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Choosing fit over talent in the draft could doom the Hornets for years to come

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Austin Leake | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 7:32 AM ET

The Charlotte Hornets have a decision to make in the next week, one that could be a potential breakthrough for the team or another failed opportunity.

Let's be honest, the Hornets haven't been one of the better drafting teams over the past decade, and some of that has been because they've typically targeted players who are a specific need for the team or the best fit at the time.

Most teams that have drafted by fit or need typically are championship contenders, but for the Hornets, who haven't won more than 30 games in a season since the 2021-2022 season, that plan could be a recipe for disaster.

The Hornets are at a point where they simply need to take the best available player on the board at the fourth position. Deciding to take a player they feel would fit better with the roster instead of selecting a more talented player could become a huge mistake.

Why is that?

Simply because if the team ends up with too many players at a certain position, they can always make a trade later. If you're the Hornets, you can't pass up on a potential better prospect to fill a short-term need; that's something the organization just can't afford to do.

That doesn't just go for the Hornets' fourth pick in the 2025 draft; that also goes for the Hornets' two second-round picks that they hold. It's become more common for second-round picks to become key rotational pieces on many teams' rosters, which makes those selections just as important as the first-rounders.

Now, the Hornets may not use both of those picks, as they may trade back into the first round, but that selection still needs to be viewed as an opportunity to take the best player available, wherever they select.

This is a very important draft for the Hornets because if they make the wrong decision, it could delay their success even longer, while if they make the right decision, they could find themselves on a path to the playoffs relatively soon. The Hornets can't afford to stay stuck at the bottom forever.