Charlotte Hornets add Duke’s Sion James, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner in NBA Draft
Holding two picks on the second day of the NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets felt positioned for success before things even tipped off.
“Fortunately, we are at the top of the second round, which I like both of those picks a lot,” Jeff Peterson, president of basketball operations, said early Thursday morning. “We can get a couple of really good players. Hopefully Boston and Minnesota don’t take anyone from us and we’ll be able to get a couple of more good players.”
Turned out the Celtics and Timberwolves each moved out of their spots and jumped ahead thanks to a deal with the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic, respectively, just prior to the draft tipping off. Peterson didn’t sweat it. though.
“Again, I’ll give credit to our group in terms of getting information,” Peterson said Thursday night after the draft’s completion. “I felt pretty good that they weren’t going to jump ahead of us and take the guys that we wanted. So, at that point it really didn’t faze us.”
The Hornets still believe they got solid value in selecting Duke’s Sion James at No. 33 and Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner at No. 34. The duo joins Duke’s Kon Knueppel, selected fourth overall in Wednesday’s first round, and the No. 29 pick, Connecticut’s Liam McNeeley.
“At the end of the day, we are still in the building phase and to get to where you want to go, it starts with competitors,” Peterson said. “And you see it with the two guys that we drafted (Thursday) with Sion and Ryan. Those guys, they are mature and they’ve been in college for some time.
“But the thing that they bring the most is competitiveness and their IQ with where we are. We wanted to make that a priority.”
James, a 6-foot-6 guard, averaged 8.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists in his lone season with the Blue Devils, connecting on 51.6% from the field and 41.% beyond the 3-point arc. He earned ACC All-Defensive Team honors, quickly making a name for himself after transferring to Duke following four years at Tulane, where he averaged over 34 minutes per game.
“I’m super excited to get up to Charlotte to get working,” said James, who had a session with the Hornets about two weeks ago. “From the beginning, everyone was very straightforward with me about the organization and everything. And I’m just super excited to go and get ready.
“And then especially having Kon there, too. I love him. I called him already. I’ll be giving him a big old hug when I see him (Friday) and then we’ll go from there.”
With Mark Williams traded to Phoenix, the Hornets were in dire need of more size and someone to step into his slot, and Kalkbrenner is going to get that chance.
At 7-1, 270 pounds, the 23-year-old fits more in the traditional mold of centers. He’s coming off his super senior season and averaged 19.4 points, nine rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.4 assists per game.
The 2025 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year ranks second in Creighton history in points (2,443), rebounds (1,146), blocks (399) and field-goal percentage (.658). He finished second in the nation in made field goals, third in blocked shots, fourth in field-goal percentage and 19th in points this past season.
But despite all that, Kalkbrenner has his detractors and it’s fueling him.
“I think sometimes they see just a big guy running up and down,” Kalkbrenner said on a Zoom call with Charlotte-area media. “Sometimes looking a little awkward or funky moving up and down the court, and guys don’t think I pass the eye test all the time. But I play my butt off.
“I do all the little things to win. I’m locked in every single day to try to get better. Those are the things I think can sometimes slide by some people. I’m glad Charlotte recognized it and gave me an opportunity there. So, I’m looking forward to showing everyone how much I can impact winning.”
Along with the rest of the Hornets’ latest crop of draftees. Peterson reiterated exactly what he said in the aftermath of the opening round: The new quartet will be establishing residency in Charlotte.
“Fortunately, we are not in the position where we have a roster crunch or anything like that,” Peterson said. “So, we can roster all four. Again, as I’ve said, I think right now it’s about development with these guys. So, we can afford for them to be on the roster. And, look, there’s going to be some nights they play and some nights maybe they are not.
“Maybe some nights they are with Greensboro. So, we just have kind of the flexibility there. But it’s important to get guys in here and give them a chance to develop.”
This story was originally published June 26, 2025 at 8:50 PM.
