NBA Draft prospect with local ties could be an ideal fit for Charles Lee's Charlotte Hornets

Charles Lee came to the Charlotte Hornets with championship experience and a clear vision for how to bring the floundering franchise to the promised land. The young head coach has a pair of championship rings, one with Boston, one with Milwaukee, and a decade of NBA coaching experience under some of the league's most respected basketball minds.

When trying to figure out Charlotte's plans for the 2025 NBA Draft, the next major inflection point in the franchise's upward trajectory, it helps to take a look at their head coach's past when you think about his future with the Hornets.

Lee's championship teams in Milwaukee and Boston were spearheaded by relentless point of attack defenders. At both stops, Jrue Holiday was the head of the snake of Lee's championship defenses, operating as both the unstoppable force and the immovable object on the perimeter.

In his relatively brief tenure as Charlotte's head coach, Lee has attempted to acquire players of that ilk - Josh Green and Josh Okogie most notably - however, neither of those players were able to replicate the impact of a Holiday or Derrick White as a defensive stalwart.

This is where the 2025 NBA Draft comes into play.

The majority of mock drafts have Charlotte selecting V.J. Edgecombe with the fourth overall pick. Edgecombe is the exact type of relentless, dogged defender that Lee covets; a player that oozes 'Hornets DNA.'

Although Edgecombe is a popular selection, Charlotte could still go in multiple directions with that pick. If they decide to pass on V.J., or he gets selected before Charlotte even has the chance to make a decision on him, a big-time offensive prospect like Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, or Kon Knueppel will land in Charlotte's lap, leaving a blunt tip on the spear of Lee's defensive attack.

Enter Drake Powell, a 6'5" guard from the University of North Carolina with a gargantuan wingspan.

Powell, a five-star recruit who played high school basketball in North Carolina, has stopper potential on defense that make him an intriguing prospect in the early second round where the Hornets have a pair of selections.

His freshman campaign fell short of the lofty expectations that recruiting services like 24/7 and Rivals placed on him, but there was some beauty in the mess that was the 2024-25 Carolina Tar Heels' season.

Drake has fluid hips that allow him to play with good bend and positional strength that make him the type of versatile multi-positional wing defender that the league's best teams lean on this time of year. Powell is a true event-creator on the defensive end, blocking shots and tipping passes in the gaps with his quick-twitch athletic abilities and aforementioned wingspan.

Off-the-ball, Powell is a menace. He shows control on closeouts beyond his years, he has potential as a weak side rim protector, and if we can throw in another Charles Lee-ism, Powell does a nice job recognizing the 'MIG' (most-important-guy) when his team's defense gets put in the blender.

On offense, Powell doesn't bring much to the table. He shot 39% on three-point attempts as a freshman, but every make was assisted: a reflection of the defensive-minded prospect's inability to create offense for himself. Even though his shooting percentage looks nice on paper, Powell has a slow, elongated release that will make it tough for him to high catch-and-shoot jumpers in the pressure cooker that is the NBA.

He'll finish plays in transition with his long strides and vertical pop, but as a whole, Powell is a project on offense.

Charlotte may not use both of their second round picks. Adding three rookies to a team generally without direction is poor process, However, if they either make one pick in the second round or package the pair of them for a late first, Powell will be a target for Charles Lee's squad.

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