Ranking the five best 2nd-round draft picks in Hornets/Bobcats franchise history

Second-round draft picks are often forgotten about. Very few of them pan out or have much of a career, but some have gone on to have Hall of Fame careers. The Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats haven't had that type of luck, but they've had some decent contributors.

Today, we rank the five best second-round draft picks in Charlotte history. Please note, the rankings are not solely based on their career in Charlotte. It's taking their entire career into account.

Honorable mention: Ryan Hollins, Sean May, Tom Tolbert.

5. Jalen McDaniels

He may have never had the tools to be a piece of the starting lineup, but for a minute, it looked like Jalen McDaniels would be a key bench piece for Charlotte long-term. Instead, they traded him to Philadelphia, and ever since, he hasn't quite been the same. This past season, he spent some time in the G League before signing a 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards.

4. Malik Rose

Rose didn't make much of an impact in Charlotte, but again, this is purely based on the pick itself, and Rose turned in quite a fine career. He appeared in 813 career games over 13 years, winning a pair of NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs. He finished fourth and sixth in the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year voting in the 2001-02 and 2002-23 seasons. During his one season in Charlotte, he played in 54 games, averaging three points and three rebounds per game.

3. Lee Nailon

Nailon's career in Charlotte will always be remembered as a bit ugly. He and head coach Paul Silas didn't see eye-to-eye, which led to his eventual release. In his final season with the organization, he averaged 10.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He would end up back with the Hornets, although it was in New Orleans. As a matter of fact, that was his best season in the NBA, averaging over 14 points and four rebounds per night.

2. Cody Martin

Martin had a fine career in Charlotte, having one of the longest stints for a Hornets second-round selection, spanning from 2019-25. He was traded alongside Vasa Micic at the trade deadline this past winter to Phoenix, where he only saw action in 14 games. His defensive skillset will keep him in the league for quite a while, but he'll need his offense to take a step if he wants to earn a bigger role on a non-bottom-dwelling team. In 245 games with Charlotte, he averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds.

1. Jared Dudley

Dudley was a draft pick of the Charlotte Bobcats, but we're counting it. He may have only spent parts of two seasons in the Queen City, but he had by far the best NBA career of any second-round draft choice made by Charlotte. Dudley spent seven seasons with the Phoenix Suns, two years with the Los Angeles Lakers, and one season each with the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Brooklyn Nets. For his career, he averaged 7.3 points in 904 games. In 93 games (21 starts) with the Bobcats, Dudley posted 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

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