What national experts think the Charlotte Hornets will do in the 2022 NBA Draft
The Charlotte Hornets enter Thursday’s NBA draft in an interesting position — with a pair of mid-first round picks and no head coach.
General manager Mitch Kupchak has picks Nos. 13 and 15 to operate with, giving the team some level of flexibility as they try to upgrade a roster that went 43-39 last season before being summarily blown out in the play-in tournament.
But analysts around the NBA aren’t sure that the Hornets will actually end up making both of their picks.
“Rival teams don’t expect the Hornets to hold on to both of their mid-first-round picks,” ESPN NBA Draft Analyst Jonathan Givony said in his latest mock draft. “Adding two rookies in need of minutes and patience might not be the most attractive proposition for a team that just fired its head coach after failing to advance past the play-in game.”
That belief was echoed by The Athletic’s John Hollinger’s in his mock draft, who said that at least one of the team’s two first-round picks is in play either for Indiana’s Myles Turner or in an effort to move up in the draft.
Givony also noted that the team between the Hornets’ two picks is Cleveland — a team with a roster construction that could prove helpful for Kupchak. The Cavaliers already have two premier big men in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, making it “highly unlikely” for them to take a center with that pick.
One center who’s been tied to Charlotte in a litany of mock drafts plays just a couple of hours up Interstate 85. Duke star Mark Williams, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, was mocked to the Hornets in the ESPN, Athletic and CBS mock drafts.
“He’s an absolute game-changer on both ends of the floor with his combination of size (7-1), length (7-8 wingspan) and nonstop energy,” Givony said. “Putting a lid on the rim defensively thanks to his mobility, timing and reach.”
That’ll be an attractive offer to a Hornets team that finished 22nd in the league in defensive rating. Hollinger said that “Charlotte needs frontcourt and rim protection help as it seeks to upgrade its swiss cheese defense of a year ago.”
NBA.com’s Consensus Mock Draft said that Williams was the most mocked player to the Hornets, showing up as their pick four times across the 12 mocks they viewed.
What Charlotte will do with their other pick remains unclear. If they choose to keep it, Givony has them taking Baylor’s Jeremy Sochan.
“Sochan brings several different dimensions with his ability to defend all over the floor, pass the ball effectively and slide up or down positions depending on the matchup, while also possessing plenty of upside to grow into, having just turned 19,” he said.
Hollinger had the Hornets taking Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji — a pick that CBS’s Colin Ward-Henninger agreed with.
“Agbaji just makes too much sense for the Hornets. At 22 years old, he should be able to slot in immediately for a Charlotte team that has playoff aspirations,” Ward-Henninger said. “He’s proven himself as a prototypical 3-and-D wing, capable of guarding multiple positions and knocking down corner 3-pointers off the catch.”
Givony said that Shaedon Sharpe has “intrigued the Hornets’ front office in a trade-up scenario” that would package both picks.
Sharpe, who Givony had going No. 7 to Portland, did not play in college last year but is “oozing with natural ability,” due to great athletic ability and refined shooting touch.
“His performances have improved with every visit and he has demonstrated significantly more fire than teams expected from the intel they gathered,” Givony said.
This story was originally published June 23, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
