2020 Charlotte Draft Grades

[BigSlam]

Post 'em as you find 'em!!

[BigSlam]

Charlotte Hornets: C+

They had most of the draft universe available to them at No. 3 and they opted to select, in LaMelo Ball, a player with massive holes on his resume and in his game. I heard an analyst say he will be among the best passers in the league the moment he steps on the floor. That’s true. So was Ricky Rubio when he joined the Timberwolves in 2011, and he’s got 4,387 career assists and 11 career playoff appearances. (That’s games, not seasons). Ball has the same issues as Rubio: not a defender, not a shooter. Ball made 25 percent of his threes and 45 percent of his twos in Australia’s NBL. He can be spectacular, but it’s often in defeat. The Hornets get upgraded to a “plus” because of sharp second-round picks Vernon Carey of Duke (a wide-body with a shooting touch), Nick Richards of Kentucky (a versatile, dynamic big) and Grant Riller of Charleston (an elite shooter).

https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nba/news/nba-draft-2020-team-grades-warriors-hornets-cavaliers/1r0jxp5n09t4w1m6nbewcw0791

[BigSlam]

Michael Jordan went and did his thing on Wednesday. He got the top-rated prospect on our Big Board in LaMelo Ball at No. 3, and to shore up the center position, he added a pair of blue-chippers in Duke's Vernon Carey Jr. and Kentucky's Nick Richards. But wait, there's more! The Hornets also added four-year mid-major star Grant Riller, a lethal creator at the point guard position who could be a sixth man or even play off Ball because of his scoring efficiency. Talented offensive weapon at every level. Grade: A+

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2020-nba-draft-team-grades-76ers-jordans-hornets-lead-way-with-highest-marks-knicks-make-shrewd-moves/

[BigSlam]

Charlotte Hornets (A+).

Owner Michael Jordan couldn't botch this one. With the Timberwolves and Warriors picking conservatively with Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman at Nos. 1 and 2, that left the Hornets with Ball, a 6-7 point guard who can immediately bring star power. The Hornets also capitalized on Duke big man Vernon Carey Jr. falling with the 32nd pick. They also nabbed point guard Grant Riller, another borderline first-round talent, with the 56th pick.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2020/11/19/nba-draft-grades-2020-all-30-teams-ranked-best-worst/3774369001/

[BigSlam]

Charlotte Hornets = Grade: D

Regardless of how many people tell me Ball is an undeniable talent as a ball-handler and passer, I still cannot imagine a guy who cannot shoot and who ESPN’s Jay Bilas said does not guard anyone will be worth the No. 3 pick, even in a bad draft. The Hornets required an All-NBA rise from Kemba Walker to make their only two playoff bids under Michael Jordan’s stewardship, and Ball may never reach that level. Plus, two of Charlotte’s few plus players — Terry Rozier and Devonte’ Graham — play Ball’s position.

The Hornets will hope to salvage some much-needed talent from their three second-round picks. Carey and Richards are centers with Duke and Kentucky pedigree, respectively. One needs more work defensively, and the other needs offensive improvement. Riller is a 23-year-old Fred VanVleet-type who may be a steal.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-draft-2020-grades-for-all-30-teams-from-philadelphias-success-to-houstons-failure-214040284.html

[BigSlam]

This was an obvious pick for the Hornets once the top two guys were off the board. There were a clear top three players in this draft, but the fact that no trades were made probably shows that teams behind the three didn’t value them that highly. and in a few years, these guys will be ranked interchangeably Ball should be able to bring the most out of the starting guards around him in Terry Rozier and Devonte Graham by allowing them to take less shots and better shots. Ball has tons of upside to work with as a dynamic passer and ball handler and can develop into one of the top playmakers in the NBA.

Carey is the one true big man in this class because of his size at 6’10, 270 pounds. He is a force that will play underneath the basket and protect the rim at the very least. Carey shows more promise to eventually develop a perimeter game, but a team that already has Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo is getting two more guys to sit in the post. With LaMelo Ball running the point now, at least we will get to see some exciting alley-oops.

Richards was listed as my second-round sleeper and I stand by it here. He has great size at 6’11 and a 7’4 wingspan, but he also has great leaping ability, which makes him play even taller. He developed an offensive game in his three years at Kentucky, but it still has a lot of room for improvement. He’s not a real threat outside of the paint, but he will hold his own and grab rebounds and block shots off the bench while providing quality minutes. And he is a Kentucky Wildcat, which is starting to become a strength on its own for draft prospects.

Riller was a great playmaker at Charleston and was one of the better players among the mid-major conferences. He is great with the ball in his hands and is an above average shooter. He only shot 36% as a senior, but this mostly had to do with the intense defensive game plan that came his way. Whether he can contribute as a role player as opposed to a star remains to be seen. he’s older and has a number of question marks, and could end up in Europe.

