With a major decision to make in the upcoming NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets are predicted to land two fascinating prospects that could help them next season.
The Charlotte Hornets have a major decision to make with the NBA Draft being a month and a half away.
Do they use their draft picks or do they trade one? Or both?
After the Hornets had one of the franchise’s better seasons in recent memory, there’s a lot of speculation amongst fans on what General Manager Jeff Peterson decides to do with picks 14 and 18.
Peterson has shown not to be reactive and more calculated. If the opportunity presents itself to get better, that’s what they’re going to do. Just see how they made the Coby White trade come to fruition.
But if not, they’re good. They’re in no rush, because the organization is in a much better place than it was two years ago.
Every so often leading up to the Draft, The Ringer publishes a new mock draft, and this time, it presents some intriguing options.
J. Kyle Mann has the Hornets using their 14th-overall pick on Yaxel Lendeborg, the centerpiece of the Michigan Wolverines’ National Championship this past season.
He writes that Lendeborg may have rubbed some scouts the wrong way due to some off-the-court comments he has made in the past, but he can offer a much needed dynamic for Charlotte.
“...that would be a huge win for the Hornets, who’ll undoubtedly be looking to get bigger and more skilled in the frontcourt. Yaxel would accomplish both goals. He’s the kind of connective passer who would thrive next to Charlotte’s shooters, and his own ability to shoot has improved. He’s also one of the more defensively versatile forwards in the draft. His ceiling might not be astronomically high compared to some of the players that’ll go ahead of him, but Lendeborg’s floor makes him worth this pick.”
For whatever reason, players who are older in the NBA Draft are often scoffed at by teams.
Scouts like to get their hands on a younger talent so they can develop them the way they want them to be developed.
That line of thinking can sometimes be counterproductive because with an older player with experience at the grandest stage, you have an immediate contributor who is more composed on the court.
Charlotte already has history drafting overagers in Ryan Kalkbrenner and Sion James, so taking Lendeborg wouldn’t be out of the question.
In addition, Mann also has the Hornets selecting Jayden Quaintance, out of Kentucky with the 18th-overall pick.
“Quaintance is a real talent who would project higher than 18 if he had a cleaner health record, so the Hornets would get great value by nabbing him here,” writes Mann. “He’d inject some much-needed nastiness as a defensive presence, a screener/roller on offense, and an all-encompassing funnel that gobbles up rebounds and punches them back over opponents.”
Quaintance was originally a five-star forward, and started his college career with Arizona State, and after tearing his ACL, he went onto Kentucky to take on a new challenge.
However, that didn’t last long, as he only played four games in Lexington, dealing with complications from the previous ACL injury.
The metrics pop out astronomically though. Quaintance has an incredible aptitude around the rim, whether it be on the offensive or defensive end. He has the ability to jump out of the gym with his freakish athleticism and has an appetite for rebounding as well.
Should Charlotte opt for Quaintance, it would allow the franchise to slowly transition him into game shape. The Hornets are in no rush to have him play big minutes, that way, he can recover and get back to where he needs to be on his own timeline.
Whether you believe the Hornets should trade their pick or not, if they manage to get these two players with their picks, it would be a total home run for the franchise, as it would continue to build its pipeline for the future.
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