5. Romeo Langford
There should be a myriad of wing or 3-and-D options for the Hornets at No. 12 this year. If they wanted to focus on defense at the wing — something they desperately need — someone like Cameron Johnson or Nassir Little could be a great pickup here. If scoring is the preference, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, PJ Washington or Romeo Langford may be the call.
While Alexander-Walker, Langford and Washington all averaged between 15.2 and 16.5 points per game, Langford could be the best fit for the Hornets. The team still needs a secondary scoring option to go with Kemba Walker, and this pick could help with that.
Langford has a lot of positives going for him. He’s got a good size at 6’6″ and 215 pounds to play next to Kemba and is a “natural scorer” at the wing, according to The Ringer’s annual draft guide. In CBS Sports’ mock draft, Langford is described as “prolific” but inefficient. Opinions remain the same across the board, including SBNation‘s profile of Langford, stating:
"“His scoring instincts and soft touch around the basket remain intriguing, but he’ll need to find a way to improve as a shooter.”"
Langford was a heralded star coming out of high school. He has great spacing awareness and the ability to create his own shot. His 3-point shooting was not great in college though, as he hit just 27.2 percent of his 125 3-point attempts his freshman year. He has the skills, but he just has to put it all together. If the Hornets are willing to take on a risky, high-upside scorer, then Langford should be their guy.