The Hornets’ could’ve-been all-decade team: How’d they miss so many stars?
It’s not exactly a revelation the Charlotte Hornets have a bad draft history.
The general manager for much of the last decade, Rich Cho, is gone. His replacement, Mitch Kupchak, seems to be an upgrade so far, with rookie P.J. Washington starting and second-round pick Devonte Graham an emerging star.
The Hornets had plenty of lottery picks in the decade starting in 2010 and not a whole lot to show for it. And so, the what-might-have-been All-Decade team:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (over Cody Zeller)
Greece’s Antetokounmpo is now a strong MVP candidate with the Milwaukee Bucks. Zeller has been a solid starter at center for the Hornets, but hasn’t yet been an All-Star.
Zeller went fourth overall in the 2013 draft, while Antetokounmpo lasted all the way to the 15th pick. So plenty of teams missed his massive potential. That draft would look dramatically different now: C.J. McCollum, Steven Adams and Kelly Olynyk all lasted to the tenth pick or later.
Bradley Beal (over Michael Kidd-Gilchrist)
The Hornets didn’t get the No. 1 pick (Anthony Davis) after going 7-59 in 2011-12. The No. 2 pick has been this franchise’s highest since the NBA returned in 2004. They sure didn’t nail this one.
Washington Wizards shooting guard Beal was in the discussion for All-NBA last season. He went third in 2012, one pick after MKG. And that wasn’t the only clearly superior option. All-Star point guard Damian Lillard went sixth to the Portland Trail Blazers (granted, the then-Bobcats drafted point guard Kemba Walker one year earlier).
Donovan Mitchell (over Malik Monk)
The Hornets chose Monk 11th overall in 2017. He’s been OK, but has yet to start a game in his 2 1/3 NBA seasons. Mitchell went 13th, was swapped from Denver to Utah in a pre-arranged deal, and was a rookie star.
Mitchell was heavily on the Hornets’ radar. His long arms made him at minimum a big-impact defender. He was better quicker at the offensive end than was anticipated.
One pick after Mitchell, the Miami Heat got center Bam Adebayo, who has been so good this season he might be an All-Star.
Devin Booker (over Frank Kaminsky)
The Hornets selected Kaminsky ninth overall in 2015. He underwhelmed to an extent that the Hornets didn’t make a qualifying offer to restrict his free-agency last summer.
Meanwhile, the Hornets passed over big man Myles Turner, a multi-pick trade offer from the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker to select Kaminsky.
Arguably, a starting shooting guard is the Hornets’ greatest need. Booker or Mitchell sure would have filled that hole.
Zach LaVine (over Noah Vonleh)
The Hornets saw first-hand recently how explosive LaVine is when the Chicago Bulls guard-forward scored 49 on them Nov. 23. It’s not just how good LaVine has been as the 13th pick in 2014, it’s how little Vonleh has done since being chosen ninth..
A long-limbed center-forward drafted out of Indiana, the Hornets moved on from him after his rookie season, throwing him into the trade package to Portland for Nic Batum. Vonleh has now played for five NBA franchises in six years; he’s becoming the classic journeyman, flipping from one-season contract to one-season contract.
