Charlotte Hornets stay at No. 9 in draft lottery results

Once again the long odds of the NBA Draft Lottery didn’t work in the Charlotte Hornets’ favor, as they stayed at the No. 9 spot in the June 25 draft.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, who had the NBA’s worst record at 16-66, will pick first. The Los Angeles Lakers will pick second and the Philadelphia 76ers will pick third.

The Hornets had a 6 percent chance of moving up into one of the top three draft picks, based on the weighted lottery among the 14 nonplayoff teams. They had an 81 percent chance of staying at No. 9 and about a 12 percent chance of slipping back to the 10th, 11th or 12th slots.

It’s a safe bet the following six players will be gone before the Hornets pick: Duke center Jahlil Okafor, Kentucky forward-center Karl-Anthony Towns, Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell, point guard Emmanuel Mudiay of the Chinese League, Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis and Duke forward Justise Winslow.

The other two players who will go before the Hornets’ pick are somewhat harder to predict, but there’s a good chance Mario Hezonja, a 6-foot-8 shooting guard/small forward from Croatia, won’t be there.

That would be unfortunate because Hezonja is potentially a great fit in Charlotte. He’s shooting 39 percent from 3-point range and 59 percent from two-point range this season for Barcelona. He’s a superior athlete, and his 3-point shooting would directly address the Hornets’ biggest weakness.

They shot an NBA-worst 31.8 percent from 3-point range last season. That affected not only their shooting percentage, but also their ability to space the floor for center Al Jefferson to score in the post.

So who might be available when the Hornets pick? The possibilities include three players who the Hornets interviewed during last week’s Draft Combine in Chicago:

Stanley Johnson, Arizona small forward/shooting guard: A big-time athlete who turned pro after a single college season. He said in Chicago that he’s the best player in this draft. Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant thought he was good enough last summer to invite him to late-summer workouts. Johnson shot 37 percent from 3-point range in his only college season.

Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky center-forward: He’s a strong defender and would offer another inside option should the Hornets part ways with Jefferson once his contract expires after next season. He’s somewhat limited offensively and has a free-spirit personality. Asked by teams why he dyed his hair blond, he jokingly replied, “I’m young and dumb.”

Devin Booker, Kentucky shooting guard: Booker shot 41 percent from the 3-point line in his sole college season, so he would obviously address what the Hornets need. However, there’s a concern that shooting would be his only real strength as an NBA player. His athleticism has been questioned as far as whether he has the agility and reflexes to effectively defend NBA shooting guards.

This story was originally published May 19, 2015 at 9:14 PM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets stay at No. 9 in draft lottery results."