RealGM Consensus Mock - #11 Charlotte

[clyde21]

1 Detroit: Cade Cunningham
2 Houston: Jalen Green
3 Cleveland: Evan Mobley
4 Toronto: Jalen Suggs
5 Orlando: Jonathan Kuminga
6 Oklahoma City: Scottie Barnes
7 Golden State: Franz Wagner
8 Orlando: James Bouknight
9 Sacramento: Jalen Johnson
10 New Orleans: Moses Moody
11 Charlotte:

who does Charlotte take here?

[clyde21]

dream scenario for Charlotte imo, can get to pick the best non-Mobley big, whether they think it's Alpy, Kai or Usman.

[MemphisX]

Sengun

[amcoolio]

This would be a terrible scenario for Charlotte actually, I think they want Barnes, Moody, Wagner, Johnson, Bouknight in that order and somehow all five go before their pick. Hopefully some team reaches on Giddey or Sengun before their pick.

Charlotte takes Keon or Kispert in this scenario. Still shooting for upside on on the wing. Bigs like Sengun, Kai or Jackson can be found in free agency. If I had to take a big at 11 I'd take Kai but not be thrilled about it. They should all be in the 14-20 range. Maybe a trade down

[Stillwater]

lol I know Sengun or garuba make the most sense for fit but I wouldn't be surprised if Jackson gets nod over Garuba for bigs being a Kentucky prospect or Keon Johnson a freak of nature didnt get the job Charlotte needs hustle players
Keon Johnson window starts here imo

[MasterIchiro]

This would be a terrible scenario for Charlotte actually, I think they want Barnes, Moody, Wagner, Johnson, Bouknight in that order and somehow all five go before their pick. Hopefully some team reaches on Giddey or Sengun before their pick.

Charlotte takes Keon or Kispert in this scenario. Still shooting for upside on on the wing. Bigs like Sengun, Kai or Jackson can be found in free agency. If I had to take a big at 11 I'd take Kai but not be thrilled about it. They should all be in the 14-20 range. Maybe a trade down

Hornets would take BPA and in this scenario Davion Mitchell is BPA. Most mocks have him 7 but he's being underrated here. To have someone at 7 fall to 11 is fantastic. No way he gets past the Pelicans at 10. They need a hedge if Lonzo gets a stupid offer.

Now that we got the talent part accounted for we can deal with fit. Mitchell, while short, is a better combo guard defensively than Monk. And Mitchell is not a zero on offense. I'm buying his 3 ball. Monk, who is a zero on defense despite being 3 inches taller, would be renounced and 16 million would be freed for a center. Hornets would have 25 million to throw at Allen.

Hope the Cavs fans enjoy matching that. LOL

If not Allen, then Holmes.

So any draft where we can replace Monk brings either Allen or Holmes.

So Bouknight or Mitchell are perfect.

[amcoolio]

You can't pass up Keon and his potential for someone like Kai Jones, IMO.

Take Keon at 11 and go after Allen/Holmes/Theis/McGee/Collins

[Hal14]

Kai Jones is a perfect fit for Charlotte.

-Charlotte needs a big man
-Charlotte is a young team that is in semi-rebuilding mode (their best player is only 19 yrs old) so they can be patient and develop a guy who's raw now but has high ceiling later
-Charlotte (especially Lamelo) like to get out and run, push the pace which is exactly the style of play where Kai Jones excels

Kai gives Lamelo a lob threat to throw to and he also gives Charlotte a solid rim protector which they need.

It's a no brainer pick, IMO.

[Hal14]

You can't pass up Keon and his potential for someone like Kai Jones, IMO.

Take Keon at 11 and go after Allen/Holmes/Theis/McGee/Collins

What makes you think Keon has more potential than Kai Jones?

Just because Keon can jump high? Kai can just really high too, maybe not as high as Keon, but still very high. Both are raw, but Kai is bigger, longer wingspan, shoots better from 3, protects the rim, rebounds.

The guy who's record Keon broke in the vertical jump (Kenny Gregory) never even played in the NBA.

[clyde21]

This would be a terrible scenario for Charlotte actually, I think they want Barnes, Moody, Wagner, Johnson, Bouknight in that order and somehow all five go before their pick. Hopefully some team reaches on Giddey or Sengun before their pick.

Charlotte takes Keon or Kispert in this scenario. Still shooting for upside on on the wing. Bigs like Sengun, Kai or Jackson can be found in free agency. If I had to take a big at 11 I'd take Kai but not be thrilled about it. They should all be in the 14-20 range. Maybe a trade down

based on what? Melo/Rozier/Graham will take up majority of the usage, you've got the Martins, also at the forwards you already have Hayward, PJ and Bridges...unless the Hornets rank all of these guys as a tier above the remaining bigs (I guarantee you they don't) then this doesn't make any sense.

in this scenario, Hornets should take Alpy and run. going into next year with Zeller (who's a FA) as your 5 and virtually 0 developmental bigs on the roster (other than Carey) just so you can take another guard doesn't seem like the best use of resources. and this is a dream scenario because the Hornets literally get their pick of the litter outside Mobley.

