Grade the Draft

[JDR720]

Tidjane Salaun in the first.
KJ Simpson in the 2nd.

Got 3 unprotected 2nd's for taking Reggie Jackson (technically not draft related, but putting in here anyway)

[JDR720]

I actually sort like the KJ pick. He fits the profile of the 2nd rounders we've taken that turned out good. Upperclassman. Skilled. Good intangibles. The Ringer had him as the 32nd pick. Solid B.

The Saluan pick is... I'm not sure. On one hand I don't really care since everyone we've been debating wasn't on the board (Reed/Castle/Holland) but not taking Clingan could bite us. C-

Getting 3 2nd's in the 50's is whatever. But I also think it's funny that we traded for Jackson again. A

Overall, C+

[Walt Cronkite]

We should wait 4 years to do these.

[Snidely FC]

F

Salaun when Buzelis Williams and Topic on the board and Miles Bridges in his position

so many better second round options available Harrison Ingram Kevin McCullar Djurisic Larsson Jalen Bridges PJ Hall Quinten Post I mean other choices that would have brought something more beneficial not a fan of Simpson with Micic Mann NSJ Bailey already on the roster

I don't get these picks or like them

[EmpireFalls]

Only blind optimism could give this better than a D+ grade given the players we passed on and the selections made. On the other hand, in 4 years it might look genius. We have no idea.

[luciano-davidwesley]

I don't think we passed on too much other than possibly Topic, though we weren't the only ones not sold on him obviously. So from that perspective I like the idea of taking a swing for the fences rather than playing it safe, even if Salaun is clearly not going to contribute any time soon. I'm not going to lie though, I generally did not like most of what I've seen of him so far. He has a great frame and length though and he might develop a decent 3 ball.

I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt being 18. C-

I like the KJ Simpson pick, he looks like a genuine PG with passing chops and he can shoot it well too. My only concern is he is undersized. B

Overall I give the draft a C

[Robot Rock]

I was overly kind and gave it a D. I don’t hate the KJ Simpson pick because second-rounders are rarely reaches and his numbers were great in college.

[JMAC3]

I will give the draft overall a B-

Part 1: Salaun pick.
- With Castle, Reed, Holland off the board. No matter who we took there were going to be questions.
- I would have given a D, if we traded up in the worst draft in the last decade by giving up a future first.
- I would have also given it a D if we took Knecht, Edey, Dillingham- all glaring flaws longterm.
- Clingan would have been the ultimate safe pick, Salaun is the ultimate swing for the fences pick. I would have felt roughly the same on either guy.
- I would have given the pick a B, if we had taken Matas or Cody, but I think all 3 were pretty similar at EOD.
-Salaun checks a lot of boxes. Size, Shooting projection, Defensive upside. The only concern is does he do enough with shot creation.
- I liked Salaun enough; I would have preferred to trade down (but I will touch on that in a minute).
This portion of the draft I give a B-

Part 2: KJ Simpson pick.
- I had a few guys I preferred, but it is hard to get too tilted over a guy that probably will be on a two-way no matter who we picked.
- I think he presents a solid 3rd pg option, who can score and facilitate.
- Biggest concerns are size and the large 3pt shooting jump 25.5% to 27.5% alll the way to where he shot this year at 43.5%
- Things that give me hope are his ft% has always been good, 87% this year and he had 11 dunks, so he is bouncy for his size.
This portion of the draft I give a C

Part 3: The Trade
- This really does save the draft in some ways for me. Why?
- Because by picking up 3 future 2nds for taking on a measly 5 million.
- It essentially simulates a decent return on if we had dropped from #6 down a few spots
- Which apparently, we were nervous to do and lose Salaun to Spurs.
- So, we still got our guy and the future draft capital at the end of the day.
This portion of the draft I give A-

[MPM]

1st Round: I only had one A option come draft day (Sarr) and a large group of B's headlined by Topic, Holland, and Salaun. Pre-re-injury Topic was also an A and I considered Risacher in that group for awhile but soured on him. Would've also given B's to a laundry list of others (Castle, Sheppard, Carter, etc), a C to a guy everyone else likes more than me (Clingan), and an F for Dilly. Flat draft B

2nd Round: Who knows. KJ's a megamillions ticket. His stature will be a liability if he beats the odds and cracks the big boy squad, but - again - who knows. Seems likable and a hard worker, I expect him to look good in Summer League, and I hope he can carve out a career. The only guy remaining who I really wanted was Djurisic, who I thought we should've grabbed, so going C

So...suppose this means an overall C+

[Bassman]

Salaun was their choice behind whomever they were targeting for the trade up at 3. Don’t agree with the pick choice as I would have either taken Clingan, or traded him back with Detroit and taken one of Williams, Buzelis or Salaun. Peterson went to Paris and fell in love, so c'est la vie. Grade C -.

