Mar 21, 2025; Raleigh, NC, USA; Baylor Bears guard VJ Edgecombe (7) has the ball against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

ESPN's post-lottery mock draft gives Hornets insurance if they 'pivot' from LaMelo Ball

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Schuyler Callihan | Last updated May 14, 2025 11:55 AM ET

It won't be Cooper Flagg, but the Charlotte Hornets can still land a massive piece of their rebuild in the 2025 NBA Draft with the fourth overall pick.

The Rutgers duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey is likely to go right after Flagg, but if one of them slips, the Hornets will likely end their slide. In the event they are both off the board, Charlotte will likely be considering a batch of prospects that consists of VJ Edgecombe (Baylor), Tre Johnson (Texas), Kon Knueppel (Duke), Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma), and perhaps Khaman Maluach (Duke).

The most likely prospect is Edgecombe, and that's who ESPN draft analyst Jeremy Woo has the Hornets taking in his post-lottery mock draft.

"Although the Hornets were hoping to land atop the draft, staying in the top four while teams such as Utah and Washington fell is still a favorable outcome. Charlotte remains at an early stage of its rebuild, with LaMelo Ball coming off a career-best scoring season (25.2 points per game) and Brandon Miller emerging.

"But the roster is still at a nascent stage overall, coming off a season in which both stars missed significant time because of injuries. Edgecombe's defensive acumen and athletic slashing chops would slide in neatly alongside them, as he has the ability to play with Ball in the short term and perhaps inherit more significant shot-creation duties if the franchise decides to pivot away from Ball."

Edgecombe would immediately become one of the Hornets' best defenders, but the Hornets will have to weigh how much growth he can experience offensively versus how much growth top shooters like Tre Johnson and Kon Knueppel can have defensively. The Hornets need to improve defensively, but they also need more shooting.