Hornets move up in NBA draft lottery, will pick second overall behind Spurs
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CHICAGO — There’s no reason for the Charlotte Hornets’ brass to sign up for those French lessons after all.
Armed with the fourth-best chance to land the No. 1 overall pick at Tuesday night’s NBA draft lottery and the subsequent opportunity to select Victor Wembanyama, the Hornets made a move up the board, but couldn’t completely overcome their 12% odds and drew the No. 2 spot.
San Antonio, which had a 14% chance, landed the top overall selection for the draft, which is set for June 22 in New York. Houston, Portland and Detroit rounded out the first five picks.
“When I saw Detroit get five, I was like, ‘It might get a little shaky,’ ” said Hornets center Mark Williams, who represented the team on the stage during the broadcast. Nah, it was cool. My heart was beating a little bit, though.
“I was preparing myself for top four. Top four was a lock, so top four was good. But when Detroit went five and they weren’t in that top five, I was like … and then I saw the three. And then I was like, ‘Well, it’s one or two. So, you can’t go wrong.’ ”
Wembanyama would’ve given the Hornets an immediate boost in more ways than one and could have injected an international flavor into the franchise. His team’s games from France were broadcast live on the NBA’s app, providing spectacular looks at Wembanyama’s impressive talents.
But he’s headed for Texas, and the Hornets instead get to choose the next best player off the board behind Wembanyama.
“Absolutely, it’ll be a great pick, it’ll be a great player, whoever that may be,” Williams said. “I’m really excited for it.”
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