With the No. 2 pick, Charlotte has a headache.
On 23 June, the 2023 NBA Draft will be held at the Barclays Centre in New York City.
All eyes are on the highly touted French prospect Victor Wembanyama, who has been dubbed the “Victor Wembanyama Draft” and is expected to go first overall.
Barring any upsets, the San Antonio Spurs are expected to select Wembanyama, the first team to have the No. 1 pick in 26 years since 1997.메이저놀이터
San Antonio has a strong history with French NBA players, including Tony Parker, Boris Diaw and Nande de Colo. David Robinson (1987) and Tim Duncan (1997) also made franchise history as the first big men to be drafted by San Antonio with the No. 1 overall pick. It’s hard to find a team with a better storyline than Wambanyama’s.
But there’s another team to keep an eye on. Charlotte with the second pick.
Once again, Charlotte failed to land the No. 1 pick. They haven’t had a No. 1 pick in over 30 years, since the 1991 draft (Larry Johnson).
Instead, they used the second pick in the 1992 draft (Alonzo Mourning), 2004 draft (Emeka Okafor), and 2012 draft (Michael Kidd-Gilchrist). In those three drafts, Charlotte missed out on Shaquille O’Neal (No. 1 in 1992), Dwight Howard (No. 1 in 2004) and Anthony Davis (No. 1 in 2012). All three went on to become some of the best big men of their era and won championship rings.
So who should Charlotte select with the second pick in this draft?
Assuming Victor Wembanyama is selected at No. 1, there are two players that Charlotte could consider with the No. 2 pick. Scooter Henderson and Brandon Miller.
The 7-footer played for the G League’s Ignite last season and drew comparisons to Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and Kyrie Irving. With his athleticism and excellent skillset, he’s expected to perform well in the NBA right away.
The problem is that Charlotte has an established guard in LaMelo Ball. Henderson and Ball have overlapping roles. So Henderson, who initially appeared to be a lock for the No. 2 pick, slipped to No. 3 on many draft projection sites once Charlotte got the No. 2 pick.
The player who has emerged as a potential second-round pick in Henderson’s place is Brandon Miller.
Miller, out of the University of Alabama, is a wing prospect with a good shot that has been compared to Paul George.
His physicality is impressive. He’s 6-foot-6 with a 213cm wingspan, and he’s an excellent shooter, having shot 38.4% from three-point range in college. He’s also not your average spot-up shooter who simply stands, receives the ball, and throws it up. At the collegiate level, Miller was also very adept at creating moving shots, whether it was taking handoffs or using pin-down screens to get to the basket. His ball-handling-based jump shot production is also excellent, and he has the potential to be a scorer above Keegan Murray (Sacramento) from his rookie season.
Charlotte lost Miles Bridges for the entire 2022-2023 season due to domestic violence issues, and Gordon Hayward had another injury-plagued season that saw him in and out of the lineup. Jaylen McDaniels was acquired in a trade during the season and wore a Philadelphia jersey. Even if Bridges returns next season, additional wing depth is a must. Miller, with his long frame and excellent shooting ability, could be a good option.
It remains to be seen what Charlotte decides to do. In the age of the multi-handler, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see a combination of LaMelo Ball and Scott Henderson in the backcourt. We’ll see what Charlotte does with the second pick on draft day.