Ranking Charlotte Hornets' Biggest 2015 NBA Draft Needs
The draft is but one step in the Charlotte Hornets' path back to the postseason. General manager Rich Cho has little margin for error given this club's several very real needs.
As The Charlotte Observer's Tom Sorensen recently put it, "The Hornets are not one player away from being good, unless that player is LeBron James, Stephen Curry, James Harden or somebody elite. They’re one player away from being OK."
It's a sobering—and probably accurate—assessment. This draft won't right every wrong, but it could restore the Hornets to at least average heights. That could be something of an accomplishment in the eternally middling Eastern Conference.
So far, details of the organization's thinking are scarce. We know only that the status quo needs some work.
"We are excited about the prospect of adding another quality player to our nucleus," Cho told reporters in May. "This is a deep draft with significant talent available. We are very optimistic that we will add a player who will help our team continue to get better and fill a key role moving forward."
With the No. 9 and No. 39 overall picks in this month's draft, the Hornets could actually add a couple of assets. They'll need all the help they can get.
5. Kemba Insurance
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Here's to hoping someone like Kentucky's Andrew Harrison falls to Charlotte's 39th overall selection. The Hornets don't need another starting point guard; they need an upgrade over Brian Roberts.
Kemba Walker will remain the team's playmaker-in-chief, but he's logged a lot of minutes over the last three seasons. At 25, he can still take the pounding. But a young understudy could help minimize wear and tear as Walker approaches his 30s in coming seasons. He would also provide a little extra insurance and second-unit play creation.
Charlotte's bench ranked 19th in assists with just 6.6 per contest this season, according to HoopsStats.com, a sign that another point guard could come in handy.
This isn't Charlotte's top draft priority, so it can wait until the second round. If Harrison isn't available, other options include Brazil's George De Paula or Louisville's Terry Rozier. There should be at least one candidate ready to compete for a job behind Walker.
4. Another Shooting Guard
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It seems unlikely that Gerald Henderson will opt out of the final season (worth $6 million) on his current contract with the Hornets. That doesn't mean that he's the club's long-term solution at the shooting guard spot, though. Nor does it mean he should automatically inherit the starting position next season, not after firmly establishing himself as a complementary player.
The 27-year-old averaged just 12.1 points per contest this season, his lowest output of the last four years. He's been a solid contributor, but he isn't on the cusp of stardom.
The Hornets could look to spend their first-round pick on a shooting guard if the right fit's available. That could be someone like Mario Hezonja, whose length and scoring prowess would be a welcome sight on Charlotte's wing. Kentucky's Devin Booker—an even more conventional 2-guard—is another possibility at this juncture of the draft.
The Hornets could also wait until the second round to look at shooting guards, figuring on Henderson to start at least one more season at the position. In that event, North Carolina's J.P. Tokoto in an interesting prospect with whom Hornets brass are almost certainly familiar.
3. A New Sparkplug
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The Hornets could re-sign sixth man Mo Williams, but one has to wonder how much more the shoot-first point guard has to offer. He'll turn 33 in December, which is all the more glaring given how much the longtime journeyman relies on his quickness.
The good news is Williams was absolutely scorching during his limited sample of work with the Hornets, averaging 17.2 points per game and even starting in 14 contests. While the organization can hope for a return, it needs to start planning for the future. A younger bench sparkplug is in order sooner or later.
Devin Booker could get the job done, but he may be more of a starter. In theory, that would still allow Charlotte to bring Henderson and/or Stephenson off the bench, thereby replacing Williams' production with in-house talent. So adding Booker to the mix would still make some sense.
Another option that more closely resembles Williams' game is Murray State's Cameron Payne, a 6'2" point guard who loved to score at the college level.
2. A Scoring Swingman
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Several mock drafts have the Hornets selecting Arizona swingman Stanley Johnson with the No. 9 overall pick. He's probably more of a small forward than a shooting guard, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
One has to begin wondering whether Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is a legitimate starter or better suited to bringing his grit and energy off the bench. Johnson may have the better star potential at this point given his variety of offensive weapons. The Hornets need a scorer, someone who can consistently take pressure off Walker and center Al Jefferson.
Neither Henderson nor Kidd-Gilchrist has earned that job, so someone like Johnson appears to be a natural fit. He's got good size and shooting ability, an almost prototypical mold for an above-average small forward.
If Mario Hezonja slips to the No. 9 spot, he's also a solid option here. The bottom line is that Charlotte needs scoring. With just 97.6 points per 100 possessions this season, the Hornets had the third-lowest offensive efficiency in the league, according to Hollinger Team Stats.
There was hope Lance Stephenson would serve as a third scoring option, but he hasn't worked out ideally thus far. That means the need for purer scorer remains just as acute as it was a summer ago.
1. Replacement for Big Al
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Al Jefferson may well pick up the player option he holds for next season, but the organization has to begin planning for his eventual exit—whether it comes this summer, next summer, or three to four years from now. The 30-year-old isn't an inexhaustible resource.
Noah Vonleh, Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo could all ease the inevitable transition to whatever extent each sticks around for the long haul. But Biyombo is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, and it's entirely possible Charlotte would prefer a more offensively minded big man in his place—perhaps someone who could eventually follow in Jefferson's footsteps.
There are three options with seven-foot size, and odds are at least one of them will be available at the No. 9 spot. Frank Kaminsky, Kristaps Porzingis and Myles Turner all have big bodies and some serious offensive skills, the kind of stuff you can't teach every big guy. Of the three, Turner most closely resembles a traditional center.
If the Hornets are more interested in a defensive linchpin to anchor the interior, Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein is another possibility with plenty of upside.
The important point is that this draft includes some solid big men throughout the lottery, even after the first and second selections come off the board. There's still NBA-ready talent that could help usher in the post-Jefferson era—whenever it occurs.
