14 Years of No. 14 Picks: What Hornets Can Expect in NBA Draft

The Charlotte Hornets got stuck with the 14th pick in the lottery. The lottery is usually unkind to the Hornets, and this year was no different, even if we all hoped that the karma we have been long due would manifest after the Hornets finally became competitive.

Unfortunately, whatever stigma haunts Charlotte is stronger than the fact that they were competitive and did not tank in 2025-26. So with the 14th pick, Charlotte has to find an impact player. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done, even in a deep draft class. History's not on their side.

Here's a rundown of the 14th pick going back 14 years:

2025: Carter Bryant, San Antonio Spurs
2024: Bub Carrington, Portland Trail Blazers
2023: Jordan Hawkins, New Orleans Pelicans
2022: Ochai Agbaji, Cleveland Cavaliers
2021: Moses Moody, Golden State Warriors
2020: Aaron Nesmith, Boston Celtics
2019: Romeo Langford, Boston Celtics
2018: Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets
2017: Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
2016: Denzel Valentine, Chicago Bulls
2015: Cameron Payne, Oklahoma City Thunder
2014: TJ Warren, Phoenix Suns
2013: Shabazz Muhammad, Utah Jazz
2012: Jeremy Lamb, Houston Rockets

Obviously, that's not a who's who. However, that isn't to say good prospects can't be found. Several teams just made mistakes, because quite a few good players went after the above:

Kel'el Ware
Jared McCain
Keyonte George
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Mark Williams
Christian Braun
Walker Kessler
Alperen Sengun
Trey Murphy
Tyrese Maxey
Jaden McDaniels
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Grant Williams
Donte DiVincenzo
OG Anunoby
Jarrett Allen
Derrick White
Pascal Siakam
Kelly Oubre
Nikola Jokic
Rudy Gobert
Draymond Green

The 14th pick has a fairly dubious history, which isn't good for the Hornets. There are a handful of hits, but most of the recent 14th overall picks have been misfires. However, the teams just needed to scout better, because the above list is full of really good NBA players.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts after a teammate scored against the Charlotte Hornets | John Hefti-Imagn Images

The Hornets will have plenty of options at 14 (and then again at 18), but finding the right one is crucial. They have been on the wrong end of bad draft choices with really good players going later, far too many times.

They themselves passed on all those players listed above and more, so Charlotte's tasked with trying to break the NBA-wide trend and their own trend. Fortunately, Jeff Peterson has drafted better in his tenure, so there's hope for that.

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