Charlotte Hornets Mock Draft: Jeff Peterson Lands Two Physical Forwards

The Hornets need to get bigger and more physical. They can do that in the draft.

Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) hangs onto the rim as Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) reaches for the ball | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Charlotte Hornets have two first-round picks to work with this year. That gives them incredible flexibility, even if their lone lottery pick has an extremely high chance of sticking at 14th overall, which barely qualifies as a top selection in the draft.

They can add two impactful rookies in a deep draft class or package them to move up. They could also flip one in a trade for an established NBA player. They have options. What might they do to take the next step?

Charlotte Hornets NBA mock draft

In the simulation we ran here, the Hornets got stuck at 14, which is exceptionally probable. The Hornets have a 2.4% chance of moving into the top four and a 0.5% chance at the first pick, which means it's more improbable than Dallas winning it last year.

1.14: Michigan PF Yaxel Lendeborg

Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) celebrates after their win against the UConn Huskies | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Hornets need some physicality in the frontcourt, and Yaxel Lendeborg can bring that. He also, like Kon Knueppel last year, brings a winning pedigree to the Hornets, and we all saw how that transformed Charlotte's locker room.

Lendeborg is slightly taller and weighs much more than Miles Bridges, making him an easy pick to slide into the starting lineup. The only downside is a lack of three-point shooting, but Lendeborg's physicality and bruising style will make the Hornets better.

1.18: Arizona F Koa Peat

Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) reacts after a pay against the Arkansas Razorbacks | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Are you sensing a theme here? Koa Peat is also known for his physical play style, utilizing his broad frame to bully defenders. That's the exact sort of thing the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic routinely did to the Hornets, so instead of trading up for a prospect, Charlotte doubles down on getting stronger.

Once again, the problem with Peat is his lack of shooting. He attempted 20 threes in 2025-26, and he shot just 36% in the midrange. He brings other things to the table, but one has to wonder about spacing with him and Lendeborg coming in.

Still, the Hornets have plenty of shooting and could add more in the free agent market (Luke Kennard, come home), so it's not necessarily imperative to find players who can shoot from distance. And if the Hornets don't trade Miles Bridges, then they can still form a strong lineup designed to shoot with Lendeborg and Peat available when they need to get physical.

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