Hornets land top shooting guard in latest NBA Mock Draft

The Hornets move up in the lottery and land a top talent.

Zach Roberts | Dec 30, 2024

Dec 21, 2024; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) waits to be subbed in during the second half against Princeton Tigers at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Tom Horak-Imagn Images / Tom Horak-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

With every loss, the Charlotte Hornets earn, the 2025 NBA Draft starts looking a whole lot more important. They're currently owners of the fourth-worst record in the league, which makes them a potential landing spot for Cooper Flagg, the presumptive number-one overall pick.

Most mock drafts don't fully take into account the draft lottery, which has the potential to help or harm a team. The Hornets know this well. Their seven-win season yielded the number two pick (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and not Anthony Davis), but they also moved up to pick second (Brandon Miller) in 2023. Here's what the draft looks like when factoring that in.

Hornets move up and land Ace Bailey in latest mock draft/simulation

Tankathon's mock draft has the ability to change based on the lottery. It was simulated, and in this instance, the Hornets got to move up to third overall instead of fourth. That could prove to be a monumental occurrence, as it paved the way for them to land Ace Bailey in this mock.

Bailey has been seen as one of the top collegiate prospects in basketball. Cooper Flagg is undoubtedly going to be the top pick, but Bailey is up there with him. The Hornets landed the shooting guard with the third overall pick in the mock.

Bailey is a talented shooting guard, something the Hornets need desperately. They are currently playing Brandon Miller as the two-guard alongside LaMelo Ball, but Miller is 6'7". He's on the bigger side for a two, and he could easily slide to the three in a lineup of Ball, Bailey, Miller, Miles Bridges, and Mark Williams.

Moving up in the draft in this mock makes a huge difference in the caliber of prospect the Hornets can get. They won't get Flagg at three, but previous mocks had them picking Nolan Traore (seventh) and VJ Edgecombe (fifth). Those are good prospects, but not as highly touted as Bailey.