Grade: B

https://www.nbadraft.net/2020-nba-draft-grades-eastern-conference/

[powerforward]

these grades that include fit with our current guys are dumb- who cares that biz and zeller are on roster? why would it matter that rozier and graham are our current backcourt we were terrible and we dont have a single player that isnt replaceable
its lazy

[BigSlam]

Charlotte Hornets: PG LaMelo Ball, USA

Ball was my No. 1 prospect in this draft class. This was a no-brainer. Charlotte has good guards, but Ball has the potential to be a star. There are lots of things to be improved -- defense first on the list -- but if he becomes the best version of himself, he will be the best player in this draft class. He is a 6-6/6-7 point guard who can play off the ball, but you want to keep the ball in his hands because of his creativity.

Grade: A+

C Vernon Carey Jr., Duke

After selecting Ball, the Hornets go big -- literally. Carey shores up the center position in Charlotte, where depth is lacking, and gives the franchise a paint presence who can score it and rebound it at a high level. He's more of a throwback big -- he took only 21 3-point attempts in college -- but the shooting touch is there for him to one day develop into a more modern big with deeper scoring range.

Grade: C+

C Nick Richards, Kentucky

Richards is coming off a fabulous junior season as one of the best shot-blockers and rim-runners in the SEC. We had a late second-round grade on Richards so this is a bit rich, but it fits a need.

Grade: C

PG Grant Riller, Charleston

The Hornets went and had themselves a draft. Riller is one of the draft's most dynamic offensive players at the point guard position, giving them another playmaker on a roster that on the whole lacks them. We considered Riller a borderline first-rounder, so show this report card off, Charlotte.

Grade: A

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2020-nba-draft-grades-pick-by-pick-results-tracker-and-analysis-for-completed-rounds-1-and-2/

[BigSlam]

No. 3 Pick: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets

No prospect offers more upside than LaMelo Ball, so to get him at No. 3 is already a great start. And considering the state of the post-Kemba Walker Charlotte Hornets, they were right to be singularly focused on potential stardom.

For all the rare birds spotted in modern basketball, there aren't many 6'7" floor generals floating around. That's a big part of the appeal with Ball, who should step into this league as a top-10 passer, though his assist totals could be a bit muted by Charlotte’s lack of firepower.

His question marks come in...well, every non-passing part of the game. He has the handles to ditch defenders off the bounce but lacks the explosion to finish over the tall trees around the rim. He can shoot from everywhere, but he shouldn't try to as often as he does. His length should lend itself to defensive versatility, but it won't unless he can motor up at that end.

He's the biggest boom-or-bust prospect in this draft. That speaks to both his high-end upside—Wasserman compared Ball to Penny Hardaway—but also his many possible pitfalls.

The Hornets should have an identity with Ball, and even if all the pieces don’t fit it—is this roster big enough for Ball, Devonte’ Graham and Terry Rozier?—they can worry about cohesion later. Grabbing the top talent now was the right move.

Grade: A-

No. 32 Pick: Vernon Carey Jr., Charlotte Hornets
It doesn’t get more modern than a 6’7” floor general, which the Hornets nabbed by taking LaMelo Ball in the No. 3 spot. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get less modern than Vernon Carey Jr., who they took 29 picks later.

The biggest boost to Carey's draft stock would've been a time machine since his back-to-the-basket polish doesn't have nearly the same appeal it would have even 10 years ago. But his interior scoring and work on the offensive glass can still boost a bench unit in the right role.

Wasserman likened Carey to Enes Kanter, which isn't a particularly favorable comparison. It does speak to Carey's interior skill—and he has more shooting promise than Kanter has shown—but also his limitations at the defensive end.

Charlotte came into this draft with long-term question marks at the 5. This selection does not answer them.

Grade: D+

No. 42 Pick: Nick Richards, Charlotte Hornets (via Pelicans)

The Charlotte Hornets acquired the No. 42 pick from the New Orleans Pelicans, per Charania, and pulled big man Nick Richards out of Kentucky.

While a roster spot there sometimes feels like a free pass to the NBA, the Wildcats center wasn’t at all a lock to reach this point.

He played three seasons under John Calipari and didn’t average more than 15 minutes until this past one. But he opened plenty of eyes with energy, activity and a slew of personal-best averages, and he might carve out a niche role in Charlotte.

“Nick Richards will be called on to run the floor, dive to the hoop, finish and block shots,” Wasserman wrote. “He put himself in position to get drafted by improving his motor, activity and mid-range touch.”

