Where will the Charlotte Hornets pick in the NBA draft? Lottery moved them up to No. 3
The Charlotte Hornets finally broke a 21-year streak of bad lottery luck, jumping from 8th to 3rd in the NBA’s annual draft lottery.
The Minnesota Timberwolves received the No. 1 pick in the Oct. 16 draft. The Golden State Warriors are second and the Chicago Bulls fourth.
The Hornets were represented by point guard Devonte Graham in the weighted lottery, which was held virtually due to the pandemic.
Unlike a year ago, when Duke forward Zion Williamson was a prohibitive favorite to be the top pick, there is no clear order to this process.
Based on their 23-42 record — eighth-worst this season — the Hornets had entered the draft with a 6% chance at the top pick and a 26.2% chance at one of the top four picks. The overwhelming likelihood in the weighted process among 14 teams was the Hornets would end up eighth (34.5%) or ninth (32.1%)
Some possibilities for the Hornets pick: Georgia guard Anthony Edwards, point guard LaMelo Ball, Israeli pro Deni Avdija and big man James Wiseman.
Everything about the pre-draft process has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and some events haven’t yet been rescheduled. The draft, originally scheduled for June 25, is now slated for Oct. 16. The NBA has yet to announce whether the annual Combine will be held or if teams will be allowed to bring in draft prospects for interviews and workouts.
With the pandemic shutting down sports in mid-March, NBA teams lost the NCAA tournament as a scouting opportunity. Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak traveled to Europe in January, so he did get in considerable international scouting before the shutdown.
The eight teams not in the restart, including the Hornets, have been limited to individual workouts with their own players. Kupchak has been working from home the past few months, rather than his Spectrum Center office.
The NBA and union agreed to a plan this week to allow teams not in the restart to do some group practices in late September and early October.
Charlotte drafted Kentucky’s PJ Washington 12th overall last season with its first-round draft pick.
Charlotte’s NBA teams hadn’t benefited from a draft lottery since 1999, when the original Hornets jumped from the 13th spot, based on record, to the third spot. That got them UCLA point guard Baron Davis, who was a two-time All-Star.
The NBA expansion team that replaced the original Hornets, first called the Bobcats, had entered the draft lottery 12 times since 2005 without rising in the draft order. Four times the Bobcats/Hornets dropped and eight times they ended up with the same pick reflected in their prior-season record.
Three of those players — Cody Zeller, Malik Monk and P.J. Washington — are still on the roster. Two other lottery picks — Miles Bridges and Bismack Biyombo — came to Charlotte in draft-night trades.
2020 NBA Draft order
1. Timberwolves
2. Warriors
3. Hornets
4. Bulls
5. Cavaliers
6. Hawks
7. Pistons
8. Knicks
9. Wizards
10. Suns
11. Spurs
12. Kings
13. Pelicans
14. Celtics
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 8:58 PM.
