Charlotte Hornets NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Allen Graves

Charles Lee loves his 'connectors.'

When constructing his vision for the Charlotte Hornets, Lee looks for guys who can do the little things on both ends of the floor to maximize the impact of the franchise's star players.

Just look at who the Hornets targeted in the draft last season.

Kon Knueppel: The sweet-shooting swingman who never takes a play off and dices up opposing defenses with his impressive blend of functional strength and IQ.

Liam McNeeley: A plus shooter who picked apart the G-League with precision passes, well-timed drives, and effort on defense.

Sion James: A defense-first guard who slowed down everyone from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Lauri Markkanen as a rookie that never stops the ball on offense.

Ryan Kalkbrenner: Another defense-first player who does all of the dirty work on both ends of the floor to swing the possession game in Charlotte's favor.

If Charlotte places a premium on connective tissue with their pair of first round picks in this year's NBA Draft, a relatively unhearlded prospect from the West Coast Conference could be high on their board.

Scouting Allen Graves

Allen Graves is a 6'7.75" power forward with a 7'0" wingspan that epitomizes this vintage NBA Twitter meme.

Graves' analytical profile screams high-level NBA player, but his lack of athleticism and high-flying plays make him a questionable prospect to the eye-test scouts.

He is one of this draft classes premier prospects in terms of impacting the possession game, sporting a 100th percentile steal rate (4.9%), 99th percentile offensive rebound rate (13.9%), 99th percentile assist/turnover ratio (2.5), 87th percentile block rate (5.0%), and an analytically sound shot profile that eschews mid range attempts for looks at the rim and from behind the arc.

If you ignore the lack of vertical pop, the tape really matches the numbers here which is why I fully believe in Graves' long-term NBA potential.

He has some of the most powerful and accurate hands you'll find in the college game -- Graves thrives at ripping the rock away from unsuspecting ball handlers. He can get a tad overzealous when going for steals, evidenced by his sky-high foul per 40 minutes number (5.3), which does dampen his long-term projection as an impact event creator on defense.

On the glass, Graves is an absolute animal. He has massive, soft mitts that inhale rebounds like Kirby suctions its opponent. He crashes with reckless abandon and uses his long arms and NBA-ready frame to make a massive impact on the glass on both ends of the floor.

Much like current Hornet Kon Knueppel, Graves plays at his own methodical pace and the game slows down to his preferred tempo when he handles the ball. He has advanced feel as both a screener and a passer, and is adept at using his NBA-ready frame to create advantages for his teammates on both fronts.

According to J. Kyle Mann of The Ringer, Graves was in the top 10 in the country in terms of pick-and-pop three-point attempts, and knocked them down at a 42.5% clip. That will play in Charlotte's screen-heavy offense.

Some of Graves' possessions as a screener feel very Hornets-y. One of Charlotte's go-to sets stars with a ball handler crossing the half court line with four players lined up on the baseline. One of those four lifts to the free throw line and sets a ball screen for the handler, creating a two-on-two situation that can take advantage of every inch of the floor above the free throw line. Graves projects as an ideal fit for that specific play due to his ability as a screener, passer, shooter, and driver.

I think that if Graves went back to school, I'd be talking about him like I did about Collin Murray-Boyles last draft cycle. Both players are high-feel, NBA-sized, connective power forwards that impact the game on both ends of the floor with their combination of size, smarts, and skill.

Analyzing Graves' Fit in Charlotte

Graves feels like the perfect fit for what Charlotte is looking to build.

On offense, he will provide adequate positional size at the four without taking anything away from the Hornets' pass-heavy, screen-laden, up-tempo half court offense. He is a sharp decision-maker with enough touch as a shooter and finisher that will do all of the role player things to accentuate the strengths of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel.

Asking Graves to operate as a play-finisher and connector alongside Charlotte's stars in year one feels like the best way to maximize his strengths as a high-level connector. Graves is a sharp passer who rarely turns the ball over -- something that the Hornets 26th ranked offense in terms of giveaways could use to turn the tables on that front next season.

On defense, Graves' aggressive, impactful hands could give the Hornets a new dimension in terms of havoc creation. Charlotte also ranked 26th in terms of defensive turnover possession, and they could stand to gamble a bit more on defense in order to create easy looks in transition.

The questions about Graves have merit, and I don't want to hand wave those away. He's not particularly athletic, he doesn't have elite size as an NBA four, and he came off the bench for a mid-major in college - there is a world where his otherworldly statistical impact doesn't translate to the big leagues.

However, I think his game is scalable, and I believe in Graves' ability to be an ideal connective piece in the NBA. Charlotte's analytics-forward front office could find themselves smitten on Grave's profile, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him donning a purple and teal hat on draft night.

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