Grade: C

No. 56 Pick: Grant Riller, Charlotte Hornets

There was a non-zero chance Grant Riller could land in the first round, provided teams trusted his production at Charleston could translate to the NBA. They apparently weren’t buying it, but maybe their loss will prove the Hornets’ gain.

Admittedly, Riller's stats are almost hard to believe. He just delivered back-to-back seasons of 21.9 points per game and finished his four-year career at Charleston with a 61.6 true shooting percentage. He's an elite ambidextrous finisher at the rim and a fiery three-point shooter who can ignite at any time.

Saying that, playing for the Cougars didn't exactly put him up against the highest-quality competition. Plus, he was prone to bouts of tunnel vision since his teammates weren't on the same level.

If his shooting and finishing translate, he'll be a steal. If they don't, it could be tricky to find the right role for him, though there’s almost nothing to lose at this stage of the draft.

Grade: A

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2918185-2020-nba-draft-live-grades-for-every-pick

[SWedd523]

I immediately ignore/scroll past any grade or commentary based around "what Jordan did" or "who Jordan picked"

Lazy, wrong, and ignorant journalism

[wilson115]

No. 32 Pick: Vernon Carey Jr., Charlotte Hornets
It doesn’t get more modern than a 6’7” floor general, which the Hornets nabbed by taking LaMelo Ball in the No. 3 spot. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get less modern than Vernon Carey Jr., who they took 29 picks later.

Grade: D+

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2918185-2020-nba-draft-live-grades-for-every-pick

Guess they missed Carey in high school. If all they'd seen of Bam coming in was with the Wildcats, they'd think all he could do was blocks and putbacks.

[Rich4114]

These grades are meaningless.

[-Ian-]

The Ringer

3. Charlotte Hornets: LaMelo Ball, G, Illawarra

LaMelo instantly gives the Hornets an identity, something they have never really had since the franchise’s revival. There’s no guarantee that he will pan out, but he has more upside than anyone they have ever drafted. He’s a 6-foot-7 point guard with elite passing ability who will be a triple-double threat from Day 1. The question is whether he will ever be a threat to make 3s, instead of just take them. Ball will likely be an inefficient offensive player for the first few years of his career, but there’s no one in Charlotte whom he’ll be taking shots away from. He will make everyone around him better. And people outside of North Carolina (and inside too) will actually watch them play.

Grade: A

[-Ian-]

It's not really a grade but I want to share Zach Lowe's thoughts about our 3rd pick. Here's the Hornets bit from his podcast:

Lowe:
I absolutely loved what Charlotte did and how they handled their business. They had talks with Minnesota about trading up, Minnesota wanted a ton – like, core young player and a couple of picks. Charlotte was like, okay, you know what, we're not gonna just give up everything to fill a positional need particularly if it looks like LaMelo Ball is gonna fall to us. And I'm just so excited for Hornets fans because they've been in this purgatory of irrelevance for so long and they're relevant again. Maybe LaMelo bust out, but they've been aching for someone who could be the guy. Someone who could galvanize their team. Someone who could give them an identity. And they've got a shot at one and they didn't give up anything, they didn't panic and overpay to move up to #1 to get James Wiseman and I think that was smart.

Lowe to Givony: You've been high on LaMelo this whole time. When did it become clear to you that this was gonna be Charlotte's path? How do you think he fits with their team? They have these 2 guards in Terry Rozier and Devonte' Graham. Those guys are fine. Charlotte can't be making any decisions because they have Rozier and Graham on their team. They have to pick a guy who they think is the best guy.

Givony:
All these talk about LaMelo Ball falling with these bad workouts, bad interviews, it's all nonsense. He was always going to be a top 3 pick and Charlotte decided very early on that this is a 3-player draft and we're sitting at 3. We're going to pick whichever guy from the 3 is there. And they informed the other guys who were in consideration that we're going to move in a different direction. That's the kind of classy guy Mitch Kupchak is. He's not going to leave you hanging in the wind until you're sweating until the very last second. Ball was always going to be in the top 3. I think he preferred to go to Charlotte over Minnesota. I think he would've slightly rather be in Golden State right now but he's happy to end up in Charlotte. He's going to have the keys to the franchise right away. They're gonna be globally relevant. They're gonna be on TV nationally fairly often and it's gonna be fun. It's going to be ups and downs; there’s gonna be turnovers and bad shots and blown defensive assignments. But there's gonna be magic, too, because this kid if special. He has IT. And what NBA GMs are telling me throughout the whole process is, you don't find talent like LaMelo Ball and all the nonsense about his dad, and all that – he needs to work on his body, he needs to be a more consistent shooter. That's on us. That's not on him. It's our job to find talent and develop it and put these guys in the right situation, surround them with the right players, and develop them. And that’s what Charlotte is going to do with Ball right now.