Charlotte Hornets NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Brayden Burries

There's almost always a surprise faller on draft night.

In 2024, many draftniks projected that the Charlotte Hornets would select Dalton Knecht with the sixth overall pick, only for him to slip out of the lottery and into the lap of the Los Angeles Lakers at number 17 overall.

Who could that potentially be in this year's NBA Draft? I've seen a few names mentioned, with Yaxel Lendeborg, Kingston Flemings, and Brayden Burries being the most common. If Burries specifically slipped out of the top 10 and winds up available when the Hornets pick at #14, should they select the talented combo guard? There is a case to be made.

Scouting Brayden Burries

Burries is a 20-year-old freshman who played his lone season of college hoops at the University of Arizona. He is 6'3" with a 6'6" wingspan, which is small for a two guard at the NBA level, but Burries weighed in at 215 pounds at the Combine, giving him enough physical mass to hang with bigger bodies on the perimeter despite his lack of elite height and wingspan.

He projects as a score-first guard at the next level with enough on-ball skill to pour in buckets from all three levels of the court. His three-point rate was depressed in a cramped, inside-out Arizona offense, but Burries proved that he is capable of getting to his jumper both off the catch and off the dribble. He made 39.1% of his college threes on middling volume, but I'd expect an increase in attempts in a professional system.

Burries is a physical driver who welcomes playing through contact, not dissimilar to Coby White if you squint hard enough. He shot 65% at the rim, which is just fine, but showed the ability to get there as a ball handler with great frequency (77th percentile unassisted rim attempt rate).

My biggest question about Burries as a scorer is how his reliance on physicality as a driver will translate to the NBA where all of the big men are bigger, stronger, and more coordinated. Can he continue to add mass to his frame without compromising some of his touch?

There is little manipulation in his game as a passer, but Burries seems to always make the right play when running the offense. He won't break down a defense with LaMelo Ball style no-look passes, but he can be counted on to keep the offense moving as the type of connective piece that Charles Lee and Jeff Peterson seem to covet.

Much like his game as a playmaker, Burries is solid, but not spectacular as a defender. He uses his stout frame well to wall up ball handlers and play sticky coverage on the perimeter, but he doesn't have the physical gifts to be a true go-to stopper at the guard position.

What he does do well on defense is compete. You can count on Burries to give 110% on the money-making end of the floor which will make him a viable playoff-performer on day one.

My biggest knock on Burries is that I don't see a true star outcome for him -- which is okay!

He doesn't have a defining, go-to on-ball skill, and he's not big enough nor versatile enough defensively to be the true two-way demon that swings a playoff series. However, he does have a safe floor and represents one of the surest bets in this draft class to be a solid NBA player for the next decade.

Analyzing Burries' Fit With Charlotte

I think Charles Lee's offensive system would quickly maximize Burries' three-point rate and unlock his ability to be a big-time scorer in the league. To boot, the Hornets' well-spaced offense will allow him driving lanes to get to the rim like he did in college. Burries' physicality and acumen as a driver would be a nice addition as a complement to Sion James off the bench.

If Charlotte lets Coby White walk, which seems like more of a possibility now that it did a few months ago, Burries would be a ready-made replacement who can buoy the Hornets' offense in the dreaded non-LaMelo minutes that have sunk them in the past. I quite like the idea of Burries in purple and teal as the Coby contingency play.

If White remains in Charlotte, the fit gets a little clunky. There is a ton of overlap in terms of what White brings now and what Burries projects to bring, although the 2026 draftee could clear the veteran on the defensive end early on in his career.

Either way, a bet on Burries' talent would be a smart one for Charlotte. The Hornets are too early in their building phase to overlook an NBA-ready prospect like Burries in the name of fit, and if he falls to 14, they should select him and attempt to acquire a big man at #18 or via trade.

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