[clyde21]

You can't pass up Keon and his potential for someone like Kai Jones, IMO.

Take Keon at 11 and go after Allen/Holmes/Theis/McGee/Collins

Melo/Rozier/Monk/Graham

Monk and Graham are RFAs, unless they are not being retained, where does Keon fit in all this? i'll never fault a team for taking whoever they think the BPA is, but if you don't have a plan for him and he doesn't fit the scheme/personnel, it ain't gonna matter.

it's just weird to me how Hornets fans are talking about grabbing more guards when the only 5s they have on the roster heading into next season at this point are Carey and Richards....but maybe I missin something here.

[clyde21]

You can't pass up Keon and his potential for someone like Kai Jones, IMO.

Take Keon at 11 and go after Allen/Holmes/Theis/McGee/Collins

keep in mind you will only have the non-tax mle to go after any of these dues, unless you're planning on renouncing Monk/Graham...so Allen/Collins are way out the picture for the Hornets.

[babyjax13]

This is the only way Sengun is not an easy pick here - if Johnson drops. Wagner going early is a big surprise and affects what follows pretty hard. I'm still going Sengun because I think he's got such a high skill level it'd be hard for him not to be really impactful, but I have him and Keon Johnson around the same place on my big board, and I think Keon has one of the highest upsides in the draft.

[amcoolio]

You can't pass up Keon and his potential for someone like Kai Jones, IMO.

Take Keon at 11 and go after Allen/Holmes/Theis/McGee/Collins

keep in mind you will only have the non-tax mle to go after any of these dues, unless you're planning on renouncing Monk/Graham...so Allen/Collins are way out the picture for the Hornets.

Not John Collins

Graham has a tiny cap hold

I think its a sure bet one of Monk or Graham is gone

And to answer your earlier questions, the wings are just better than the bigs in that range. And yes, Charlotte needs a center or two bad....but its much harder to find Wagner/Kispert/Johnson types for cheap than to get bigs.

Charlotte needs scoring and shooting just as much as they need a center. Also we aren't in any position to reach for a center and start contending like the Suns

[clyde21]

You can't pass up Keon and his potential for someone like Kai Jones, IMO.

Take Keon at 11 and go after Allen/Holmes/Theis/McGee/Collins

keep in mind you will only have the non-tax mle to go after any of these dues, unless you're planning on renouncing Monk/Graham...so Allen/Collins are way out the picture for the Hornets.

Not John Collins

Graham has a tiny cap hold

I think its a sure bet one of Monk or Graham is gone

And to answer your earlier questions, the wings are just better than the bigs in that range. And yes, Charlotte needs a center or two bad....but its much harder to find Wagner/Kispert/Johnson types for cheap than to get bigs.

Charlotte needs scoring and shooting just as much as they need a center. Also we aren't in any position to reach for a center and start contending like the Suns

again, it all depends on where these players exist on Charlotte's bb...if they are all in the same tier, you go with the bigs, if the guys you have listed are much higher on the bb than Alpy or Usman, then obviously you go that route. but again, I doubt that's the case.

i think Charlotte would consider itself very luck this played out the way it did, essentially being able to grab the best non-Mobley big in the entire class whoever they think that is.

[clyde21]

also, if you think Charlotte needs scoring much more than anything else, not sure why u don't think Alpy should be pick here and instead go Keon...Alpy projects to be a much better scorer than Keon if that's what ur looking for specifically.

[DCasey91]

I don’t mind Garuba here.

Hornets have plenty in the guard and playmaking department.

Garuba would be nice on that team.

[amcoolio]

Kai Jones is a perfect fit for Charlotte.

-Charlotte needs a big man
-Charlotte is a young team that is in semi-rebuilding mode (their best player is only 19 yrs old) so they can be patient and develop a guy who's raw now but has high ceiling later
-Charlotte (especially Lamelo) like to get out and run, push the pace which is exactly the style of play where Kai Jones excels

Kai gives Lamelo a lob threat to throw to and he also gives Charlotte a solid rim protector which they need.

It's a no brainer pick, IMO.

Kai is not a center. I don't even know what his role is in the NBA. I guess a Jalen/Jaden McDaniels type but very poor with the ball in his hands. No thank you.

Kai Jones, 6’11” Texas, ESPN: #14


At a glance Jones has appeal as an athletic 6’11” who can finish lobs, and has a passable outside shot making 38.2% from 3 an 68.9% FT as a sophomore for Texas.

But if you give him a closer look, you run into the enigma that he doesn’t know how to play basketball and it is not clear how he fits into a NBA lineup. He has the skill level of a center but plays more like a big wing defensively, which is not ideal.

