In back to back years, Charlotte has drafted talented bigs in the first round who they hope can one day anchor the middle.
Here’s a look at the two options the Hornets are hoping to blossom in the coming years:
Kai Jones
Jones is looking to crack the Hornets rotation after appearing in only 21 games (3 minutes per game) as a rookie. His mix of explosive physical tools, movement skills, budding ball-skills and shooting glimpses produced special flashes at Texas that are comparable to anyone in his 2021 draft class.
The low number of NBA games and minutes shouldn’t be surprising considering Jones has one of the highest upsides on the roster and in that draft class, but is the rawest player as well. He’s the sports scouting and evaluation staple-the toolsy prospect with the enormous upside, but still needs polish, whether it’s from a skill or feel standpoint.
Like those toolsy prospects, patience is key with Jones. His selection was a home-run swing at one of the higher upsides in the draft and a long-term play based on the Hornets’ development plan and Jones’ level of buy-in. The early overall results have been encouraging despite the limited pre-season minutes and a summer league performance that left a bit more to be desired.
The G-League will be and has been an instrumental tool in its development. Jones made the most of his time in the G-League as a rookie-averaging 18.3 points per game, 11 rebounds, and 3.6 steals per game while shooting 29.9% from three (2.8 attempts per game) in 24 games.
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Additionally, the lean Jones, has added noticeable and significant upper body muscle and strength. Adding strength or more muscle mass was an area of improvement for Jones entering the league and the returns after year one could not be much better.
Within this Jones development scope, it bears mentioning that he’s still relatively new to the game and size. Jones didn’t play organized basketball until he was 15, around the same time as his growth spurt. I expect Charlotte to continue to have Jones spend a significant portion of this season in the G-League with the hope for double digit minutes with the big club post all star break. Stay patient.
Mark Williams
Williams is my choice as the young big that emerges in the middle for Charlotte as their primary protector and pick-and-roll finisher with Ball. Standing at seven-foot-two with a seven-foot-six wingspan, his elite positional size and consistent production (11.2 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 0.5 steals in a translatable role make him NBA-ready from day one. We’ve seen his rim finishing and shot blocking/altering plus rebounding translate in both the summer league and preseason.
Jones may have the higher upside, but Williams still possesses the tools to be a top ten center in the league one day considering his combination of rim protection, rim running, lob finishing, especially if paired with the passing savant that is Lamelo Ball. It’s fair to believe both can become worthy of that ranking with Ball as their point guard, but it’s Williams with the safer, higher floor because of his understanding of how to consistently utilize his tools.
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