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| via Hornets.com |
What I’d Do:
Nik Stauskas - Michigan
6’6” (6’8’ wingspan), 207 lbs, 10/07/1993 (20 years old)
This is probably my favorite pick in the draft as far as fit and how I feel about the player. I love Nik Stauskas and the Hornets need someone who can shoot the ball from the wing position desperately. They do have cap space and Simmons and Zach Lowe talked about the chance they roll the dice with Lance Stephenson. From a basketball standpoint that makes sense. Otherwise, no way.
One of the silver linings of the Bobcats (yes, they were still the Bobcast last year) on top of making the playoffs was how the players raved about playing for Steve Clifford. Clifford has done the impossible it seems, created a solid basketball culture in Charlotte. Al Jefferson probably helped, but lots of players were talking about the impact Clifford had in the locker room from day one. It took Michael Jordan how long to create that here in Charlotte? Why mess with it now? Besides, who’s to say that MKG can’t become some version of Lance Stephenson in two years anyway. Or you can draft Stauskas, who might not do the same things as Lance, but will be a hell of a lot cheaper over the next four years.
What I love about Stauskas is his all-around game. The Reddick comparison is a bit lazy and I think Stauskas will be much better.
From a pure shooting perspective Stauskas is undoubtedly one of the two best in the draft (McDermott is too good a shooter to call Stauskas the best). He posted an ungodly 1.51 points per possession on catch and shoot situations. He is far from a mere stand still shooter though. This is one of the things that separates him from Reddick coming out of college or a pure shooter like Korver. Stauskas is just as deadly off the dribble. He played in a pro-style offense for John Beilein at Michigan and is able to score in every conceivable way out of the pick n roll. He’s able to punish those who go under the screen (obviously), he can shoot the pull-up almost as effectively, he can split the pick, or simply get by bigs and he’s more athletic than you would think.
He has more size than Reddick as well at 6’6” with a 6’8” wingspan. He has great size for an NBA 2 guard. The combination of him, Henderson, and MKG on the wing gives you everything you need. His ability to handle the ball and his decision making will take pressure off of Kemba Walker and he will fit in great with Steve Clifford. It’s that ability to not only create for himself (he’s a threat to score anytime he has the ball anywhere inside 25 feet) but for others as well that separates him from Reddick. Reddick never had an assist/TO ratio much higher than 1. According to DraftExpress, Stauskas had a 2.6 A/TO ratio ranking him second among shooting guards in this class. That’s impressive. He has a great understanding of the game offensively.
I view Stauskas’ ceiling as Stephen Curry with a bit less range. That ability to score from almost anywhere if you give him daylight. What Stauskas will struggle with is creating that daylight for himself, but he’s great at utilizing the offense to get himself open instead of creating it on his own. He will without a doubt struggle defensively. That’s not a question, but that just makes this Charlotte Hornets fit even better. Steve Clifford was able to hide Al Jefferson on his way to molding a top ten defense. As we’ve seen with Curry, if the system is solid and there are defensive role players around him to cover up his mistakes, a player like Stauskas can function on a good defensive team and the Hornets are that team.
What I Think They'll Do:
They better draft Nik Stauskas or I’ll be disappointed. It’s too good of a fit. Hopefully Michael Jordan doesn’t get enamored with Zach Lavine highlight clips.
Chad Ford has them taking McDermott over Stauskas while noting that in the workout Charlotte held, T. J. Warren absolutely destroyed McDermott. He also has Julius Randle slipping and being available for them if they choose. Maybe Jefferson and Randle occupy the same space a bit, but it’d be cool for Randle to learn under maybe the best post player in the league, no?
I’ve made my case. While the Hornets need outside shooting desperately, I feel Stauskas is more multi-dimensional than McDermott. Now having said that, I wouldn’t be surprised if McDermott was who they go with.
Crazy Draft Day Trade:
The Hornets are ready to make a splash, but remember they have cap space, so they don’t necessarily need to make a trade to do that. They want to build on their success last year and get this Hornets team to a level that the Bobcats never got to.
If we’re to believe he is available, does the # 9 pick, Cody Zeller, and some cap filler (McRoberts and Haywood?) nab them Horford?. In that scenario they would still need to find wing shooting, but there are some inexpensive options on the market (Anthony Morrow anyone?) and they’d still have #23 (maybe James Young or Rodney Hood falls). Horford and Jefferson might seem a bit redundant offensively, but I think Horford is versatile enough to make it work. I’m not sure Atlanta makes that deal though.
Maybe they do something simpler. Would you trade the # 9 pick for Gallinari? Would you try to trade for one of Phoenix’s three picks to continue to add pieces in a strong draft?
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