggressive slasher with only 13% of his shots in the half court coming around the rim.”"
According to this report, part of the reason he may not be aggressive driving to the hole is a lack of physicality that won’t let him draw fouls and makes it hard to finish when absorbing contact.
Some positives from the report include that Kulboka is a:
"“Willing passer who played point-forward in spots at the junior level. “Talented shooter who, on his best nights, scored in bunches in his first season season in Italy. Consistency and assertiveness when his shot is not falling are still developing.”"
Kulboka played limited minutes in the Summer League, showing off his range against the Thunder. This was a small investment for the Hornets, so they could lose next to nothing if he doesn’t pan out. If he does, they could have a strong role player ready to make a mark on the NBA.
Grade: C