Charlotte Hornets NBA draft option No. 1: James Wiseman
There’s a lot of uncertainty about this draft, but the one thing that everyone seems to be sure about is that no one can agree on James Wiseman. He was the No. 1 overall recruit coming out of high school, but after being ruled ineligible by the NCAA, he only played three games at Memphis.
Wiseman looks the part of a franchise center at 7’1″ with a 7’6″ wingspan. He projects as a legitimate threat as a rim runner on offense, but there are serious question marks about his game outside the paint.
He’s probably limited to playing around the rim on both ends of the court. In three games at Memphis, Wiseman attempted 27 shots with 19 coming at the rim. He hasn’t demonstrated the ability to hit a jump shot, and there are real concerns about whether or not he can guard in space.
But the Hornets need a center. Last season, they were 25th in the league in total rebound percentage and last in defensive rebound percentage. Cody Zeller led the team in rebounding with a whopping 7.1 per game.
The Hornets need somebody who can get easy buckets. They were the worst shooting team in the league last season — ranked dead last in field goal percentage and 2-point field goal percentage.
Wiseman should be able to contribute in both of those areas right away. He averaged 10.7 rebounds in his three games at Memphis and shot 76.9 percent from the field. Another bonus would be Wiseman’s effectiveness as a screener for Devonte Graham.