After a solid start to their season, the Charlotte Hornets didn’t expect to be a draft lottery team. What are their odds to land a top draft spot?
The Charlotte Hornets started the season with an 11-11 record after the first two months of the 2018-19 season, a promising start for a team looking to make the playoffs. December ended with the team still at a .500 record, in control of their division and supposed lock for the playoffs.
But then the rails went off as Kemba Walker went cold, Cody Zeller got hurt and the team couldn’t buy a 3-pointer some nights. They turned it around before the All-star break, but they could never truly get their groove back despite being in contention for a playoff spot until the last day of the regular season.
The Charlotte Hornets ended the 2018-19 season just outside of the playoffs, but got a small break in the draft lottery. They tied the Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings for 39 wins on the season and ended up winning the tiebreaker for their lottery selection, landing in spot 12 of the lottery. Let’s take a look at where they could land with the new NBA Draft Lottery odds:
- 1st: 1.5%
- 2nd: 1.7%
- 3rd: 1.9%
- 4th: 2.1%
- 12th: 86.1%
- 13th: 6.7%
- 14th: 0.1%
Securing the No. 1 spot would be a huge get for the Hornets as they could keep a certain Duke prospect in-state. No, not R.J. Barrett or Cam Reddish, but the phenom that took college basketball by storm, Zion Williamson. Charlotte could be witness to a dunk contest between teammates if Williamson had the chance to share the court with Miles Bridges. Alas, the dream of pairing them is slim at just 1.5 percent.
In fact, the Hornets will be lucky to get into the top-four from their position with just a 7.2 percent chance of landing in that range.
If they had lost the tiebreaker to the Heat and Kings, they would have just a 0.5 percent chance at the top pick and a 2.4 percent chance at landing a top-four draft pick, so things could have easily been worse.
The Hornets aren’t strangers to a top-four pick. They haven’t had one since the 2013 NBA draft though when they selected Cody Zeller at No. 4. They have held the No. 1 draft pick just once. It was back in 1991 in just the fourth draft of the franchise’s history and they took legend Larry Johnson.
The Hornets have selected at the No. 2 spot on three occasions: Alonzo Mourning in 1992, Emeka Okafor in 2004 (via the Los Angeles Clippers) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in 2012. In 1999 and 2006 the Hornets selected in the No. 3 spot, netting Baron Davis and Adam Morrison, respectively.
While the Hornets could land another sure-fire prospect in the top-four this year, they are most likely to stay right where they are in the lottery. The pick can drop to 13th and there is even a slight chance it could be 14th if the Heat and Kings get a lucky draw.
The Hornets have only selected at No. 12 once in their history, which happened to be another star from Duke, Gerald Henderson. Last year Miles Bridges was taken at No. 12, but the Hornets are credited for drafting Shai Gigeous-Alexander at No. 11 and then trading him to the Clippers for Bridges.
The No. 13 spot has some interesting history for the franchise. Then the Bobcats, they took Sean May back in 2005. However, the most famous (or infamous) pick at No. 13 for the Hornets was Kobe Bryant in 1996. But he never played a game for the organization and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
There may not be a Kobe Bryant-type of player in this year’s draft, but they will definitely have the chance at a needed impact player to go alongside Kemba Walker if they get lucky enough for a top-four lottery pick.
If not, they should have their selection of big men or a wing if they stay at No. 12. They need to get tougher and an exact pick could be difficult to nail for this team if they decide to let Walker or even Jeremy Lamb go.
No matter what the team does in free agency, general manager Mitch Kupchak will have his options. Brandon Clarke or Nassir Little could fall into his lap at No. 12, though guys like Jaxon Hayes, Grant Williams or even PJ Washington wouldn’t be a bad fit for the Hornets. Kupchak just has to make sure his pick is as close to a sure-fire thing if he wants to keep Walker.