NBA Draft: Hornets Work Out Emoni Bates, Others

With the NBA Draft lottery in sight, teams are starting to ramp up their personal workouts. On Friday, the Hornets conducted draft workouts with six draft prospects, the highest profile ones being Eastern Michigan’s Emoni Bates and Furman’s Jalen Slawson.

Others included Meechie Johnson Jr. of South Carolina, Jaylen Martin of the TNG Dreamerz, Landers Nolley II of Cincinnati and Trey Wertz of Notre Dame.

Check out who we're welcoming to the Hive today 👇#HornetsDraft | https://t.co/BTP3xTqGKB pic.twitter.com/UBG9Z2vgbO
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) May 5, 2023

With five picks in the upcoming draft, three of which are second round selections, the Hornets seems to be getting a jump on potential late-first or second round flyers.

Once thought of to be one of the better prospects on the planet, Bates had a shaky first collegiate season at Memphis before finding some footing at Eastern Michigan as their leading scorer. He averaged 19.2 points on 40 percent shooting overall and 33 percent 3-point shooting.

He’s a good height at 6-foot-9, but his negative wingspan and lackluster defensive performances are cause for concern regarding his defensive upside.

Just good energy, and getting locked in. 🔋 #HornetsDraft pic.twitter.com/E4l9GWpjHe
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) May 5, 2023

Slawson, who helped Furman to a massive upset over fourth-seeded Virginia in the NCAA tournament in March, could be a riser due to his terrific all-around game at 6-foot-7. With the Paladins, he averaged 15.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 56 percent overall and 39 percent from beyond the arc.

The NBA Draft lottery, which Charlotte holds the fourth-best odds for, will take place on Tuesday, May 16.

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