Latest Bleacher Report mock draft sees Hornets land 'well-rounded' prospect

As the Charlotte Hornets continue to march toward a top-three worst record in basketball, their chances of picking in the top three remain high. They can certainly be victims of the NBA's lottery system as they have so many times before, but they stand a good chance of making it into that esteemed range.

Without simulating the actual lottery and finding out that Charlotte is actually going to be picking sixth overall, mock drafts have it by record right now. And right now, the Hornets would be picking third in a normal, non-lottery draft system. With that pick, Bleacher Report thinks they'll go with VJ Edgecombe out of Baylor.

After the Elite Eight, B/R's Jonathan Wasserman said, "VJ Edgecombe made a number of on-brand plays in the postseason with his explosion, shotmaking, unselfish nature and defensive activity. He applied pressure with his open-floor speed, first step in the half court, hang time around the basket, spot-up shooting and quickness/motor for getting deflections and steals."

Wasserman noted that he's not as versatile of a shotmaker as Ace Bailey, another player commonly seen in the top three of NBA mock drafts. However, the Baylor product has made more threes, assists others nearly three times as much, shoots more and better free throws, and has a much better defensive presence. This "could sway teams to deem him the safer, more well-rounded prospect," Wasserman said.

His pro comparisons are Victor Oladipo, Andrew Wiggins, or Iman Shumpert, all players known for their defensive acumen but being far from bad on the offensive end. This would be a solid addition to the lineup in the absence of landing Cooper Flagg.

Flagg would raise the floor and provide a defensive anchor to take the pressure off some of the rest of the lineup, most of whom are pretty poor defenders. In a similar but not as strong sense, Edgecombe could do the same on the perimeter.

He's also a little older than Flagg or Bailey, and he is the same age as Dylan Harper. At 19, he might not start right away, but he's in a good middle ground for having some experience but not being too old for a Hornets front office that's prioritizing the distant future.

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