We’re already just 11 days out from the 2026 NBA Draft. We’ve been flipping through some prospect scouting reports to narrow down options for the Charlotte Hornets. There’s a nice grouping of players that seem to to generally fall where the Hornets are going to pick, and as luck would have it, most help fill some sort of rotational need for the team.
I decided to put together my personal rankings of the prospects for the Hornets. If a team were to make me the GM, here’s how I would approach the draft: I put the players into tiers, and then I order the players within the tiers by preference. I think it’s silly to try to grade players on a granular level because we’ve seen over the entire history of every sport that no one is all that good at projecting who’s going to workout. Instead, give yourself some wiggle room and lump players into relatively even tiers based on their ability. Then, within that tier, decide which players have certain traits that you value at that point in time, and prioritize those players. Don’t go outside of the best tier available to draft for need, and don’t draft a player that you’d grade 1 point higher than another on a 100 point scale if that player doesn’t fit what you’re trying to do.
With all that said, this board is specific to the state of the Hornets and who I think they should value. Players are ranked within the tiers based on personal preference. The first tier is really two tiers, maybe three if I wanted to get really specific with it. I think I’d put Peterson, Boozer, and Dybantsa in tier one, Wilson and Wagler in tier two, and then the rest of this group in tier three, but that’s picking nits for the purposes of this exercise.
Tier 1: Definitely outside the Hornets’ range
- Darryn Peterson, Guard, Kansas
- Cam Boozer, Forward, Duke
- AJ Dybantsa, Wing, BYU
- Caleb Wilson, Forward, UNC
- Keaton Wagler, Wing, Illinois
- Darius Acuff, Guard, Arkansas
- Kingston Flemings, Guard, Houston
- Mikel Brown, Guard, Louisville
While getting one of these guys would be a dream for the Hornets, it’s highly unlikely any fall to the Hornets. To me, the top three are all one tier, followed by Wilson and Wagler. I guess it’s possible one of the guards I have from six to eight fall, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Tier 2: Pounce if one falls to 14 but probably out of range
- Brayden Burries, Guard, Arizona
- Aday Mara, Big, Michigan
- Nate Ament, Forward, Tennessee
These three guys have a little bit more range in their projected landing spots. Aday Mara was a frequent mock target of the Hornets early in the draft process, but he seems to be a riser as teams gather intel and reporters gather intel about the teams’ intel. His combination of size, defensive instincts, and passing would fit the Hornets like a glove. Brayden Burries would be a tough two-way wing that fits an archetype the Hornets need. Nate Ament is a home run swing. He’s toolsy but hasn’t manifested enough production with those tools yet. But with two picks and time to develop a player, he’d be a really, really interesting gamble.
Tier 3: The likely targets
- Morez Johnson, Forward, Michigan
- Dailyn Swain, Wing, Texas
- Karim Lopez, Forward, New Zealand Breakers
- Cameron Carr, Wing, Baylor
- Allen Graves, Forward, Santa Clara
- Hannes Steinbach, Forward, Washington
- Labaron Philon, Guard, Alabama
This is sort of my personal wish list for the Hornets. It’s guaranteed that the Hornets will get two of these guys should they keep both of their picks. They’ve caught a break with the amount of big forwards projected to go in this range given that’s the position that could probably stand to benefit the most from some young potential. I like Morez Johnson for his defensive versatility and overall motor to complement Moussa Diabte alongside the Hornets’ offensive machine in the back court. I like Karim Lopez for a similar reason, though he’s more of a question mark as an athlete and lacks some polish in his game.
I’ve come around to Swain lately because of his combination of size and slashing ability. If he doesn’t have a workable shot, he should at least be able to function as an aggressive creator off the bench against fractured lineups. If the jump shot does come around, you suddenly have an offensive force that’s drastically better than his draft slot. That’s a gamble I want to take.
I like Cameron Carr’s movement shooting and there’s enough else in his game that I believe he can be a solid two-way contributor. He’s small, but he’s athletic and long enough that I think he can be a good 3&D player.
The last three I’m a little less high on, but I’d be cool if the Hornets went with any of them. Graves is an analytics darling, but he amassed that analytic profile as a bench player in a mid major conference. He’s really good at basketball and an extremely smart player, but I’d be a little worried about the game translating to the NBA given his athletic limitations and the jump in competition.
Steinbach’s unique combination of size, rebounding, and potential outside shooting has some appeal, but I don’t know if he can guard either fours or fives well enough to be a really good starter. He’s not a great rim protector or deterrent, but he might not have the foot speed to keep up with fours either. He’s like Domantas Sabonis with none of the passing.
Labaron Philon is like a step below Daris Acuff in terms of offensive creation ability and ball handling. He looks like a guy that can be a really, really effective combo guard if he can overcome his slight stature (something we’ve seen in Charlotte before). It’s just hard to see a clear role for Philon on the Hornets if Coby White re-signs. The Hornets will have four offensive minded guards as foundational pieces. Adding a fifth doesn’t seem like the best allocation of resources.
Tier 4: In the Hornets’ range but won’t be the best option
- Christian Anderson, Guard, Texas Tech
- Yaxel Lendeborg, Forward, Michigan
- Jayden Quaintance, Big, Kentucky
- Bennett Stirtz, Guard, Iowa
I’m guessing the most surprising names on this tier are Lendborg and Quaintance. I like Christian Anderson better than both because of his elite outside shooting and Darius Garland-esque game. I did a whole profile on Lendeborg and think he would be a rather irresponsible pick for the Hornets. Players his age have a perception of being “safer” picks, but in reality they tend to have just as low a ceiling as younger prospects while boasting significantly lower upside. It’s simply not worth the bet in the range he’s mocked in. The same goes for Bennett Stirtz. Both are old, late developing prospects whose primary appeal as a prospect is being good all around basketball players. Seniors who are good all around players who can heavily out-expereince a lot of their competition in college do not appeal to me in the top half of the first round.
I prefer a player like Christian Anderson, who is an elite outside shooter and has similar appeal as a good all around player, except he’s only 20 years old. I see the appeal in Jayden Quaintance as a defensive monster, but the offensive game seems so far away from workable. Teams would love to have a Mitchell Robinson player to fill a certain role, but to me that’s a role you spring for later in the first round.
