NBA Draft 2017: 5 targets for the Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets had a disappointing 2016-17 season, so who could they target in the 2017 NBA Draft to help get them back to the playoffs?
After locking up Nicolas Batum last offseason, the Charlotte Hornets had high hopes for their 2016-17 campaign. They secured the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference the year prior and hoped to either replicate or build on that performance. Unfortunately, the Hornets went the other way as they regressed quite substantially.
Charlotte’s record worsened by 12 games from the 2015-16 season to this past year. Thus, they were left on the outside of the postseason and now look ahead to the 2017 NBA Draft. If there’s a silver lining for the Hornets, it’s that they’ll get another lottery pick to add to their roster as they hold the No. 11 overall selection.
However, Hornets fans have to be a bit wary of the team picking in the lottery. From 2011-13, they did well in that position as they took Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Cody Zeller in the top 10. In 2014, though, the Hornets used the ninth pick to take forward Noah Vonleh. While he was a trade chip for Charlotte, they passed on the likes of Dario Saric and Zach LaVine to take him. They reached again in 2015 as they took Frank Kaminsky at No. 9 instead of Justise Winslow, Myles Turner and Devin Booker.
Vonleh, as mentioned, is now gone. Meanwhile, Kaminsky has shown flashes, but has yet to look like a lottery pick type talent, especially in terms of consistency. Subsequently, Hornets fans have to hope that the front office doesn’t make the same mistakes in the 2017 NBA Draft.
With that in mind, who could the Charlotte Hornets be targeting with the 11th overall pick? These five prospects could all be in play.
5. Donovan Mitchell, G, Louisville
One of the big needs for the Hornets moving forward is to alleviate some of the scoring load in the backcourt from Kemba Walker’s shoulders. Thus, it would make sense for Charlotte to look at off-ball guards that could potentially fill the void. One such player would be Donovan Mitchell out of Louisville.
Mitchell was a leader for the Cardinals this past season as a sophomore as a two-way player. He finished the season averaging 15.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game (32.3 minutes per game). Perhaps the biggest development for the 6-foot-3 guard was the improvement with his outside shot. Though his mechanics were fine as a freshman, he was abysmally inefficient. He drastically improved that this past season to hit on 35.4 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Looking at the positives of Mitchell joining the Hornets, they would be adding a dynamic two-way player that could help Walker on both ends of the floor. Though he has just one year of reliable outside shooting to his credit, that continuing would be enormous for the progression of the offense in Charlotte.
With that being said, Mitchell wouldn’t be a home run for the Hornets in any regard. In a league that values versatility, the Louisville product lacks it given his size limitations. What’s more, his offensive game as currently constituted is hard to trust as he transitions to the NBA. It’s still hard to fully trust his shooting and he’s overall inconsistent in terms of his scoring. As that’s the primary need for the Hornets at the position, taking him at No. 11 would be a massive risk.