Drafting Knueppel, McNeeley is a bet on Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball in Charlotte

They did exactly that.

Both Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeeley fit Peterson's preferred archetype to a tee. Charlotte's pair of draftees boast some commonalities in their prospect profile: high feel, high-IQ, sweet shooting strokes, active on defense, fiery competitors, an ability to impact winning without needing the basketball, making them the ideal role-players to surround your in-place stars.

The selections of Knueppel and McNeeley are a double and triple down on building around LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.

Breaking down why Charlotte passed on Bailey and Johnson

The Hornets had a trio of options fall into their lap after the 76ers drafted V.J. Edgecombe.

Ace Bailey, the shot making wunderkind from Rutgers University, was available for Charlotte to select, but they declined to swing for the fences on a prospect with indelible star equity.

Tre Johnson, the movement shooter extraordinaire from the University of Texas, was also on the board, but Charlotte decided to bring a different sniper to the Queen City.

Both Bailey and Johnson are high-usage, low-efficiency players that pounded dents into the hardwood with their on-ball dominance in college. Adding a player like that into the fold in Charlotte would have spelled the writing on the wall for Ball, who's name has been mired in trade talks since he was drafted in 2020, or Miller, the promising talent coming off of a devastating wrist injury.

Passing on Bailey and Johnson may look ridiculous in hindsight if they reach their high-end outcomes, but if Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee believe that Ball and Miller will be the star duo that leads Charlotte to the promised land, Knueppel was the correct choice with a bullet.

You can't have enough players like Knueppel and McNeeley running the wing with Ball and Miller. The pair of draftees keep the ball moving on offense, operating as connective pieces that look to keep their teammates involved. They can tilt defenses with their off-ball movements, either catching-and-shooting looks from downtown, or causing defenses to bend to their will with the gravity their shooting strokes provide an offense.

If and when Ball or Miller break down the defense, both Knueppel and McNeeley have the requisite skillset to make opposing teams pay.

Charles Lee wants to play a fast-paced, five-out offense that orbits around the three-point line. Towards the end of Ball's playing days before he was shut down for the season with ankle and wrist ailments, teams were able to pack the paint and disrupt Ball with physicality at the point of attack because he lacked teammates who could punish over-committed defenses that left shooters open. Charlotte's draft haul was the first step in opening up the floor for their superstar point guard.

Elite shooters create driving lanes for ball handlers, and off-ball actions involving Miller, Knueppel, and McNeeley are going to leave opposing defenses heads spinning. Lee loves to create early offense with his big men setting high ball screens that flow into dribble hand offs on the wings - those actions will become lethal with knock down shooters dotting the perimeter.

Fans of the Hornets have been clamoring for a five years to surround LaMelo Ball with the right pieces, and Charlotte did that on Wednesday night. Ball is the quarterback of the Hornets, and Jeff Peterson added a proverbial pass-protecting offensive lineman and a sure handed tight end to go with the superstar receiver that is Brandon Miller.

Adding these two player doesn't guarantee a playoff berth for Charlotte in 2025, but it signals a desire to become more competitive in the weakened Eastern Conference because Knueppel and McNeeley are ready-made NBA role players. If LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are the stars Charlotte is building around, it's time for them to get reps in meaningful basketball games. Those two have to get their lumps in the playoffs before their growth completely stagnates.

The beautiful part of the Knueppel and McNeeley picks is this: if the Ball and Miller experiment flames out and Charlotte is picking at the top of next year's draft that projects to be an all-timer, they have their ancillary pieces in place to surround with their next superstar swing.

The future in Charlotte currently orbits around the future stardom of Ball and Miller, but the Hornets have uniquely positioned themselves to transition smoothly into the next era if their current marquee duo flames out.

Knueppel, McNeeley, a bevy of future first-round picks, and a shrewd decision-maker willing to wheel and deal is the perfect golden parachute for Charlotte to lean on going forward. This isn't quote the Golden State Warriors 'two timelines' deal, but it's close, and the Hornets are in a great place to compete now and later if they so choose.

- MORE STORIES FROM HORNETS ON SI -

The top three options on the board for Charlotte in the second round of 2025 NBA draft

What the Mark Williams trade means for Moussa Diabate + Jusuf Nurkic

The Charlotte Hornets addressed one major weakness on night one of the NBA Draft

Jeff Peterson hints at return of restricted free agent Tre Mann