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You were locked on hornets part of the Locked on podcast Network your team Every day in America we live [Music] This is locked on Hornets we are part of The locked on podcast Network your team Every day thanks for making locked on Hornets your first listen every day we Are free and daily wherever you get Podcasts including on youtube.com where You can subscribe set your notifications Watch us live like we were live last Night during the draft it was an amazing Show with David Walker not at Edwards Thank you so much for everyone that Jumped into the chat and and was a part Of that show it was a really special Show you can catch more of my work on Every Hornet's box score.com I'm Doug Branson I'm typically joined by Walker Mayo from WFNZ you can catch him 12 to 3 Weekdays here in Charlotte on wfnc on The west and Walker show where I'm sure They're going to be diving deep into This entire Draft today and all next Week Walker and I are going to link back Up early next week to talk about this I'm coming to you right now from an Undisclosed bunker Hideout hotel room Here in uptown Charlotte as I prepare to Launch back to my home base of Nashville Tennessee but before I did that I wanted To jump on here and talk a little bit About some of the second round picks
That they made James Naji Amari Bailey And also a surprise number 27 selection Nick Smith Jr got to talk about that as Well but first We've done a lot over the past month and Even before that diving in to Two players Brandon Miller scoot Henderson And we're going to continue to do that We're going to continue to put a Microscope on Brandon Miller's game as We try to figure out as we approach Summer league we try to figure out where Does this guy fit into this roster into This rotation so we're going to continue To do that and there will be plenty of Time for that But I think what everybody's talking About right now is the reaction to the Pick and it was Mixed at Spectrum Center Apoplectic at Crown Club if you've seen The video go check that out on you on Twitter or whatever Crown Club is a fan Organization fan club for the Charlotte Hornets started by the guys that did Bring back the buzz which was the group That was you know leading the charge on Bringing the Hornet's name back to Charlotte The fan reaction was negative I mean There's no doubt about that and I I'm I Wouldn't be surprised if the Organization was surprised by that
Because I think They're not unique in that I I think Sports Front offices often operate in a Bubble where they're not necessarily Taking fan fans into account You know I think their Viewpoint is we Know basketball we look at this a lot Deeper and we're going to make this Decision that's best for winning Basketball games And that then all of the fan stuff will Take care of itself right if the pick is Good and we win playoff series then then Fans will forget all about it and I Think that's that's true The problem of course with thinking that Way if you're the Charlotte Hornets is That they haven't won Playoff series They haven't won a playoff series in 21 Years And and they're coming off of a losing Season that followed to play in blowouts Where they didn't even make the playoffs They have the longest playoffs drought Active in the NBA And so there isn't Institutional Trust Amongst the fan base and so it's not a Surprise when 75 to 80 percent according To the polls that we put up on YouTube 75 to 80 of the people that watch this Show wanted scoot Henderson to be the Pick they saw the all MBA potential And and I don't know how much we didn't
Really pull this I don't know if you Looked at that 80 percent how much of Them Would have also been okay with were were Good with Brandon Miller but wanted Scoot Henderson more and how many of Those folks thought There was actual bus potential with Brandon Miller and and not bus potential With scoot Henderson if I had to Speculate You know I think there's a large part of This fan base that feels like Brandon Miller has the potential to be a good Player But they thought scoot Henderson had the Potential to be a great player and when You're selecting number two overall You want a superstar That's the expectation whether that's Fair or not is beside the point and I Think a lot of people are going to look At this reaction and go Is that fair to Brandon Miller And I think No You know Brandon Miller On the court did everything he could to Make the case that he was a number two Overall selection SEC Player of the Year faded a little Bit down the stretch how much of that Was injuries or mono or whatever The talent is obviously there went
