Behind the Scenes: Hornets GM Sifts Through Options in NBA Draft

Jeff Peterson's scouting report for each of the six players the Hornets considered.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Peterson stunned everyone when he turned the card in for the Charlotte Hornets to take Tidjane Salaün with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. It was clear that he's the guy they felt had the highest ceiling, but knew there would be a lot of development that would need to take place before he's someone they can truly count on.

In the Hornets' recent episode of Reel Access, we were able to get a behind the scenes look at Peterson talking over the team's top prospects in the draft with other front office personnel. They ended the scouting process by getting it down to six names for their first round pick.

Alex Sarr

“First of all, I don’t think he’s going to be there but in the crazy world that he is, obviously super talented…

Donovan Clingan

“Not that we would ever draft…we got to take the best available player, but just keep in mind we’re not drafting for fit. Of course we already have two centers on the roster, but if we think Donovan (Clingan) is the best prospect at that position, we got to take him.”

Reed Sheppard

“Reed, is he a trade up guy? Would we just say, you know what? Screw it. We have that much conviction in him we would try to go get him.”

Dalton Knecht

“Dalton, man, he’s an interesting one because I think he’s one of those guys…obviously older, experienced. I love the fact that he’s I don’t want to say self-made, but he’s had so much aversity throughout his career. Of course the size and the shooting, every NBA team needs size and shooting, so that’s a plus.

Cody Williams

"When you look at (Dalton Knecht) versus Cody Williams, Cody’s younger, doesn’t have as many experiences. You could argue Cody’s upside is higher than Dalton…Defenders are going to have to defend him regardless of where he is on the floor, opens up driving lanes for Melo, Brandon, Tre. He battled a ton of injuries this year, so I think we need to keep that on the front of our minds really in terms of how we’re evaluating him.”

Tidjane Salaün

“Young, athletic, plays hard. I think he’ll be able to shoot. I know he didn’t shoot it great this season, but I do think he’ll be able to shoot though. I just love the makeup of this guy. The thing I  love about this guys is he plays so freakin’ hard on the defensive end. He can guard multiple positions, he takes pride on that end of the floor. I love his running patterns, he never clogs the lane. He’s always spacing to the wings or to the corners. I think he almost identifies as being a guard or wanting to play on the perimeter which is encouraging. He wants to be great. All the things you can’t teach, he has those intangibles. Again, with him, it’s just going to be about the shooting piece ultimately.”

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