Second round give a C. I love TJ’s skill set despite his height, and he shows promise as a contributor off the bench. Brings great character and leadership to influence team culture. Wanted Hornets to trade UP and get Furphy…the price of dealing a couple extra 2nds likely,,,so what?

So my overall grade is a generous C. Grading on a curve with this being the new regimes first go at it. Let’s hope they get better quickly with free agency looming.

[MPM]

Feel free to add more, but some media grades:

USA Today: C+

The Hornets took a gamble at No. 6 with France’s Tidjane Salaun who was projected by several mock drafts as a later lottery pick. But the Hornets see something, and we will find out if they’re right. They found a solid all-around guard in Colorado's KJ Simpson in the second round.

Yahoo!: A-

Salaun is a high-motor wing who loves to get up and down the court. Hornets fans might initially be questioning this pick, but his potential as an inside-outside threat alongside Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball is promising. Simpson was the best floor general in the Pac-12 this past season, and he plays much bigger than his 6-1 frame. The experience he has fits perfectly in Charlotte. He can come in right away and play behind Ball with the second unit.

Bleacher Report: B-

The Charlotte Hornets drafted a project at No. 6 in French forward Tidjane Salaün, but he's another prospect who could develop into the kind of multipositional forward that every team wants right now.

He's 6'9" with a 7'1" wingspan and already plays a physical brand of basketball that Charlotte could be missing without P.J. Washington (traded last season) and Miles Bridges (a free agent this summer). It could take a while for Salaün to figure out how to shoot, but he's on a team that should give him plenty of time to develop.

The next day, the Hornets went a bit more conventional, taking a productive junior from Colorado, though KJ Simpson comes with his own concerns. The 21-year-old averaged 19.7 points and shot 43.4 percent from deep, but he was below 30 in each of the seasons prior to this one, and he came in at just over 6'0" tall at the combine.

CBS: B-

Charlotte was one of the big wild cards of the lottery on draft night and they indeed surprised with its pick at No. 6, selecting Salaun – not Dalton Knecht, Donovan Clingan, Matas Buzelis or Cody Williams. I think it was a perfectly reasonable choice to make at No. 6, even if it doesn't blow my socks off. Salaun's a big forward who can shoot the ball and at times looked like the better prospect between he and fellow Frenchman Zaccharie Risacher this season. He's a developmental prospect with room to grow but this is a nice swing for a franchise in something of a reboot.

Sporting News: C

The Hornets reached for Salaun at No. 6, even considering his potential as an athletic 6-9 floor-spacing forward. His potential is undeniable and the fit could be strong if he pans out, but I'd be surprised if they couldn't have traded back and still landed their guy. Simpson was an awesome second-round pick. He's a competitive playmaker who can fight for backup guard minutes.

[countryboi]

when the media likes our draft more than we do...wild times.

it feels like a C draft, Salaun feels like a reach with more NBA ready plans on the board.

I like KJ alot though

[EmpireFalls]

The thing about drafting Salaun is he’s so outwardly raw that it buys time to say “let him develop”. It’s a shift in the Overton window. The question might better be asked: why did you spend a top 6 pick on a player who has such a long way to go?

[Liver_Pooty]

The thing about drafting Salaun is he’s so outwardly raw that it buys time to say “let him develop”. It’s a shift in the Overton window. The question might better be asked: why did you spend a top 6 pick on a player who has such a long way to go?

Probably because we won 21 games last year with a lot of question marks and uncertainty due to Miles free agency and a horrid draft. Why not?

[MasterIchiro]

I grade it T for terrifying. Scary Terry.

[GiggitySmalls]

Z-

Zero hope for this franchise

Sent from my SM-F936U using RealGM mobile app

[MasterIchiro]

Once the weed kicks in you start contemplating this dude hitting on his upside.

I still think his limitations as a shot creator also limit his peak value to role player.

But if I can stay focused on his upside, I'm better able to grade the draft more favorably.

It's been hard to reach this point because 1) I wanted Castle 2) I wanted Reed 3) I preferred Clingan as a trade asset @ 6.

That talent we left on the table was hardly unserious. So our front office is likely Snoop Doggie Doggin' it right now.

Letdown for some fans but probably some strong energies swirling around that front office.

[SWedd523]

I, too, downgrade their score for not taking two guys who weren't available and a "trade asset" that may or may not have materialized into anything

[Robot Rock]

Knowing that Simpson was gonna miss considerable time due to injury, but picking him anyway, moves this to an F. That was stupid.

And that's not even accounting for Salaun's "minor" "laceration" near his knee, and the ensuing infection that's gonna come from any Hornets training staff member "treating" it.

[luciano-davidwesley]

Knowing that Simpson was gonna miss considerable time due to injury, but picking him anyway, moves this to an F. That was stupid.

And that's not even accounting for Salaun's "minor" "laceration" near his knee, and the ensuing infection that's gonna come from any Hornets training staff member "treating" it.

Do you not draft who you think is the BPA because he has a likely non-chronic injury that will probably be recovered in time for the start of training camp or not long after?