Through multiple workouts Showed something the shooting Talent is Undeniable So is it fair for fans to boo him Probably not but that's the situation That Brandon Miller walks into And it's not his fault that there have Been a number of draft picks that Haven't worked out for this organization Pre-mitch cup check post Mitch cup check There are there are draft picks that you Can point to lamelo ball obviously Mark Williams seems like it's going to work Out But there have also been a lot of Situations that were super questionable Trading miles trading for Miles Bridges And and drafting Shea gilges Alexander And trading that pick away James book Knight Kai Jones a lot of people have to Remember a lot of people loved that Draft like the pundits loved that draft For the Charlotte Hornets and it didn't Work out So that's the situation that Brandon Miller walks into and it's not fair and I think fans will ultimately come around Very quickly there was a lot of emotion There was a lot of anticipation there Was a lot of Vegas odds flipping there There was you know these were two very Different players and so I think that's Always going to engender a strong Reaction and again you you couple that
With years of playoff drought of On-court frustration of off the court Frustration You know I don't I don't think you can Discount that that that the Uh drama that this team has been Involved in that has actively hurt their Ability to compete miles Bridges James Booknight all that all of that The fan base is frustrated And if if the organization can't see That then I don't really know what to Say at this point but It is unfair to Brandon Miller but That's the situation that he walks into And the challenge for him is do do you Let that bother you or do you allow that To fuel you And hopefully they selected the kind of Player that that is fueled by that is Saying okay the fans booed me I'm gonna take that personally in a Healthy way And now use that to come out and show Them okay you might have booed me on on Draft night but you're not going to boo Me for very much longer because I'm Going to have such an immediate impact On winning basketball games that I'm Going to be undeniable you want the Player that you take second overall to Be undeniable And you want it to happen quickly Is that fair maybe not but that's
Professional sports that's what he's Walking into now Listen there are other fan bases that Would have reacted the same way that Actual that actually have playoff Success And and you know people joke about I Mean you know New York Knicks right Knicks fans they're constantly booing Their draft picks They actually do have playoff success To fall back on the Hornets don't even Have that they're frustrated they're Angry is that fair Probably not to Brandon Miller but I Think that's beside the point and I Think now the challenge for Brandon is To come into it starts in summer league In July with an opportunity to show fans Hey there was a reason this team took me And there's a reason they didn't take Scoot Henderson because I'm better than Scoot Henderson he has that opportunity And it's going to happen very quickly Okay we're going to next week get into This much more but I want to shift gears And talk about The the pigs that they made after our Live show ended so coming up next on the Locked on Hornets podcast don't go to Sleep on the Hornets just yet I'm Shocked I'm shocked at what they did at Number 27. I'm shocked at who they took But I'm shocked that they even make the
Pick I'll explain why in the next Segment you're watching locked on Hornets and we are brought to you by our Friends at bird dogs bird dogs make you Look good bird dog stretch khaki shorts Are designed to fit Slimmer through the Thigh and leg giving you a truly Sculpted look bird dog shorts do the Exact same thing as Lululemon but they Fit way better they fit way better than Regular shorts that are made of stiff Restricting cotton bird dogs fix that Issue by inventing Thomas Edison over Here they invented Cloud knit fabric That looks just like khaki but stretches So you get a way Slimmer fit without Having to sacrifice movement bird dogs Uses anti-stink sweat wicking fabric That keeps you cool and dry all day long Um so go to birddogs.com forward slash Lock.nba and you're going to get a free Yeti style tumbler with your order um That has become an essential part of my Daily water intake great tumbler that's Birddogs.com forward slash lockdown NBA For a free Yeti style tumbler you don't Want to take your you're not going to Want to take your bird dogs off we Promise you okay more locked on Hornets Ahead So we had gotten plenty of hints that The Hornets who had five picks in this Draft we're not going to use all five Picks
