Could be a very interesting draft lottery tonight. Obviously getting Wembanyama would be huge and itās not crazy impossible for it to happen. However, if the Hornets donāt get the #1 pick, what do you do then. The next 5 or so predicted picks donāt seem like clear-cut picks for the Hornets. They donāt need Scoot Henderson. Brandon Miller has his off the court issues. Then most people have the Thompson twins next, yet thereās no clear-cut pick of which one should go first.
I fear this could end up like the MKG draft, where the Hornets have a top 4 pick but are unable to get a franchise player unless they get the #1 pick.
My bet, if we donāt get Wemby, is to pick Scoot and work out the issues or pick Whitmore. Whitmore is basically Miles Bridges, but younger with the ability to guard a SG. Iād run Melo, Whitmore, Bridges, Washington, and Williams out as a starting line-up and run every team to death.
Why donāt the hornets need the 2nd best player in the draft? I guarantee you the 2nd best player in the draft is a career starter in the nba barring injury.
Letās talk about this in 5-7 years. I believe you gotta pick best player available and figure it out. If they pick the 2nd (or even 1st) best player in the draft, theyāll be a great player for Charlotte.
Like Lillard though you donāt have to use the second pick on the second best player. You may be able to trade down and still find the second best guy if your scout team knows their shit.
For the Hornets, I think the best pick would be Whitmore. He can be obtained between 4 to 7. He is big enough to play SG thru PF and I think he would complement Melo on the court. I wouldnāt be opposed to drafting the consensus second best player, Scoot. Scoot plays point, but he is a lot like Rozier who is more of a combo guard. Melo also plays well off the ball. I think they could share the ball handling responsibilities. It would be a very dynamic backcourt. Scoot is incredibly athletic and if I remember correctly has about 5 inches more reach than Rozier. This would allow him to play better defense then Rozier.
The question with Henderson in my mind is, will he be a Derrick Rose or will he be a Dennis Smith? Personally, I prefer pass first PGs, which we already have in Melo. So that makes Henderson a 6ā2" SF in my opinion.
I think Scoot is more Rose than Smith. Scoot has made and is making to many moves that make me think he is legit. He went to the GLeague at 17 and wasnāt played off the floor. He went toe to toe with Wemby in back to back games. He has joined up with Steph Curry for a mentorship program for him. I think he has his head on straight and his body has all the talent in the world. We already have a good a PG in Melo, but so far he is fragile. It would be great to have someone who could play beside and replace him when injured. If Iām looking at 2 prospects of Scoot and Miller than Iām picking Miller. Miller is a great talent, but his lack of burst and off court issues worry me.