The Charlotte Hornets struck out of the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes during the lottery for the 2023 NBA Draft Tuesday night. That being said, the Hornets must still be elated over the fact that they still managed to defy the odds to win the No. 2 pick overall.

Charlotte is not getting Victor Wembanyama, but the Hornets have the next best thing after securing the rights to the second-pick overall, and for general manager Mitch Kupchak, that's what should be considered “an incredible stroke of luck,” per Steve Reed of the Associated Press.

The Hornets started the day with a 12.5 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick AKA the right to pick Victor Wembanyama. Their odd shot up when the Detroit Pistons, who shared the best odds to garner the No. 1 pick with the San Antonio Spurs slid all the way down to the fifth spot. So, the Spurs are going to be picking first in the 2023 NBA Draft in June followed by the Hornets at No. 2, the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 3, the Houston Rockets at No. 4, and the Pistons at No. 5.

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While they are certainly out of the running for Victor Wembanyama, the Hornets can still land an elite prospect with that No. 2 selection. With Wembanyama virtually assured to go to the Spurs, the Hornets can choose from the likes of Scoot Henderson, Amen Thompson, Brandon Miller, Ausar Thompson, and Cam Whitmore among others to be their first pick in the upcoming NBA Draft next month.

The Hornets went 27-55 in the 2022-23 NBA regular season.