Charlotte Hornets 2024 NBA mock draft roundup, all star break edition – At The Hive

The all star break is here, which means we don’t have any Charlotte Hornets basketball to talk about for a little bit. Just when it was getting good too.

The team has won three straight games and suddenly looks competent to borderline good after bolstering their bench with real NBA players in the trades of Gordon Hayward and PJ Washington. It’s berthed visions of a team that could compete for the playoffs next season if LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams stay healthy. The recent success and sudden increase in aspirations has shifted perceptions on this draft, which is probably for the better. It feels less important that the Hornets find another star, meaning you don’t have to cringe as much about wins hurting draft position down the stretch. And it doesn’t seem like there’s much star power to be found in this upcoming draft anyway. There’s no clear top prospect or tier of prospects. It’s just one big blob of maybes.

That makes for a lot of unpredictability at this point of the draft process. We’ve got a bunch of mock drafts that have a bunch of different players mocked to the Hornets.

ESPN: Nikola Topic, guard, Mega MIS (Serbia)

Topic reminds me a little bit of Goran Dragic in the highlights I’ve seen of him. He likes to get downhill, take off of one foot, and finish at funky angles around the basket. He’s also a terrific passer, particularly in pick and roll situations. There are questions about his defense and his shooting (he’s shooting 28% from three this season), but he’s shooting 88% of the line and has shown flashes of pull-up shooting ability. He’d be another big guard with passing chops to pair with LaMelo Ball that should fully unlock Brandon Miller as a shooter and scorer.

The Ringer: Reed Sheppard, guard, Kentucky

Since the Hornets just offloaded their small-ish combo guard they had paired with LaMelo Ball, why not draft another one? Sheppard has steadily risen up draft boards over the course of the season as his absurd efficiency has held true. He’s shooting 52% from three on decent value and has an insane true shooting percentage of 69.1%. He generates a ton of blocks and steals off the ball despite his underwhelming physical profile. He’s shouldered more ball handling burden in recent games and done well with it. He keeps passing all the tests, but a 6’3″ guard with an even wingspan and average athleticism is hard to trust at the top of the lottery. If the Hornets do take him, he adds some more toughness and outside shooting to a team that badly needs it.

Bleacher Report: Ron Holland, forward, G League Ignite

Bleacher Report elects to add another forward to the mix, which would theoretically slide Brandon Miller to the two if it all works out. Holland brings a defensive edge, intensity, and relentless motor that should be contagious for a Hornets team that’s trying to add some grit and edge to the roster. He has work to do as a shooter, but if he can become passable there, he can be a very high impact player.

CBS Sports: Rob Dillingham, guard, Kentucky

Another combo guard from Kentucky. I talked about the Terry Rozier comparison in the Reed Sheppard section, and Dillingham is an even greater facsimile of Rozier. He’s only 6’1″ or 6’2″ or so and leans a little bit more scoring over play making. He’s been better as a passer since he got to Kentucky, but he’s still primarily a bucket getter. He has a deep bag of finishing moves around the basket and is a knockdown shooter both off the catch and off the dribble. He tries on defense, but again, he’s kinda small.

Tankathon: Ja’Kobe Walter, guard, Baylor

Walter has the tools to be a 3&D guard on the wing. He’s been streaky in his freshman season, but the form is pristine and the confidence is boundless. He plays with intensity and passion that’s contagious. He has a good frame for a guard/wing and would fit seamlessly within the Hornets starting five if he ends up being as good as expected as a point of attack defender and shot maker slotted between LaMelo and Miller.

NBA Draft Net: Alexandre Sarr, big, Perth (Australia) by way of France

Sarr is probably the favorite to go #1 overall at this point. He’s got the physical tools to be a prototype rim protector and rim runner. That alone makes him a safe pick to be a useful NBA player, but there’s more there. He’s converted a low percentage this season, but he’s shown an ability to hit threes. He’s a fluid ball handler and moves better than you typically see out of players his size. There’s some rawness in his game but lots of things to like. He’d need to iron out the outside shooting to fit next to Mark Williams, but if it were to work out, the Hornets would have all the tools to be an elite defense.