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Will the Charlotte Hornets be able to battle their way into playoff contention next season?
The Hornets ended with a record of 27-55, good enough for fifth in the Southeast Division and 14th in the Eastern Conference. Guards LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier led the team in scoring with 23.3 and 21.1 points per contest, respectively.
Center Mark Williams had a productive rookie season for Charlotte, ending the year with nine points, 7.1 rebounds and one block per game in 43 games and 17 starts. His season was highlighted by an 18-point, 20-rebound performance against the Miami Heat in February, which saw him grab seven offensive rebounds as the Hornets took a 108-103 win over Miami in the Spectrum Center.
“The more and more I play, the more and more comfortable I get,” Williams said in February, via the Associated Press. “Offensively, getting ready to catch passes from whoever, lobs, drop offs, on the offensive glass.”
Who could the Hornets look out for at the No. 27 pick? Will they be able to find a diamond in the rough later in the first round?
Marcus Sasser
A former 3-star recruit out of Red Oak, Texas, Sasser chose to commit to the Cougars over offers from Colorado State, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion, SMU and UTEP, according to 247Sports. He ended the 2022-23 season with averages of 16.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in 36 starts and games played.
Sasser scored 14 points in Houston's Sweet 16 matchup against the Miami Hurricanes, hitting four of his 12 shot attempts and two of his eight tries from the 3-point line.
The 6-foot-2-inch guard said he had no regrets about returning to the Cougars for their 2022-2023 campaign.
“It was an amazing run,” Sasser said during a March postgame conference. “Came up short, but the time that we got to spend throughout these months, I couldn't have for nothing better. Then just coming back to this program, coaching staff, it was just amazing.
“I'd pick that choice 10 out of 10 every time. So it was a great run for sure.”
Sasser could provide an reliable scoring punch to a bench that ranked 29th in the league with an offensive rating of 50.7.
Colby Jones
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Jones is a 3-year veteran guard for the Xavier Musketeers. The 6-foot-6-inch guard ended last season with 15 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game in 36 games played and started. He took starting roles in 82 of the 86 games he suited up for, including a 22-point performance in an 89-84 win over the DePaul Blue Demons during the Big East Tournament quarterfinal.
“I thought Colby was really the difference on offense down the stretch,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said, via the AP. “We really went to him and he delivered.”
Jones was a former 4-star prospect out of Birmingham, Ala., choosing to play with the Musketeers and join a 2020 recruiting class that featured two other 4-star recruits and three transfers.
Should guard Dennis Smith Jr. choose to sign with another team in free agency, Jones could be a reliable scoring and playmaking option off the bench for the Hornets. Charlotte ended the 2022-23 season with 25.1 assists per game, good enough for 17th in the league behind the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards.
Dariq Whitehead
This pick will be a longshot at this spot, but it will be a worthwhile one should he fall to No. 27.
Whitehead declared for the NBA Draft in late March after ending the 2022-23 season with 8.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and one assist per game in 28 games played and seven starts. He scored a season-high 18 points during a 65-64 win over Boston College in January, hitting six of his 12 shot attempts as he took a starting role alongside freshman forward Mark Mitchell and freshman center Kyle Filipowski.
“It's been a privilege to coach Dariq this year,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said, via GoDuke.com. “He is a guy who, you ask anybody in our program, any time you see Dariq, he's got a big smile – just a joy to be around. And for him, he's battled an incredible amount of adversity with the injuries that have come his way.
“I'm so proud of how he stuck with it and been a true team guy. Dariq is just scratching the surface on who he's going to be. I'm right in his corner as he takes this next step and goes to the next chapter and declares for the NBA Draft, and I couldn't be more excited for him and his family.”
Whitehead, who ended the season with a 42.9% shooting percentage from 3-point range, could be a solid shooting option for a team that finished last season with a 33.1% percentage from the perimeter, good enough for 29th in the NBA.
