Florida Gator star Thomas Haugh could land with an exciting East team.
A new NBA mock draft has Florida Gator star Thomas Haugh going to an exciting team in the East.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report has the Charlotte Hornets drafting Haugh with the 17th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
"While the Hornets already picked up a hustle-hard forward, they might just want to double down on the archetype," Buckley wrote. "This roster already showed enough promise to convince the front office that it should simply be hunting for missing pieces.
"If Haugh's three-ball comes alive, he should be a simple plug-and-play support piece. He has a great motor, powerful finishing and enough flashes of creation to think he won't be entirely dependent on his teammates to find him scoring chances."
Haugh playing with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel would be deadly. The Gator averaged 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season while shooting 46.0% from the field, 32.6% from beyond the arc and 77.4% from the free-throw line.
Haugh helped Florida win the NCAA championship in 2025. He's a proven winner whose basketball skills project to be a good fit in Charlotte under head coach Charles Lee.
Haugh finished his college career with averages of 10.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He was one of the best players in the SEC this season and is entering the NBA on a high note, development-wise.
It will be fascinating to see where Haugh is playing next season. Wasserman has compared him to Jeff Green, who has been in the NBA since 2007 and is still playing.
Haugh's career high in college is 27 points. He scored 27 points twice this season.
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