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Charlotte Hornets draft prospect watch: Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey highlight scintillating weekend of action

Checking in on some potential future Hornets who balled out this weekend.

Matt Alquiza

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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The Charlotte Hornets, mired in a disastrous run of form highlighted by blowout losses and never-ending injury woes, are barreling towards a premier pick in the loaded 2025 NBA Draft. Recent wins by Utah, Washington, and New Orleans have been key in Charlotte's sprint towards the top of the draft order, and by the looks of things, the Hornets will have a bevy of talented prospects to choose from this June.

Cooper Flagg - Duke

Duke Blue Devils guard Cooper Flagg (2) reacts during the second half against the Southern Methodist Mustangs
Jan 4, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cooper Flagg (2) reacts during the second half against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Flagg needs no introduction at this point. Duke's two-way, do-it-all forward is eviscerating the ACC on his warpath to being crowned the number one overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

His prospect profile is as clean as any top-flight pick in recent draft memory. Sure, Flagg's handle needs work, and his over-reliance on twirling spin moves to create space in clutch moments has doomed Duke in primetime matchups, but there's really no limit to how high his ceiling is.

His most recent game, a 24 point, 10 rebound, three assist, two block performance against SMU, was the quintessential Flagg experience.

Everything about Flagg's game orbits around his Einstein-level basketball IQ. When watching him even back to his EYBL days, it's a rarity to see Flagg out of position. On Saturday against SMU, the 6'9" 18-year-old cleaned up missed shots on offense and patrolled the weak side on defense with a level of ball knowledge beyond his years.

His IQ combined with his supernatural physical giftings, soft touch jump shot, and selfless demeanor make him the idealistic archetype of a modern NBA power forward. Flagg will walk into the NBA with top-end defensive chops, and while he can create his own shot from time-to-time, he's adept at doing the dirty work on offense as a play finisher that will thrive alongside a creative point guard like LaMelo Ball.

Ace Bailey - Rutgers

Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) shoots the ball while Indiana Hoosiers center Langdon Hatton (12) defends
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Bailey's Thursday night outing against Indiana was a masterclass in iso-ball. Saddled with an oversized scoring burden due to the absence of his star teammate and shot creator Dylan Harper, Bailey opened up his deep toolbox of jumpers, floaters, and creative finishes around the rim and flaunted them all over Assembly Hall.

Bailey's jumper is reminiscent of superstars Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitzki: shot with a release so high that even the longest defenders in the world struggle to affect it. Bailey has a long way to go to reach the output of Durant and Nowitzki, but the aesthetics of his jumper mirrors those all-time legends.

Although his performance against Indiana was eye-popping, it raises some questions as well. Almost every bucket the Rutgers product poured in was a tough one. Skeptics of Bailey's game will raise their eye-brows at his inability to create clean looks against a college defense. If Bailey can't separate from a fourth-year engineering major at Indiana, how will he score against the Herb Jones and Kawhi Leonards of the world?

In my mind, Bailey's high-end athleticism, feel, and touch will translate to an NBA court from day one. He may take a few years to fully develop into a true three-level scoring threat, but his game is worth watching as the draft nears.

Kaspras Jakučionis - Illinois

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) drives for a layup past Oregon Ducks guard Jadrian Tracey (2)
Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Jakućionis has had a meteoric ascent up draft boards as he continues to cook for Illinois. His best traits, elite court vision and passing, were on full display in the Fighting Illini's dominant win against Oregon.

What continues to endear Kaspras to scouts and evaluators is his big-time performances when the lights are the brightest. Jakučionis averages 19.6 points, 4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game against ranked teams (five games) this season on 48/41/81 splits. His heady play as a lead guard would give Charles Lee another shot creator in the back court that the Hornets sorely lack. A guard trio of Jakučionis, LaMelo Ball, and Tre Mann would be a marriage of three completely different styles that would make Charlotte's back court must-see-TV from night to night.

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Matt Alquiza
MATT ALQUIZA

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