Following Sunday’s NBA Draft Lottery, the Charlotte Hornets are confirmed to hold the 6th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Below is a mock draft up to Charlotte’s pick to project how the draft board could eventually shake out.
The “BBQ Series” now has a new lead character with Atltanta jumping 10 spots (!!!) to with the draft lottery. I expect Risacher, Clingan and Sarr to be in play here, but ultimately went with the latter who undoutedly has the highest upside. Sarr could play next to Jalen Johnson and Onyeke Okongwu in the front court, with Capela now a likely trade candidate (Hello New Orleans?).
Washington stay put at 2nd among all the madness of teams jumping up. The Wizards are in need of a high usage offensive guard to kick start their rebuild, Topic fits the bill. Dillingham was also in consideration, but Topic edges it due to his size and comfort with playing as a distributor, not just a scorer.
Houston jump up thanks to Brooklyn’s first round pick traded in the Harden trade. The back-court appears to be of greater need with Van Vleet the wrong side of 30 and Amen Thompson being used as more of a wing in his rookie year. This feels high for Sheppard, but he compliments Amen Thompson and can learn from Van Vleet who is often used as a draft comparison. He also plays with a toughness and physicality Udoka will like. Buzelis and Risacher were also in consideration.
Even pre draft lottery there were rumblings the Spurs liked Dillingham to pair with ROTY Victor Wembanyama. In San Antonio, Dillingham’s defensive shortcomings are instantly lessened due to future DPOY Wembanyama. He will give San Antonio speed, shot creation and a LOT of highlights.
If Risacher doesn’t go first overall to Atlanta, which I think is a real possibility, he could slide on draft night with the way the board has fallen. Detroit who will be disappointed to slides AGAIN in the lottery would have considered Risacher first overall, so this could work out in the end.
Move past the anger, sadness and disappointment. The sixth pick in this years’ draft could easily be the best player for the class. The good news for Charlotte is Washington, San Antonio and potentially Houston appear more likely to select guards which aren’t at the top of Charlotte’s list of needs. That could mean the likes of Clingan, Castle, Buzelis and Holland are all there for Charlotte to consider.
The best outcome for Castle is if he turns into an Andre Iguodala type player. A versatile defensive menace who can do a little bit of everything on offense, but is best suited as a 4th or 5th offensive option. Worst case, he could be Isaac Okoro or a smaller Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. At this point in the draft, I’m okay with taking the gamble on someone who projects as a high end starting role player. The snug fit next to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller in the back-court is a plus too. It’s not just that he plays shooting guard, but he would become the team’s best perimeter defender (Longterm) something that is missing in Charlotte’s young core.
Also in consideration were Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland, who’s case grows if Miles Bridges appears likely to leave in Free Agency. I would side with Buzelis in that situation due to his better feel for the game, three point shooting and size to play Power Forward. Clingan was also an option, a very good one if there are long term concerns with Mark Williams’ back. However, Clingan has dealt with injury issues himself all his career, would drafting another injury prone 7ft big be too big of a risk?
