BREAKING: Hornets Draft G Amari Bailey
The Charlotte Hornets have brought in guard Amari Bailey with the 41st pick in the NBA draft. This represents the final selection for Charlotte tonight, and this is one that is really exciting for this team especially from a defensive perspective.
Bailey played alongside a group of talented, experienced players at UCLA this season. Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez were the veteran leaders for the team, but Bailey provided some youth and athleticism. In high school, he showed much more on-ball ability on offense than he did in college, but playing with one of the best pure point guards in the country will naturally take away some of those opportunities. I still believe that on-ball creation and passing is in there and could be tapped into as a secondary creator in Charlotte. He does have work to do in terms of improving his processing speed and reads, but there is a foundation to build on.
He shot 39% from three at UCLA on just under two attempts per game. The question would be whether or not he can keep that efficiency with an increase in volume he would see playing next to LaMelo Ball. If he can, this is a great fit.
He displayed a toughness on defense and really provides hope he can be an above-average defender which would be a great addition to Charlotte's back court. He is really strong at the point of attack and harasses ball-handlers with his pressure.
I believe Bailey has more to his game than he showed at UCLA, and now it's up to Charlotte to get the most out of him.
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