Seven potential NBA lottery picks worked out for the Charlotte Hornets on Friday
The Charlotte Hornets hosted another set of pre-draft workouts on Friday, bringing in seven prospects who could be selected in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft, scheduled for July 29.
This is the Hornets’ third pre-draft workout this year, and the first one since May’s NBA draft Combine. With the Hornets holding the 11th overall pick, there’s no guarantee that any of the players who worked out will still be on the board when it’s Charlotte’s turn.
The list of players at the Spectrum Center on Friday included: guard Sharife Cooper (Auburn); center Luka Garza (Iowa); center Makur Maker (Howard); forward Roko Prkacin (Cibona, Croatia); guard Jaden Springer (Tennessee); forward JT Thor (Auburn); and guard James Bouknight (Connecticut).
Springer, who won’t be turning 19 until September, is one of the youngest players in the draft. The 6-foot-4 guard, who was named to the SEC All-Freshman team, led the Volunteers in scoring last year with 12.5 points per game, while also leading the team in 3-point percentage (43.5) and free-throw percentage (81).
This workout was also a bit of a homecoming for Springer, who was born in Charlotte and played his first two years of high school ball at Rocky River in Mint Hill. He then did what many highly rated prospects do: He chose to play his final two years away from home, choosing IMG Academy in Florida.
“It’s always great to be back home,” Springer said. “Especially playing for the home team, and putting the gear on — it’s definitely a great feeling.”
CBS Sports projects Springer will be the 18th pick in the draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. That would make Springer the second 18-year-old chosen by the Thunder in as many years, following Aleksej Pokusevski in 2020.
“I feel like my game would translate pretty well (to the NBA),” Springer said. “I got good size and a good body for a guard. When I come in, I can bring toughness and physicality on the defensive side. On offense, I feel like I can create for others, and I can also score and attack.”
Working out for the Hornets alongside Springer on Friday was Auburn guard Sharife Cooper, another SEC All-Freshman selection.
“This is great work for me,” Cooper said. “Getting in front of (the team and coaches), they can actually see you hands-on. With COVID, they could just see you on TV, so when you get there and meet everybody, they can see you play up close — shoot, how you act, how you communicate and how you get along with your team.”
At the start of Cooper’s one-and-done year at Auburn, he was projected to be a lottery pick in this year’s draft, but due to some eligibility issues, the guard only played in 12 of the Tigers’ games — starting every time. His shooting further diminished his draft stock. He averaged 20.2 points per game, but shot just 39.1 percent from the field and 22.8 percent from 3-point range. In CBS Sports’ most recent mock draft, Cooper is now slated to go to the Houston Rockets at 24.
That’s why opportunities like the NBA Combine and pre-draft workouts have been so important to Cooper, and players like him. He’s gotten to show people, in real time, what his game looks like.
“I take all criticism on the chin, but when you play basketball, rhythm is a huge part of your game,” Cooper said. “I was kind of playing off instincts, so I never really got that rhythm and momentum. Being that I had so much time this offseason, I’m in a much better space.”
“I can show these guys that my shot is great, and it always has been.”