2021 NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Detroit Pistons land the draft’s biggest prize

LaMelo Ball helped elevate the Hornets this season and they already have so much depth in the backcourt and on the wings with Terry Rozier, Devonte’ Graham and a possibly re-signed Malik Monk. Their frontcourt rotation even worked with two undersized forwards — Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington — working together. The next step for this team is finding a big man who can be a defensive anchor, and add another dimension to their offense with his roll game while not fundamentally warping the identity of their high-wire, guard-focused offense.

At 6-foot-8 and 235 pounds, Garuba may be undersized for trying to stonewall the Joel Embiids and Nikola Jokics of the NBA in the post but he’s an exceptional athlete and a fantastic defender in space. His enormous wingspan also helps him step up as a shot-blocker and he can absolutely raise the Hornets’ defensive floor. On offense, he’s not much of a scorer but he can finish around the basket, he’s a decent passer and his relentless motor will make him a force on the offensive glass and crashing the paint in the pick-and-roll. He may not have the star potential of some of the other players in this range, but his floor is high and he’s a round peg in a round hole for the Hornets.