NBA Draft Mock 1.0: Early pre-lottery projections for all 30 teams
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. C. 11. Texas. Kai Jones. player. 170
NBA Draft Mock 11th Pick: Charlotte Hornets
The center position has been a perennial problem for the Charlotte Hornets since (looks at notes) Al Jefferson. With Cody Zeller holding down the fort in recent years, the team hasn’t has an answer against talented bigs, missing the playoffs in the past five seasons.
Kai Jones is an offense-oriented big who can play above the rim, space the floor with a perimeter game that stretches out to three-point territory and thrive on fast break opportunities. He doesn’t have the strength to viably slow down the Embiids and the Jokics, but he has shown flashes of being a great defender with his physical gifts.
Who wouldn’t want to see LaMelo Ball run the floor with Jones and Miles Bridges? He may be quite one-dimensional in the present, but the Hornets can’t afford to be conservative in drafting a big anymore.