And I assumed that one of the picks that They would move would be the number 27 Overall selection a pick that you have To remember that they acquired Because they traded one of their first Round lottery picks last season The 11th pick last season they traded That pick for the number 27 pick in a Package of second round picks And I criticized that move at the time Because you're essentially trading the 11th pick in the NBA draft for the 27th Pick in the next draft okay 27 is a Higher number than 11 which is not great When you're talking about draft picks There's a little math for you So they traded for a worse pick Essentially because everybody knew that I don't think anyone knew that Denver Was going to win the championship I Don't think anyone was willing to go out On that limb But I think we were all safe to bet that A nuggets team that was getting Jamal Murray back into the fold was going to At least be a playoff team but besides That the pick that they traded for was Lottery protected so even if even if Denver had suffered multiple injuries to Star players and bottomed out There was no chance of that pick Becoming a better first-round pick And I I think that they they traded that
11th pick I think there were Financial Considerations involved they did not Want to bring in two lottery picks after Having already made a trade to bring in Two first rounders in book night and Kai Jones And and having them not get a lot of Minutes in their rookie seasons Did not want to bring on contracts for Two Lottery players that they were Unsure about in terms of playing time And development So they traded into this draft which was Going to be a deep draft but not deep Enough to justify training 11 for 27. Not it wasn't that deep But you get to 27 and I thought okay the Hornets are probably going to trade this Big bringing on two first rounders again After and and the second round picks But they shocked Me by taking Nick Smith Jr out of Arkansas number 27. If you've listened to me for a long time You know that I don't love the idea of Taking the falling star in a draft the Guy who you know and and uh Unfortunately the guy that I liked in This draft cam Whitmore was also a Victim of this he felt I believe to 20 To the Houston Rockets I don't normally like taking that guy Why Because a lot of people will look at it
And go wow value Pig Nick Smith Jr top Three recruit uh was you know when he Was healthy at Arkansas was a dynamic Score Um and somebody that could have been a Top pick had everything broke right for Him broken right for him But I don't like taking it because There's a reason guys fall These guys all meet with multiple teams And then the everyone sort of talks with One another And so sure a guy can fall maybe Unfairly occasionally But I think when you look back at the History of the draft It's full of guys that fell for a reason And occasionally there's a guy that Falls unfairly and you go wow how did That player get all the way there it Happens I mean Devin Booker had a pretty Precipitous fall And and Phoenix you know scooped him up And so you're looking at that situation And going man I hope that's what the Hornets just fell into I hope they fell Into a situation where they got a Devin Booker level player that's going to Shock the world is that is that Nick Smith Jr We're gonna find out and it's a great Combo guard pickup could be a potential Terry Rozier replacement because that's What scoot would have been and so now
You're still really kind of looking for That who's the combo guard of the future Who's going to be the player that can Either back up lamelo ball at the guard Position or possibly play alongside Lamello ball if you envision a stronger Version of Brandon Miller that's more of A two three four guy instead of like a Just a 2-3 guy So that could be Nick Smith Jr's routes And look you know when you're taking Players this is why I don't love fit you Know I don't even love having that Discussion about like well you take Nick Smith Jr to be two so that you can have Brandon Miller to be three you you draft The best players and if Nick Smith Jr Is a Devin Booker level surprise and Becomes undeniable then you play it you Know what I'm saying you just take the Bet you take the best talent and let Everything work itself out but Nick Smith Jr is a super exciting scorer There's absolutely no doubt about that Um you know great first step great draw It can finish through contact has a Nifty number of moves that he can use to Score and showed those off when he was Healthy and it's the injury concerns I Think that that are the most troubling And probably why he fell because he Wasn't able to fully get recovered in That season and so the question is is he All the way there
Or can he get there and and will those Injury concerns uh rear back up in his Rookie season or Beyond because the Hornets are already dealing with that You know injury concerns with the guard Position of lamelo ball and I think it's Part of the reason why they'll bring Back Dennis Smith Jr So a lot of concerns there but I think Ultimately I don't love taking the Falling star But if you're going to do it do it at 27. you know I mean I don't love the Idea of doing it at 11 or 13. I'm still Stung by the novice election several Years ago Where they took you know Noah vanley Looked like a four or five pick and they Take him nine and they get him in um Because they didn't have a chance to Work them out they get him in and he Just doesn't he doesn't know he was just A raw talent he didn't know like how to Run sets or read defenses or or play Defense or nowhere to be on defense the NBA game overwhelmed him I don't think that's gonna happen with Nick Smith Jr I mean this guy's a Hooper So um I think if you're going to do it Do it at 27 I did want to see the Charlotte Hornets be a little bit safer In this draft and take some players that Didn't that weren't just like super high Risk High upside guys
