At The Hive’s 2024 NBA Big Board, vol. 3 – At The Hive

The At The Hive big board is back with another update.

We’ve officially reached the homestretch of the 2024 draft cycle. With just exactly two weeks remaining until the NBA Draft, teams, analysts and armchair scouts (me) are finalizing their prospect rankings. Intel starts to factor in a bit more this time of year as players are shuttled to and from pre-draft interviews, workouts and meetings, and the rumor mill has started churning.

Our beloved Charlotte Hornets have been featured in some of the rumors that have popped up recently. In ESPN’s latest mock draft, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo mentioned that Mark Williams’ presence “might preclude” drafting Donovan Clingan, and that Cody Williams and Ron Holland II are “names to watch” for the sixth pick. Sam Vecenie mentioned that Charlotte’s pick is “seen as an inflection point” in the draft in his latest mock for The Athletic, given the unpredictability of a totally new front office. It’s shaping up to be an exciting draft regardless of which prospect ends up being selected by the Hornets.

In this update, we’ll cover some second-round prospects and trade-back targets. I’m anticipating a good bit of movement in this draft with the lack of general consensus, and wouldn’t be surprised if the Hornets look to further stockpile future draft picks by moving around the board. Dropping from the sixth pick to the latter half of the lottery may not affect the quality of prospects available as much as usual, but it still gives them a different group of names to pick from. Let’s talk about some of my favorites in that late-lottery to mid-first range.

Bub Carrington: Slick ball-handler and pull-up scorer with deep range at 6-foot-5. Carrington recorded a triple-double in his collegiate debut and finished his ACC All-Freshman season averaging 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists. The 18-year-old started every game he played at Pittsburgh, flashed some interesting deceleration and flexibility getting to his jumper off the bounce, and showed that he can initiate offense and set the table for teammates. For what he lacks in explosion and burst, he makes up for with quick hands, light feet and positional size. Similar play style to Hornets Devonte’ Graham but much taller and perhaps an even better shooter and playmaker. Not for nothing, “Bub Carrington” is a strong name.

Dillon Jones: One word sums up Jones’ game; versatility. The position-less wing initiated offense for Weber State, was their best perimeter shot creator and low-post scorer, and was a legitimate 1-through-5 defender. The biggest knock on his game is 3-point shooting with his highest mark being 35.4% back in 2021-22, though he shot 32% from deep on 322 total attempts for his career, 82.3% from the line and 41.1% on two-point jumpers with a whopping 94.3% of those mid-range attempts being unassisted. Jones filled a variety of roles at Weber State and displayed diverse shotmaking, playmaking feel, switchable defense with steal production and extremely high-level rebounding (31.1% DREB, second in the entire country).

Isaiah Crawford: Similar to Jones, Crawford’s appeal is two-way versatility. After suffering a torn ACL in the same knee as a freshman and junior, he bounced back athletically and statistically in his final two years at Louisiana Tech. A 41.7% 3-point shooter on 180 total attempts as a senior and fifth-year, Crawford has broadened his creation ability by attacking closeouts, pulling up in the mid-range and using an array of turnarounds, fadeaways and back-to-the-basket moves. Defensively, a strong 6-foot-6 frame with a wingspan over 7 feet gives him tremendous versatility combined with his lateral mobility and elite processing speed on that end. Crawford is skilled and smart, with some elite physical traits for a wing.

Jalen Bridges: Here’s how I’d prioritize my Two-Way players and their roles; one young, high-upside prospect with developmental runway, one experienced player with near-immediate NBA translation even in a limited capacity, and one player that spends most of the year in the G League helping foster a productive environment for development on-court. Jalen Bridges fits like a glove into the third category as a 23-year-old forward that spaces the floor, defends his position and contributes on the glass. If Bridges would take a Two-Way deal, I’d be all over him with the 42nd pick. Putting developmental players in a better position to succeed rather than toiling on a subpar G League team is something I’d be looking to fix if I were the front office.

Cam Spencer: Though he does possess NBA-level ability as a movement shooter and pick and roll passer, Spencer is going to be a culture pick wherever he lands. The fifth-year senior capped off his college career with a national championship at Connecticut and has long been revered for his work ethic, undying intensity, dedication to success, approach to his role and leadership style admired by teammates. One thing is for certain; Spencer is going to bring it every single day, whether that’s in practice, games, workouts, or film sessions. The dude just gets after it and the Hornets need more players like that.

Aaaaand that’s all for now, folks. Time for the updated top-100. Sound off in the comments.