Charlotte Hornets Secure 6th Pick In The NBA Draft

In the 2023 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets secured Brandon Miller in the first round with the second overall pick. The great scorer from Alabama averaged roughly 17-4-2 in his rookie year. He also shot 44% from the floor and 37% from beyond the arc. The Hornets also picked up Nick Smith Jr. with the 27th pick last year and he was a role player for them.

In the 2022 NBA Draft, they selected Jalen Duran and Mark Williams in the first round. Jalen Duran bounced to the Knicks and the Pistons. Mark Williams has been injured in his first two seasons with the team. The Hornets picked him up as they desperately needed a traditional big man to grab the boards. That’s been a missing piece for their team since Al Jefferson was on the squad. Hopefully, he can be healthier entering his third year with them.

The other first-round draft picks they had in the last five years were James Bouknight, Lamelo Ball, and P.J. Washington. P.J. Washington was a good stretch four that could use a bit more muscle, but now he’s a key piece to the Dallas Mavericks, who are currently in the playoffs.

Lamelo Ball and Brandon Miller On The Hornets

LaMelo Ball has been a solid player WHEN he has been healthy, with emphasis on WHEN. He has had a series of injuries that kept him on the sidelines. He averaged 24-5-8 last season but only played for 22 games, so his stats may be inflated due to how little he played due to injuries.

The one-time All-Star would show glimpses of his floor general potential as a point guard but rarely finished seasons. The Hornets hope Lamelo and Brandon Miller can play more games together to build up their chemistry. With Brandon Miller possibly becoming the primary scoring option or a secondary scoring option, thanks to Miles Bridges’s productivity, Lamelo would have no problem creating plays for them two.

Who Does The Hornets Take With The 6th Pick?

Per SI , they have Stephon Castle from UCONN joining Charlotte. They said the best outcome for him is to produce like a versatile Andre Iguadola: a defensive menace who can do a little bit of everything on offense. The worst-case scenario for him would be to play like Issac Okoro or a smaller Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.