Charlotte Hornets: 3 options with the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft

Charlotte Hornets NBA draft option No. 3: Killian Hayes

LaMelo Ball and Killian Hayes are the consensus top two point guard prospects in this year’s draft. If Ball isn’t on the board with the third pick, Charlotte will have a chance to fill their point guard needs with Hayes.

Hayes is not the Jason Williams highlight level passer that Ball is, nor is decision making quite as impressive. According to The Ringer, LaMelo had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.7-to-1 in Australia. Hayes’ assist-to-turnover ratio sits at 1.68, per The Basketball Network.

Neither Ball nor Hayes is a sharpshooter right now by any means, but there’s more hope for Hayes’ shot long-term. He has been an excellent free-throw shooter, albeit on a small sample size — 87.6 percent on 2.7 attempts.

But while Ball makes and usually converts the difficult passes, Hayes takes more difficult shots. Hayes is a lefty and gives off some James Harden vibes with stepback 3-point jumpers. There’s actually a concern that he favors his left hand too much. No ever says that about Harden though.

Hayes has shown potential as an off the dribble 3-point shooter, but his best skill is still his playmaking. The Hornets need a player like Hayes running the pick and roll. As a team last season, they were 23rd in pick and roll ball handler possessions and in the 24th percentile of efficiency.

There are concerns about Hayes that could drop him out of the top three. He’s not a superior athlete, and that thing about him depending on his left hand wasn’t an exaggeration. If you watch that ESPN clip above, you’ll rarely if ever, see a clip of him making a move with his right.

But none of that is reason enough for Charlotte to stay away from Hayes. They need a point guard and a big man. With this pick, they have to come away with one of those.