The NBA Draft Combine has come and gone, which means that all that stands between us and the 2026 NBA Draft are individual workouts and maybe a trade or two. The biggest impact on the draft rankings from this point forward is going to be which players decide to return to school before the deadline later next week. The NIL era has made it more enticing for players to return to school, which is going to dilute the talent in the late first round and second round for the next year or two, but the Hornets should be picking high enough to not have to worry about that too much. Let’s go around to some different publications on the Internet to see who they’re predicting lands with the Charlotte Hornets in draft next month.
ESPN
14: Aday Mara, Big, Michigan
18: Cameron Carr, Wing, Baylor
Mara is a popular pick for the Hornets given the need for more size and depth at the center spot. Mara certainly brings the size; he’s one of the biggest players to ever come through the combine. He was a shot blocking machine at Michigan but also brings tremendous passing instincts at the five spot. Carr was one of the biggest risers at the combine after dominating both the athletic testing and the one scrimmage he played. He projects as an uber athletic 3&D wing, and every team could always use more players like that.
The Athletic
14: Hannes Steinbach, Big, Washington
18: Christian Anderson, Guard, Texas Tech
Steinbach is a modern day big with soft touch and an appetite for offensive rebounds. He’s not a tremendously impactful defender, but he does just about everything you could want out of a 5/4 on the offensive end. The Hornets could use that versatility. Anderson is on the small side for a guard, but he might be the best shooter in the draft and is a very good passer. He’d certainly help the Hornets keep bombing threes.
The Ringer
14: Yaxel Lendeborg, Forward, Michigan
18: Jayden Quaintance, Big, Kentucky
Gonna go ahead and say it, far and away my least favorite combination of players. If you’re an optimist, Lendeborg has the versatile skill set that seemingly fits in well with what the Hornets need on the current roster right now. Quaintance is a giant and has posted elite defensive production in his career to this point. The pessimist’s opinion on this group (read: mine) is that Lendeborg is a 24 year old that doesn’t have an elite NBA skill and still has maturity concerns despite his advanced age for the class. Quaintance has absolutely no offensive skill to speak of and has been struggling to come back from a knee injury for over a year now.
Yahoo
14: Brayden Burries, Guard, Arizona
18: Chris Cenac, Big, Houston
I almost never see Burries fall this far in mocks, so this would be an absolute steal for the Hornets. Burries is a gritty two way guard that should be a plus on both ends of the floor. He’s a strong defender and a developing scorer at every level with some good passing. The Hornets should make Adam Silver sprint to the podium if Burries is there for them. Cenac is an upside pick with all sorts of athletic tools and flashes of offensive skill.
USA Today
14: Hennes Steinbach, Big, Washington
18: Karim Lopez, Forward, New Zealand Breakers (NBL)
USA Today has the Hornets bolstering the front court with two players that seemingly fit the DNA. Steinbach has the offensive versatility and offensive rebounding prowess that would supercharge Charles Lee’s system. Lopez doesn’t have a single standout skill, but he has a high motor and shows bits and pieces of a little bit of everything. We’ve seen the Hornets swing on that type of prospect before.
Tankathon
14: Aday Mara, Big, Michigan
18: Morez Johnson, Forward, Michigan
If you want to instill championship DNA into your squad, why not pick two players from the most recent NCAA champion? Mara would theoretically pair with Moussa Diabate to make a center rotation that would provide very different looks but lots of problems for opponents. Johnson is a defensive monster that starred at the combine. He’s also more of a big on the offensive end of the floor, so it’d be hard to find minutes for both out of the gate, but they’d certainly add some grit and defensive strength.
NBA Draft Room
14: Karim Lopez, Forward. New Zealand Breakers (NBL)
18: Chris Cenac, Big, Houston
This would be a very high risk, high reward draft. Both of these players have tons of upside, but both have some work to do to become NBA contributors. However, if both or either pop, they could take the Hornets to the next level. Lopez is a do-it-all forward, and that’s what the Hornets would like to add to the rotation to potentially supplant or replace Miles Bridges and/or Grant Williams if the Hornets are unable or unwilling to retain them. Cenac has tools and shows flashes. He just needs to iron out the decision making and play a role more suited to his skill set.
NBA Draft Net
14: Cameron Carr, Wing, Baylor
18: Meleek Thomas, Guard, Arkansas
Leave it to NBA Draft Net to throw a curveball at us to wrap things up. Carr makes a lot of sense for the Hornets, who would value his 3&D capabilities off the bench early in his career while waiting to see if the finer points of his offensive game come along in time. Meleek Thomas is a prototypical microwave scorer that projects as a sixth man bucket getter. Seems like an awkward fit for what the Hornets have, especially if they lock Coby White down to a long term deal, and it’s a much higher spot than most other outlets have Thomas going, but you never know I guess.
