Denver Stiffs Community Mock Draft 9th Pick: It’s the LAW SON, Charlotte Hornets

With the 9th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, The Charlotte Hornets select, Devin Booker, Shooting Guard, Kentucky.

It's the LAW SON:

The Hornets struggled offensively last season. While they played solid defense under Steve Clifford, for the second year in a row, this team was unable to stretch the floor for Al Jefferson to operate in the post, and he only averaged 16 points per game as a result (down from 21.8 ppg last season in Charlotte).

There is a part of me that wants to go Best Player Available (BPA) and select Willie Cauley-Stein here, but Charlotte has drafted a power forward in the last three drafts, and going big again would neglect the potential development of Cody Zeller and Noah Vonleh. The Hornets have the big men necessary to continue to play good defense, even if Jefferson takes his rim protecting talents somewhere else in 2016 when his contract runs out…lol. Unfortunately, there will be no floor spacing for these bigs to develop if the guards and wings continue to shoot 31.8% from three point land, good for last in the NBA last season.

Enter Devin Booker, a shooting guard known for his elite shooting stroke and off ball offensive exploits. At 18 years old, he joined the famous Kentucky star squad and spaced the floor for the Harrison Twins, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Trey Lyles to operate offensively, and when teams left him to help out on the interior, he made them pay. Booker averaged 10 points on 47% shooting from the field and 41.1% from distance.

He’s exactly the kind of floor spacer that Charlotte needs, but he also has the potential to develop into more than a shooter. People forget that he was only 18 years old for the entire college season, and because he was surrounded by elite talent, he was forced to accept a smaller role than he would have had at a normal Division-1 program. Who knows what kind of skills he would have put up with 30 minutes per game as opposed to 20? With a 6’8″ wingspan (up two inches from the previous year) and better measurables than advertised, he has the potential to continue growing as he gets older, making him an underrated prospect in the mold of a Klay Thompson.

Booker has been up and down draft boards, ranging from 8 to 18 in mock drafts – depending on position of need. While it can be argued that Stein is BPA here, and that Kelly Oubre, Myles Turner, or Frank Kaminsky are better prospects, Charlotte’s previous draft history and Booker’s elite shooting and position of need make him a potential steal with the 9th overall selection. He’s a great fit next to the ball handling Kemba Walker and as a kick out threat for Jefferson. If I were Charlotte, I would not hesitate here.

*Michael Jordan was so upset that Adam Morrison was not available to draft again*

Here is a breakdown of the draft so far: (read up on all the picks here)

teenasty and the Miami Heat are on the Clock.

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