But I think Nick Smith Jr and this is The way the organization felt it was Like you couldn't pass them up And uh hopefully hopefully it works out We're gonna dig more into his game as Well get a little bit more in detail as Next week rolls around but coming up Next on the Charlotte coming up next on Lockdown Hornets podcast don't go to Sleep on the horn it's just They also made some second round Selections James Naji and Amari Bailey a Little bit more on them but first let me Tell you about game time uh get buying Tickets to your favorite event shouldn't Be stressful Game time is the fast and easy way to Buy tickets for all the sports music Comedy and theater near you they've got Killer deals on last minute tickets and Their best price guarantee you can stop Stressing over those tickets and start Getting hyped for the fun that you're Going to have at these events you don't Want to worry about the tickets you just Want to have fun game time is the place For last minute ticket deals forget the Planning months in advance nobody wants To do that that takes too much work game Time has deals on tickets right up to The day of the event get exclusive Flash Deals on tickets for football basketball Baseball concerts comedy theater and More the game time guarantee means
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Opportunity to take some players that You can draft and stash taking some International players that can play Internationally for a few years and then And you bring those guys over and from What I read it seems like the process if James Naji jumps off the page and plays Well internationally the process of Bringing this player back to the United States to play for the Hornets or to Play for the Swarm would be a relatively Easy process because sometimes when you Get these drafts and stash guys there Are the the amount of money necessary to Get them off of their International deal Sometimes prohibits them from Immediately or prohibits the flexibility Of an NBA team to bring that guy over I Don't think that that's the case with James Naji I think the process would be Simple this is a young guy 18. you know I I think it's going to take some time For him to to again get a little Seasoning before he's even introduced to The NBA game but look you can't deny the The body stats six foot eleven seven Foot five wingspan 250 pounds and this guy had as like an NBA level frame you know he can play Physical he can play aggressive Um and and there are some like real you Know there's some real explosiveness Here there's some real athleticism here This is not a guy I don't think this is
A guy that you would categorize Necessarily as a plotter and a huge Motor crashes the glass and so you know I think The reason why you get him in the second Round is because of inexperience and I Think the reason why the Hornets traded Up to get this guy is because there was Some real talk of of Naji going in the First round so I think the Hornets were Waiting to see look is this even uh Pause I don't think they would have Traded That that 27th pick opportunity to move Up to 20 the technology if they felt Like Naji was going to go 20. but once He fell out of the first round then I Think it was all bets are off and then They're trying to you know put the Package together to Wrangle that 31st Pick from Boston who themselves traded To get to that 31st pick so just a Really interesting name but an extremely Raw name you're not going to see Naji Play I don't even think you're going to See him in summer league but you're not Going to see him play in a legitimate Hornet's uniform uh maybe for a couple Of Seasons so so just prepare for that But you know these are the kind of moves That may end up being nothing and may End up being everything there are some Real success stories that that come out
Of situations like this and and I think That's what what's getting people Excited this is a move I like because You know even though it's not somebody That's like a safe pick that you can Plug in and add some depth to right away It's at least somebody that you can play Overseas and you don't have to worry About working into a swarm system or or Him getting buried necessarily in a Rotation because he's going to get Plenty of time to play overseas they Also made another selection Amari Bailey Another Guard from UCLA was one of the Few players That was you know maybe mocked to the First round at times that had a really Good NCAA tournament and some injury Opportunity opened up uh or there were Some injuries at UCLA that opened up an Opportunity I should say for the UCLA Product and Amari Bailey is an Interesting cat because like you you Don't in transition he looks like super Explosive and can get up got some hops Can dunk it can shoot it the percentages Look good nearly shot 50 from the field I think ended the season at around 38 or 39 percent from three didn't take a ton Though Uh you know I think he averaged like 1.8 Three-point attempts per game at UCLA And so you're wondering okay that Offense at UCLA was not the offense at
