Potential Charlotte Hornets draft target takes center stage in the First Four

Matt Alquiza | Mar 19, 2025

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Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets have a scoring problem. Anybody with a working FanDuel Sports Network app or a League Pass subscription is well aware that Charles Lee's squad struggles to find the bottom of the net at a consistent clip.

As of March 19th, Charlotte's 107.0 offensive rating is only ahead of the lowly Washington Wizards. In February specifically, the Hornets' 101.1 offensive net was the worst in basketball by a significant margin.

With the team trudging along a slim path to adding young talent due to their cap situation, the glaring questions about Mark Williams' league-wide trade value, and the NBA's overall financial landscape, Hornets fans should take some time to become intimately familiar with this crop of draft prospects.

One of the premier prospects in this draft class will be on the floor in Dayton, Ohio on Wednesday night as his team attempts to secure a spot in the 64-team bracket that tips off on Thursday afternoon: Texas sharpshooter Tre Johnson.

Texas guard Tre Johnson (20) keeps the ball away from Vanderbilt guard Chris Manon (30) during a NCAA college basketball firs

Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Johnson, a 6'6", 190 pound freshman from Garland, Texas, epitomizes the term "volume scorer." In a 39-point performance against the Arkansas Razorbacks on February 26th, Johnson nabbed the single-game freshman scoring record from all-time Longhorn great Kevin Durant. He can fill it up.

His game orbits around his ability to shoot the basketball. Johnson has proven adept at knocking down long-range jumpers from a set position, on the move, off the catch, going either way, with or without the ball in his hands as the primary initiator. He projects to be a high-level shooter from day one in the Association, an archetype that Charlotte's 30th ranked shooting (in both true shooting percentage and effective field goal percentage) squad could use.

On top of his ludicrously high high's as a shooter, Johnson has proven to be a solid enough passer to project him as a secondary or tertiary ball handler. Personally, I believe that LaMelo Ball would thrive alongside another shot creator in the back court (i.e. somebody with an antithetical skill set to Josh Green), making Johnson a realistic option come draft day.

His prospect profile has some red flags (shot selection, defense, top-end athleticism), but his strengths align well with the Hornets' current weaknesses.

Johnson will have a chance to prove his mettle and raise his draft stock with a dominant performance tonight. His opponent, the Xavier Musketeers, have a strong back court that will cause Johnson problems on both ends.

Can he score enough to outpace the Xavier ball handlers? Will he hold up enough on defense to keep Texas competitive? The answers to those questions will be telling for his overall draft stock as we barrel towards the impending NBA Draft Lottery and the draft itself come June.

If you're a Charlotte Hornet fan looking to put your scout cap on, tonight's is as good of a night as ever to don it. Do-or-die scenarios tend to bring out the best, or worst, in a player, and all eyes will be on Johnson as he and his Longhorns fight for their tournament lives.