Where every Hornets first round pick is at from the last decade

Salaun is entering his second season with the Hornets, and Charlotte is hoping he takes at least a mild leap. In 60 games last season, the 6-foot-8 Frenchman averaged 5.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 20.7 minutes per game. He’s still extremely young, having just turned 20 years old on August 10.

2023: Brandon Miller (No. 2 overall), Nick Smith Jr. (No. 27 overall)

Miller has delivered on his potential for Charlotte, becoming a starter and 18.3 PPG-scorer already in his young career (101 games). The Hornets are hoping he can improve his durability and become an even more efficient shooter over the next couple of years.

There’s nothing not to like about Smith’s development, either. He’s responded well to the difficult task of splitting time between the NBA and G League over his first two seasons. Last year, Smith played in 60 games for the Hornets, which included 27 starts. He has some sneaky-elite aspects to his game already, including free-throw shooting (91.8 percent career).

2022: Mark Williams (No. 15 overall)

Williams is now a Phoenix Sun, and he was almost a Los Angeles Laker last season (before the trade was rescinded). Williams has tantalizing talent, but he hasn’t proved durable in any of his three seasons so far, logging total games played of 43, 19, and 44.

2021: James Bouknight (No. 11 overall)

We last saw Bouknight playing for the Portland Trail Blazers’ summer league squad (a few months ago), but he’s not on an NBA team currently. Bouknight played with Portland’s G League affiliate (Rip City Remix) last season. He was waived back in February of 2024 by Charlotte.

Bouknight was always mega-talented offensively, and he just turned 25 on September 18. Perhaps a move to Europe would rekindle his career.

2020: LaMelo Ball (No. 3 overall)

Like Brandon Miller, LaMelo has been an awesome lottery pick, although durability remains a huge concern. Melo made an All-Star squad at just 20 years old, but he’ll have to fix his injury problem to become a perennial All-Star moving forward.

2019: P.J. Washington (No. 12 overall)

Washington turned out to be a really good pro. He was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in February of 2024 (for Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and a 2027 first-rounder), and he ended up playing in the NBA Finals with Dallas that season.

Washington is still with the Mavs, although he’s been the subject of a lot of recent trade rumors.

2017: Malik Monk (No. 11 overall)

Another good player, Monk is still only 27 years old, even though it seems like he’s been around forever. He enters the 2025-26 season as a member of the Sacramento Kings. He joined the Kings in 2022 after a short stint with the Lakers. 

2015: Frank Kaminsky (No. 9 overall)

Like Bouknight, it’s unclear where Kaminsky will play next professionally. The 32-year-old spent a couple of months in early 2023 with the Houston Rockets before signing with Partizan Mozzart Bet of the Basketball League of Serbia. In 2024, he spent less than a month with the Suns before signing on with the Toronto Raptors’ G League affiliate, Raptors 905.

Given how high Kaminsky was drafted, it’s safe to say that his career has been a disappointment.

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