We’re all disappointed in the results of last night’s lottery drawing. The Charlotte Hornets landed the fourth overall pick, which in and of itself isn’t a terrible outcome, but the teams that landed in front of the Hornets are nothing short of infuriating. Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is going to end up looking less stupid because of an unlikely lottery win, the Spurs will be picking second fresh off back to back rookie of the year winners, and the 76ers come out with the third pick after one down year because of injuries. Fortunately the Hornets didn’t have the same level of luck as the Jazz and Wizards, who each dropped four spots from the top two positions they occupied before the lottery.

Now that the dust has settled, we can start to prepare for the prospect the Hornets select at fourth overall. It’s a disappointing spot given what could have been, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad place to be. Here are the last ten players selected at #4 overall:

• 2024: Stephon Castle (ROY)
• 2023: Amen Thompson
• 2022: Keegan Murray
• 2021: Scottie Barnes (ROY)
• 2020: Patrick Williams
• 2019: De’Andre Hunter
• 2018: Jaren Jackson Jr
• 2017: Josh Jackson
• 2016: Dragan Bender
• 2015: Kristaps Porzingis

The further back we go, the murkier it gets. But that’s okay. We’re drafting in the present, not the past. Teams have gotten a lot better at evaluating and projecting talent. And the more underwhelming recent fourth overall picks were entirely predictable. Patrick Williams never actually produced before the Bulls drafted him based on his mythical potential. And Keegan Murray and De’Andre Hunter are illustrations of the ceilings of upperclassmen in the lottery. Just don’t do it.

There have been some absolute gems taken fourth overall. Two of the last four rookies of the year were taken in that spot, and one of the fourth overall picks in between, Amen Thompson, looks like another star in the making. Jaren Jackson Jr. is a perennial defensive player of the year candidate and an all star. The fourth overall pick has also brought in players like Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, Mike Conley, and Russell Westbrook this century.

This draft class is supposed to be very strong, and while individual evaluations can be spotty, the general consensus is usually pretty accurate when it comes to the overall strength of the drat class. I can’t find the quote to attribute it, but I’ve seen people say that there are three or four players in this class that would have gone number one overall had they been in last year’s class. How fortuitous that the Hornets ended up at four.

So while the results of the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes are disappointing, the Hornets aren’t in a bad spot. They’re going to get a very good prospect to add to their already strong collection of good young talent.