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2019 NBA Mock Draft: Fallout from Zion Williamson’s injury gives others a chance to shine

By Brendon Kleen

SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 23: Cam Reddish #2 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts to a made three-point basket against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at the Carrier Dome on February 23, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 23: Cam Reddish #2 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts to a made three-point basket against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at the Carrier Dome on February 23, 2019 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – JANUARY 05: De’Andre Hunter #12 of the Virginia Cavaliers dribbles in the second half during a game against the Florida State Seminoles at John Paul Jones Arena on January 5, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – JANUARY 05: De’Andre Hunter #12 of the Virginia Cavaliers dribbles in the second half during a game against the Florida State Seminoles at John Paul Jones Arena on January 5, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

F. Virginia. De'Andre Hunter. 10. player. 170.

Charlotte’s roster is overpaid, immobile and eating up the prime of Kemba Walker’s career. It needs to change but we aren’t buying into the idea that Mitch Kupchak is the guy to do that based upon the way he left the Lakers. President Magic Johnson spent the first two years of his tenure in Los Angeles cleaning up the mess Kupchak created and one could make the argument that poor drafting on the part of Kupchak’s staff inhibited the Lakers’ ability to trade for Anthony Davis as quickly as they wanted. However, Hunter is the type of safe, productive player any reasonable GM should be able to identify and he would help the Hornets a ton.

He is not going to jump out at you when you watch him, though. “When he does attack the rim, he looks more mechanical than he did last year, lacking that same fluid movement and ability to absorb contact without much trouble,” our own Trevor Magnotti wrote last month. Indeed, Hunter can look like he’s swimming in quicksand on offense at times, lacking the explosiveness you would expect to see from someone as physically imposing as he is.

For Charlotte, the value of drafting Hunter would primarily be on defense. “Hunter is still a very good defender, and one of the linchpins of the always excellent Virginia defense thanks to his ability to defend across all three frontcourt positions at the college level,” Magnotti wrote. “Hunter’s positioning is exciting, as he has continued to make good reads reacting to where his teammates are helping and recovering. He’s great at sliding over to cut off the lane and recovering to his man, and this is an area where his ceiling actually should be pretty high with good coaching.”

With zero modern NBA forwards on the roster, the Hornets should be really worried about signing Walker to a huge new contract. If they can add some talent around him that makes sense in 2019, though, the calculus trends positive for Charlotte.

Check out our full scouting report on De’Andre Hunter.

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