The Charlotte Hornets cannot catch a break.
Every time it seems like they’re ready to take off and put their woes behind them, their stars get hurt, they make a bad move, or they’re simply not lucky enough to go the distance.
That was evident again on Tuesday night during the NBA draft lottery, as they were quite close to glory but ultimately fell short and landed the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft.
Notably, this is the fourth time in franchise history that they have the No. 2 pick, and they’ve missed on some generational big men every single time it’s happened in the past.
Charlotte has JUST missed out on some generational bigs 👀 pic.twitter.com/CEiccMIE78
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 17, 2023
First, it was Shaquille O’Neal in the 1992 draft, and they wound up getting Alonzo Mourning instead, so that didn’t turn out that bad, all things considered.
Then, they could’ve had Dwight Howard in 2004, but they had to “settle” for Emeka Okafor, who had a decent NBA career but was nowhere near what Howard accomplished.
Most recently, the Hornets were quite close to landing Anthony Davis in 2012, but they dropped the ball by taking Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
To make it even worse, they chose MKG over guys like Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, or even Khris Middleton.
The Hornets will now have the opportunity to pair LaMelo Ball with another potential generational talent at the point guard position in Scoot Henderson, but they might also be tempted to choose a better positional fit for their prospect.
Whatever the case, they’ll hope he turns out to be as good as Victor Wembanyama, but those chances seem quite slim.
NEXT:
A Former Hornets Player Has Been Suspended For 30 Games
