Charlotte Hornets: 5 options for pick No. 12 in 2019 NBA Draft

2. Brandon Clarke

The Hornets crave a guy that can boost their interior defense. Cody Zeller has missed over 30 games in each of the last two seasons and hasn’t played a full season since his 2013-14 rookie campaign. Willy Hernangomez is playing well in limited minutes, but still came off the bench with Zeller was hurt.

Bismack Biyombo was a good late-season glue guy for the Hornets, but he wasn’t a great rebounder and became an offensive liability. Frank Kaminsky finally saw the court in the latter part of the season, but he is more of a stretch-4 that was forced to play center.

If the Hornets want to turn to a defensive big man at No. 12, guys like Brandon Clarke, Sekou Doumbouya and Goga Bitzdze should all be available. Jaxson Hayes may be as well, but since the lottery has been finalized, Hayes is projected in many mocks to be a top-10 pick.

The star center from Gonzaga is being talked about more and more, so there is a chance he doesn’t make it to No. 12 — hence why he makes this list at No. 3 instead of No. 1. He wasn’t a big scorer, but after taking a year off after transferring to Gonzaga, his line of 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game isn’t anything to scoff at for a big man.

Clarke would be a great asset for the Hornets as he can play well at both ends of the floor. He led all of college basketball with 117 blocks last year, putting him in position to be the best defender to come out of this class. He has a great motor and a high IQ and could quite possibly be a steal of the draft if the Hornets nabbed him at No. 12.