CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The phrases are often tossed around when discussing the NBA draft.
It’s no different this year, particularly with the uncertainty hovering over the Charlotte Hornets and who they will select at No. 2 overall Thursday night. Many of the pre-draft debates center around whether a team should draft the best available player or the one who is a better roster fit.
ESPN basketball analyst and Duke product Jay Bilas, who will appear on the network’s main set in New York during the draft, thinks there shouldn’t be all that much deliberation.
“It’s easy for me to say because I’m not making the selection, but I tend to gravitate towards best available player,” Bilas said. “Because when you are looking at fit, you don’t know whether some of the players you are fitting the prospect in and around are going to be there in a couple of years. So, I think take the most valuable asset or the best player available.”
Bilas explained his reasoning further, pointing to how Michael Jordan, the Hornets’ now soon-to-be minority owner, landed in Chicago instead of the Pacific Northwest nearly four decades ago. It’s a part of NBA draft lore.
“Back in 1984, the Portland Trail Blazers felt like they needed a center,” Bilas said, “so they took Sam Bowie and passed up on Michael Jordan, because they would have duplicated a position they had filled with Clyde Drexler. But Stu Inman, who was their general manager at the time, consulted Bob Knight — who coached Jordan in the Olympics — said, ‘Jordan is the best player, take Jordan.’
“I think Inman — at least this is what Bob Knight has said — he told him, ‘Hey, we need a center.’ And then his response was, ‘Then play Jordan at center. You don’t pass up a player that good.’ So, I know we don’t think there is a Michael Jordan-type in this draft, but I don’t think you pass up on best available player unless it’s too close to call and the fit overwhelms the best player available idea.”
That’s why Bilas believes there are only two possible candidates the Hornets will even consider at No. 2. And he’s had an opportunity to study them both in preparation for his draft-night duties.
Still, he’s unclear about exactly what Charlotte will do with the pick.
“The choice seems to be between Scoot Henderson of the G League, who’s a really dynamic guard that can really get to the rim and create his own offense and (is) ultra-competitive. But even though he’s only 6-2, 6-3, he’s got the arms of a guy 6-9, 6-10 and can really make plays.
“He’s not figured out the shooting piece yet. He’s not a consistent perimeter shooter, but he’s got a ton of ability and his competitive nature is really impressive, especially at that age. He’s a hard-charger.”
Bilas then mentioned the player who has been most linked to Charlotte.
“Then the other choice would be Brandon Miller, who’s 6-9 and can really shoot it," Bilas said. “He’s got deep range, he’s very athletic, he’s got range as a defender, he can switch out. He can protect the rim a little bit and challenge shots. But he can really score.”
Henderson and Miller each have areas of needed improvement and Bilas touched on a couple. His queries likely mirror some of the things the Hornets’ decision-makers were trying to evaluate on Monday as did their second individual assessments on the two hottest names of the draft outside of Victor Wembanyama.
“The question marks you would have is shooting for Henderson and maybe size,” Bilas said. “But his length, I think, makes up for that. And then for Miller, there aren’t as many question marks but against top-50 competition, he did not perform as well. His numbers really dropped when you look at top-50 teams.
“He was like 0-of-8 against Houston. He did not perform well in the NCAA Tournament. He had a little bit of an injury issue, so that’s a little bit more understandable. Against the bigger name, more successful, better teams, his numbers took a significant drop. But he is still super talented, and still a very good young player.”
And Bilas gives the slight nod to Miller at No. 2 in what might feel like a photo finish.
“It’s a difficult decision,” Bilas said. “I would lean toward Miller because of the shooting. In a league that values shooting, he could really shoot it. And I think that’s the direction I would lean.”
