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The NBA Draft is just over 48 hours away, and the rumors are heating up, in regards to who the Hornets are going to pick #2 on Thursday night. Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier today that Brandon Miller has been the favorite during the draft process, with the idea of him being the perfect fit to pair with LaMelo Ball. Earlier tonight, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Miller is the frontrunner to be the #2 pick, and has been the focus for the Hornets for some time.
This topic led off the Wes & Walker Show earlier today on WFNZ, much to the demise of Walker Mehl, who has been in the Scoot Henderson camp, ever since Charlotte earned the #2 pick, in the draft lottery. Walker’s biggest issue should be everyone’s biggest issue if they prefer Henderson over Miller. That issue is that it appears that the Hornets are wanting to draft Miller because he’s a better roster fit. Many teams in recent drafts have missed their lottery picks, because they’ve been drafting for fit, over the best player available. If Charlotte views Henderson as the better player, why would they draft Miller over him, just because he “fits” better? The job of the general manager is to give a coach as much talent, and depth as possible, and it is the responsibility of the coach, to make it work. Does Mitch Kupchak not trust Steve Clifford to get the most out of the roster if it has Henderson on it over, in favor of Miller? If not, why is he the head coach?
Furthermore, Mitch Kupchak has stated from the beginning, that the roster isn’t in need of a reset, after a 27-55 campaign. Kupchak believes that a healthy LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, and Cody Martin, combined with the emergence of Mark Williams, along with the return of Miles Bridges, is more than good enough to compete in the eastern conference. If that’s the case, doesn’t that only make more sense for the Hornets to draft the best player available, as opposed to the better fit?
Nonetheless, we will have to wait a little while to determine if the Hornets made the right selection or not, but right now, it appears once again that the Hornets are taking the safer route, as opposed to drafting the player that they should.
You can catch the Wes & Walker Show every weekday from 12-3 PM on Sports Radio 92.7 WFNZ, and the WFNZ app.
