2024 NBA Draft: Breaking Down Charlotte Hornets Draft Class

The Charlotte Hornets had two draft picks in this past draft and added some enticing talent to their roster. How will they fit the organization?

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Charlotte Hornets have a really nice young core and duo between LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. They added some nice pieces to their roster through the draft and free agency. In this year’s draft, they had two draft picks with one being in the first round and one being in the second round.

Let’s dive into each selection they made and the summary of their draft.

No. 6: Tidjane Salaun

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

With their first pick of this year’s draft, the Hornets elected to draft a forward out of France in Tidjane Salaun. This selection came as a surprise to many as many scouts were anticipating Dalton Knecht to be the pick. With Salaun they are getting a 6-foot-10 forward that has very interesting physical tools and is very athletic.

The athletic forward is a lob threat at all times and is an effective finisher at the rim. Ball’s playmaking ability combined with Salaun’s lob finishing will generate a ton of highlight plays. He also has very enticing defensive tools. Salaun is great at jumping the passing lanes and getting steals. You can always count on him to play with energy.

Salaun has the potential to be a legit two-way player. The next step for him is improving his overall consistency. He’s a bit raw on the offensive end. There’s a lot of bust potential in Salaun, but if he gets developed properly and not forced into a role he’s not comfortable with then he could find a lot of success with the Hornets.

No. 42: KJ Simpson

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In the second round the Hornets selected a guard out of Colorado in KJ Simpson. The 6-foot-2 guard was an electric for the Buffaloes during his time in college. Although they already have their point guard of the future in Ball while also having a ton of other guards, Simpson could be a solid fit next to Ball.

He offers exciting three-level scoring ability with a tough shot-making arsenal. He’s not the most explosive guard but he’s very crafty and does a good job of finding his spots on the floor. On the downside of things, he isn't the best defensive guard and is a bit undersized for a shooting guard. He will be on a two-way contract and spend much time in the G League as a rookie.

Draft Summary

The Hornets took a bit of a risk with their pick in Salaun as he’s not quite NBA-ready and has a very low floor so if he ends up not working out for Charlotte then that sets their timeline back a bit and could make their star player Ball a bit frustrated. He has the tools to be a very good two-way player in the NBA, but there’s a lot he needs to work on to become a positive player on the floor.

In the grand scheme of things with Miller heading into his sophomore season, they are expecting a massive jump in his game so if he ends up going that then Salaun won’t have as much pressure to be effective right away. This was an okay draft out of the Hornets but they probably could’ve gone in a better direction.

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