Even though he seems like a guy who can make an open shot, he has a low 3PA rate of 3.3 attempts per 100 and at 67.7% FT from his career he still projects to be more of a barely passable shooter than an actively good one. And he is a non-handler with a bad assist to turnover ratio at 0.6 vs 1.4 per game, which strongly implies that he will struggle to play the perimeter in the NBA.

Defensively he cannot really play center. His 5.3% blk rate is more like a PF than an NBA rim protector, and his 8.9%/14.4% rebound rates are more like a SF.

Even if he can make an open shot he is going to depress an NBA offense with his lack of creation. If you are hoping for the next Jerami Grant, he had a higher usage (21.6 vs 18.2) and much better assist (1.4) to turnover (1.2) as a 2 month younger sophomore. And in spite of being 3.75″ shorter, he measured with 1″ better wingspan (7’2.75″ vs 7’1.75″) and is the more explosive athlete. He made 0 three pointers as a sophomore and then developed into a solid NBA 3 point shooter and now you have a decent perimeter player. That is not a possibility for Kai.

If you are hoping for the next Christian Wood, then good luck with that. Let’s compare their sophomore seasons per 100 possessions:

Age Pts Rebs Ast Tov Stl Blk
Wood 19.3 29.6 18.7 2.4 4.5 0.6 5.1
Kai 19.9 22.3 12.2 1.5 3.5 2.1 2.3
Wood completely destroys him across the board outside of steals, while being 8 months younger and 1.5″ longer. He also had the better career NCAA FT% (74.7 vs 67.7) and 3PA rate (5.7 vs 3.3), and he somehow went undrafted.

The draft can be strange and funny how randomly guys get hyped out of nowhere. A projected lotto pick shouldn’t get crushed this hard by a past undrafted free agent, but here we are with Kai looking like a homeless man’s version of Christian Wood. And what makes it even stranger is that he didn’t even play a major role for his NCAA team, as he only started 4 of his 26 games as a sophomore.

If we are being optimistic, his steal rate is a bit of a saving grace, and maybe he can be some sort of wing stopper defensively who can squeak by as a small 5 on occasions. But his ball skills are just so so bad for a guy who is not a full time center on D, he simply does not belong in round 1.

[amcoolio]

keep in mind you will only have the non-tax mle to go after any of these dues, unless you're planning on renouncing Monk/Graham...so Allen/Collins are way out the picture for the Hornets.

Not John Collins

Graham has a tiny cap hold

I think its a sure bet one of Monk or Graham is gone

And to answer your earlier questions, the wings are just better than the bigs in that range. And yes, Charlotte needs a center or two bad....but its much harder to find Wagner/Kispert/Johnson types for cheap than to get bigs.

Charlotte needs scoring and shooting just as much as they need a center. Also we aren't in any position to reach for a center and start contending like the Suns

again, it all depends on where these players exist on Charlotte's bb...if they are all in the same tier, you go with the bigs, if the guys you have listed are much higher on the bb than Alpy or Usman, then obviously you go that route. but again, I doubt that's the case.

i think Charlotte would consider itself very luck this played out the way it did, essentially being able to grab the best non-Mobley big in the entire class whoever they think that is.

Sengun could be on Charlotte's radar, but that gives them a very undersized frontcourt and can't switch on the perimeter...that doesn't seem to be in Kupchak's wheelhouse, especially with switchable wings on the board

Again there just isn't a big at 11 that is worth drafting over any of the wings or guards. Maybe if they trade back to 16 or so (I hope not). I honestly think the bigs will be available late in round 1 or in round 2, where Charlotte can snag one if they want.

[SNPA]

Not John Collins

Graham has a tiny cap hold

I think its a sure bet one of Monk or Graham is gone

And to answer your earlier questions, the wings are just better than the bigs in that range. And yes, Charlotte needs a center or two bad....but its much harder to find Wagner/Kispert/Johnson types for cheap than to get bigs.

Charlotte needs scoring and shooting just as much as they need a center. Also we aren't in any position to reach for a center and start contending like the Suns

again, it all depends on where these players exist on Charlotte's bb...if they are all in the same tier, you go with the bigs, if the guys you have listed are much higher on the bb than Alpy or Usman, then obviously you go that route. but again, I doubt that's the case.

i think Charlotte would consider itself very luck this played out the way it did, essentially being able to grab the best non-Mobley big in the entire class whoever they think that is.

Sengun could be on Charlotte's radar, but that gives them a very undersized frontcourt and can't switch on the perimeter...that doesn't seem to be in Kupchak's wheelhouse, especially with switchable wings on the board

Again there just isn't a big at 11 that is worth drafting over any of the wings or guards. Maybe if they trade back to 16 or so (I hope not). I honestly think the bigs will be available late in round 1 or in round 2, where Charlotte can snag one if they want.

Agreed. A wing or guard that fits Ball is the right pick here. Ball needs certain types of bigs and as good as Sengun can be the fit is questionable for optimizing both players.