The nightmare scenario: What happens if the Hornets land the 7th overall pick?

The Hornets currently hold a 14% chance to land the top odds in the draft, 52.1% in the top four. What if they fall out?

Jeff Peterson Addresses The Media /

It's the night of the NBA Draft Lottery.

The Charlotte Hornets hold a 14% chance to land the No. 1 selection, tied with the best odds to land Duke's Cooper Flagg.

The state of North Carolina holds their breath as NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum opens the envelopes, revealing the order of one of the most loaded drafts in recent history.

The crowd is silent, watching Tatum calmly open each envelope and announce the pick, and who will be selecting there.

"The seventh pick will be made by... the Charlotte Hornets."

What happens next?

Mar 31, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee looks at the scoreboard during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

This is the nightmare scenario for the Hornets. It takes them out of the top five, and out of the running for Flagg, the Rutgers duo of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, and Baylor's VJ Edgecombe.

Not all is lost though, as this is an extremely good draft class. It puts the Hornets in an interesting position, though.

Do they finally move on from center Mark Williams to select either Duke's Khaman Maluach, or Maryland's Derik Queen?

This may be the best move that President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson can make. It gives the Hornets freedom to select one of the two, and both are viewed as the top centers in the upcoming draft class. It allows you to move on from Williams, bring in more assets, and then draft his replacement in the top ten.

That begs the question, who is the better of the two?

Khaman Maluach, C, Duke

Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Khaman Maluach (9) shoots the ball over Houston Cougars forward Ja'Vier Francis (5) during the second half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

An article from earlier this month covered Maluach as a player:

Maluach has averaged 1.3 blocks per game in his lone season at Duke, and has the ability to use his gigantic wingspan to alter any shots at the rim. Maluach moves extremely and can navigate screens on defense while also putting himself in ideal spots on offense. 

While Maluach can shoot the ball and is a solid free throw shooter, the Duke big man only shot sixteen total threes all season, sinking four of them (25%). His post-game isn't entirely perfect, and on offense he has primarily been a lob threat and glass cleaner. He's still extremely raw, which does mean whoever needs to draft him needs to be patient and cannot expect a star out of the gate.

Though, what would his fit be in Charlotte?

The South Sudanese center would fill in the role that Mark Williams left, though would arguably be an even better rim protector. He did have the help of another great rim protector in Cooper Flagg, which could slightly see him not be as strong at the rim as he was in Durham.

When Maluach has been in the paint, teams have been afraid to even go there.

Having said that, he would immediately come in and be the best rim protector the team has. As for his offensive game, Khaman is extremely raw and needs plenty of time. He cannot be expected to carry the offensive load that Mark had, and will need plenty of time to be able to develop as a big. With Maluach, it would not be shocking if he comes off the bench to start his career.

Derik Queen

Mar 27, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA: Maryland Terrapins center Derik Queen (25) reacts during the second half against the Florida Gators during a West Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Queen does everything you want from your big on offense. He is a fantastic rebounder, a great rim-runner, and arguably the best screener in this draft class. He's extremely good with the ball in his hands, and can score at almost every different level.

He has extremely good footwork, a great touch, and his post-up game is already polished. He can playmake at a high level, arguably the best passing center in this class.

So, what's the downside?

Queen is viewed as undersized as a center, standing 6'10". He also struggled defensively all season, which would create a hole in the Hornets' defense, who rely on having a rim protector. There is also a chance he is a backup big in his career. Which is not a bad thing whatsoever, but for pick seven...

The way to put it simply: if the Hornets want a center who can come in and immediately give an impact and is NBA ready, go with Queen. If you want to draft a center who could either be All-NBA or out of the league in a few short years, go with Maluach.

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