Hornets Sign Former Celtics First-Round Pick

R.J. Hunter hasn't played in the NBA since the 2018-19 season.

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The Charlotte Hornets have signed former Boston Celtics first-round pick R.J. Hunter, per Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes.

Hunter, 29, was selected by the Celtics with the 28th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. He averaged 3.1 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.1 blocks, and 0.3 turnovers across two seasons and 37 total regular-season appearances with Boston.

Before being drafted by Boston, Hunter starred as a member of the Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team. He scored 18.4 points per game during his three-season stint with the Panthers.

Hunter's defining college basketball moment came during the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament when he nailed a deep three-pointer with 2.6 seconds remaining to give the 14th-seeded Panthers the win over the third-seeded Baylor Bears.

The Hornets have quite a guard-heavy roster at the moment. LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Theo Maledon, Nick Smith, and James Bouknight all project to jockey for minutes at the guard spots. So, it seems unlikely that Hunter will receive consistent minutes with Charlotte. But if/when any of the Hornets' rotational guards go down with an injury, Hunter can step in and provide effective floor-spacing.

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