With the 2025 NBA Draft just two weeks away, a team to look out for in the first four selections is the Charlotte Hornets. After finishing the 2024-25 season with a 19-63 record, the Hornets are looking to finally kickstart their rebuild with another young talent alongside LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Mark Williams.
This past season was the Hornets' third straight losing campaign; Charlotte has not made the playoffs since 2016. The Hornets came close in 2021 and 2022 but fell in the Play-In Tournament both times.
In last year's draft, the Hornets selected Tidjane Salaun from France with the No. 6 overall pick. Salaun showed some potential in his rookie season with the Hornets, but for the most part, he has struggled. Salaun averaged 5.9 points per game, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in his rookie year with Charlotte, shooting 33 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from 3-point range.
In this year's draft the Hornets are hoping to hit the mark with their selection. According to FanSided's Christopher Kline's latest NBA Mock Draft, the Hornets will find the missing piece that the team needs heading into the 2025-26 season.
Hornets select Noa Essengue from France with the No. 14 overall pick
After selecting a player from France in last year's draft, Kline has the Hornets doubling down with the selection of Noa Essengue, a player he calls "the biggest hidden gem in the entire draft". Essengue is one of the most underappreciated players in this draft class: He plays well on both the offensive and defensive ends, he moves well without the ball and his 3-point shooting continues to improve, all of which should translate well to the NBA.
Essengue does not present the most robust, polished skill package, but he's a rangy 6-foot-9 athlete," writes Kline.
"His movement skills are off the charts, and it leads to tantalizing flashes on the defensive end. Offensively, Essengue still needs to workshop his 3-point stroke, but it's rare to find a player so young and so athletic with such a solid understanding of the little things. Essengue times his cuts perfectly, sets screens with a purpose despite a thin frame, and loves to sprint the floor in transition. LaMelo Ball is a great skill match for him and he should elevate Charlotte's notoriously porous defense in time."
Essengue currently plays for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, who just fell 78-77 in the Bundesliga semifinals to Wurzburg. Essengue finished with 13 points and four rebounds in the loss.
Essengue will fit right in with the Hornets as the team is in need of depth at the forward position. Josh Green and Miles Bridges both battled through injuries last season, leaving the wing very much in flux.
Essengue has experience playing against NBA competition. The Portland Trail Blazers played a preseason game against Ratiopharm Ulm last October. The Trail Blazers won the game 111-100, btt Essengue led Ratiopharm in scoring with 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including going 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.