Full Scouting Report for Charlotte Hornets' Top 2015 NBA Draft Targets

The 2015 NBA draft is a massive one for the Charlotte Hornets following a dismal 33-49 season. Recent selections of Noah Vonleh, P.J. Hairston, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller, Bismack Biyombo and Kemba Walker have all had varying impacts. In order to finally get out of this loop of mediocrity, Charlotte needs a big splash.

With the No. 9 overall pick, owner Michael Jordan and general manager Rich Cho will have their choice of some very enticing talents. They can't go the safe route, and they can't take a high-risk prospect. Charlotte needs a big-time player who can be a foundational piece for years to come more than just about any other team in the NBA.

So what specifically does Charlotte need? After the recent eye-popping trade announced by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports that sent Lance Stephenson to the Los Angeles Clippers for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes, things have changed down in North Carolina.

That move could be a sign of things to come. Maybe Cho has a few more tricks up his sleeve, so going best-player-available with the ninth pick wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Devin Booker

Charlotte's 31.8 percent success rate from three-point range was the worst in the NBA during the 2014-15 season. What better way to mitigate such a profound issue than by selecting the guy who might be this draft's best shooter?

ESPN Insider Chad Ford opines that without Stephenson in the fold, Devin Booker is a much more realistic option at No. 9.

Booker also visited the Hornets for a workout on June 10, along with Wisconsin's Sam Dekker.

Booker hit 41.1 percent from three as a freshman at Kentucky and features a very projectable 6'6", 206-pound frame that makes NBA scouts salivate. The 10 points per game he averaged as a Wildcat equate to about 25 on any other college squad, but was he a product of a great system or is he really that good?

Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had the following to say about his offensive prowess:

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Booker is a very intelligent prospect, showing impressive maturity and fundamentals despite being the youngest player in this draft class. He moves off the ball well and passes the ball unselfishly, often making the extra pass along the perimeter and cutting smartly as the defense rotates. He's not a flashy or high-volume shot-creator for himself or others, but will certainly make teammates better with his ability to keep the defense honest and force opponents to account for where he is on the court at all times. He doesn't take bad shots and rarely turns the ball over, averaging just one turnover per 40 minutes, with a 10% turnover percentage that ranks among the lowest rates in this draft.

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On the negative side, Givony questions Booker's upside. He sees the shooting guard as a high-floor guy but not exactly someone who can completely change the course of a franchise. Booker lacks the ability to truly attack off the dribble and finish strongly due to his average athleticism and explosiveness. A lot of these things have been said about P.J. Hairston, so the front office has to ask itself how much different Booker really is.

Of the 200 shots Booker took in the 2014-15 season within the half-court offense, 178 were jumpers, according to Givony. It is possible head coach John Calipari was simply using him as a floor spacer as he started three guys over 6'10", and Booker has much more to offer. It is also possible he saw Booker as little more than a lethal jump-shooter.

This wouldn't be a roll of the dice since Booker is viewed as a safe prospect, but it is at least worth noting his deficiencies. On the other hand, he looks like, if all things go according to plan, he could develop into a Klay Thompson clone.

The bottom line is Charlotte desperately needs shooting. You really couldn't fault them for going with Booker at No. 9. Very few fans would be upset with that pick.

Stanley Johnson

Arizona freshman Stanley Johnson didn't fail to live up to expectations during his one year in Tucson. His hulking frame and two-way star potential are certainly intriguing. If Cho feels like living a little dangerously, Johnson will get a good, long look.

Johnson is not the shooter Booker is, but that is not to say he isn't good in his own right. He has a nice outside shot, canning 37.1 percent of threes down in Arizona. Long term, his burly 242-pound frame will allow him to be a strong rebounder at his position and also get to the line as often as he likes.

Scott Rafferty of Sporting News believes Johnson is the man for the Hornets. It is unlikely he falls to No. 9, just as it was a surprise that Vonleh fell to them at No. 9 last year. But if he is there, he might have to be the guy. Rafferty had the following to say about Johnson's potential fit as a defensive stopper and two-way stud.

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Johnson's potential on the defensive end is his biggest asset coming out of Arizona. At 6-7 and 242 pounds, he's a physical specimen and has all the tools to be the best two-way player in the draft. He's a handful to beat off the dribble, cuts off lanes to the basket well with his quick first step and uses his length perfectly to contest shots.

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Rafferty also noted the defensive potential of a Kemba Walker-MKG-Stanley Johnson trio. Few teams could compete with that kind of ball-hawking harassment.

Most importantly, Johnson showed his ability to fit into a system with coach Sean Miller's Wildcats. He can be a go-to guy without compromising his defense or affecting his teammates' production. He could one day be a good assist man, but even without becoming a big distributor, he has lethal offensive potential.

Whether or not he develops into a superstar, Johnson also has a relatively high floor as a prospect. If he falls to No. 9, the Hornets have to run to the podium. At 6'7", he and Kidd-Gilchrist could definitely coexist on the perimeter for this team. Both can strap up defensively, and Johnson's offensive prowess will take even more pressure off MKG on that end to contribute to his developing repertoire.

Willie Cauley-Stein

Things change pretty quickly around this time of the offseason. All it took was a Lance Stephenson trade and Al Jefferson exercising his player option to radically change Charlotte's draft outlook.

With Jefferson back, along with past first-round picks, Noah Vonleh and Cody Zeller, as well as the newly acquired Spencer Hawes, the chances of Charlotte going with a center are slim. Throw restricted free agent Bismack Biyombo into the mix, and now things are really confusing.

Yes, it would seem ridiculous for a team to select a big man for the third year in a row while sporting a backcourt that couldn't throw a basketball into the ocean. However, if the front office lets Biyombo walk and thinks this is Jefferson's last year, why wouldn't it take a look at Willie Trill Cauley-Stein? He could slide Jefferson down to power forward at times, easing some of the defensive pressure off the veteran.

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer has reported that the Hornets have in fact met with WCS. His draft stock may be rising, so he, like Johnson, is somewhat unlikely to be available at nine. But somebody has to slip, right?

No one is expecting Cauley-Stein to turn into Bill Russell, but he is capable of more than Calipari asked of him offensively. His ability to run the floor at 7'0" and punish opposing rims is extremely rare, but he displayed some solid offensive touch during his pre-draft workout.

Cauley-Stein is electric, which might be exactly what Charlotte needs. It has tried to build its roster around defensive intensity, but Jefferson is not capable of anchoring that kind of squad for the long term. Cauley-Stein is.

If head coach Steve Clifford wants to continue building upon what he already has, Cauley-Stein makes a lot of sense. He will immediately become one of the NBA's elite athletes at the center position and will demand that this team finally gets out in the open floor. He doesn't make as much sense as Booker or Johnson when it comes to fitting immediately, but a year or two down the road, he could be just what the doctor ordered for this franchise.