Alabama it wasn't a wide open offense so Maybe You know he didn't take a ton because There weren't a ton of Threes to take You know if the spacing is not there the Spacing's not there sometimes even good Shooters you know need something to Happen within the offense to open them Up a little bit and so maybe that's the Case maybe he comes in and just knocks Down three after three at Summer League That's something we really haven't seen You know you think about Summer League Last year They didn't have a lot of guys that Could handle the ball they have a lot of Guys that could shoot in that summer League so there's plenty of opportunity For Brandon Miller for Amari Bailey uh And Nick Smith Jr to come in and just Light up the summer league with Three-pointer after three-pointer uh That there's a potential for them to Have a summer league team that actually You know can win some basketball games And compete that doesn't often happen it Doesn't really mean anything for like The regular season but it could be an Exciting thing to watch if uh because They've drafted a lot of offense but Omari Bailey does have some defensive Upside as well too I mean he is you know He's somebody that is committed to that End of the floor has the probably of the
Players that they took in this draft Has the most potential to be a three and D role player Because possibly a Lockdown Defender I Mean there is that again it's not Guaranteed but there is some upside There on the defensive end of the floor For Amari Bailey uh and and just has That you know kind of natural combo Guard game that you like and has has a Number of ways I think because to make Up for the fact that like the half court Explosiveness isn't there but I think he Showed off like enough ways craftiness That reminds me a little bit of how Bryce McGowan's kind of navigates Through the lane and but but Bryce McGowan's way more more explosive I Think uh projects out than Amari Bailey But I think these you know Marley Amari Bailey where he went in this draft I Think it was you know a really good pick So here are the stats on him 19 years Old six three so again on the shorter End of the I think combo guard situation 190. so he has some work to do Physically yeah did shoot 39 from three The free throw percentage was almost at 70 percent so that's decent averaged 11 Points for game four rebounds I mean the The raw stats don't jump off the page Um but at the same time you know Yeah I think his scoring ability off the Dribble is what you really look at is
Like oh okay that's the one thing that You know can probably let him hang in a Rotation or possibly uh you know carve Out a role for himself but the effort Level on the defensive end I think is What's going to excite Steve Clifford so That's my breakdown that's kind of an Initial breakdown of where these where These picks are I think it was a good Draft night overall if you if you just Kind of take a step back and look at yes Disappointing for a lot of scoot fans Including myself that they didn't make The pick of scoot But there are some exciting pieces that They added to this team could be a Little bit of a Last Dance situation for Mitch cupjack and Company Um did he did he hit on a few more Second round picks uh before this new Ownership group takes over uh could that Save his job potentially look if Brandon Miller is Rookie of the Year all of a Sudden I don't think you know the Chances are pretty low I don't know what The Vegas odds are yet but I would say The chances are pretty low but if he is You know potentially job saving uh for Mitch cup check some interesting Comments from Mitch cup check that I Want to get into early next week as well After this draft I don't think they did A great job of selling this Brandon Miller pick but I know you know
Ultimately I don't think it's up to them To sell this pick it's up to Brandon Miller to sell this pick and we're going To see what happens thanks so much for Watching locked on Hornets we are a part Of the locked on podcast Network your Team every day thanks for making Lockdown Hornets your first listen today Make your second listen game to game NBA Every moment every top performance every Result locked on game to game covers Every game from across the NBA with low Local analysis that only lockdown can Deliver follow game to game on lockdown NBA available on YouTube and wherever You get Podcast we'll see you on Monday With Walker mail go Hornets go America Let's swarm Charlotte [Music] Thank you
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