Should the Charlotte Hornets Target a Guard in the 2026 NBA Draft?

Three reasons why it would make some sense for Charlotte to improve their guard depth on draft night.

Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The bright lights of the NBA playoffs are quick to expose the flaws of even the most bulletproof teams.

Take the Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning champion, potentially dynastic group that just got beat in a game seven on their home floor due to a lack of shot creation and shot making. Losing Ajay Mitchell and Jalen Williams to injuries was the main reason for their demise, but even with those two healthy, the Thunder would have had a difficult time putting away Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.

On a lesser scale, the Charlotte Hornets' flaws were exposed by the Orlando Magic in the NBA Play-In Tournament. The Hornets' inability to fight through the Magic's bruising physicality led to their downfall, and Jeff Peterson's best chance at patching some of the holes on his roster will come in just a few weeks with the NBA Draft opens up.

Charlotte needs to acquire some reinforcements in the front court with at least one of their picks, but what if I told you the Hornets should look to draft a guard with the other one? Here are a couple of reasons why the potential selection of a guard would make some sense for Charlotte.

Scaling Down Sion James' Role

You won't find a bigger fan of Sion James than myself.

His NBA-readiness shined from day one of the season, and by the end of it, James had made himself an indispensable member of Charles Lee's rotation. Sion guarded everyone from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Brandon Ingram to Lauri Markkanen, acquitting himself well in primetime matchups every step of the way.

Charlotte also relied on James to run their offense in break-glass-in-case-of-emergency scenarios, and while James was fine as a primary ball handler, it took away from his strenghts as a man-to-man defender and offensive connector.

Lineup Combinations	Net Rating
Sion James and LaMelo Ball on court	+9.3
James and Coby White on court	+12.1
James and Collin Sexton on court	+3.3
James on court without Ball, Sexton, or White	-4.8

Women lie, men lie, numbers don't. If either Ball or White (assuming Charlotte re-signs him) go down, Charlotte can't rely on Sion James to run the show. James is valuable player, but he's best suited to play a complimentary role on offense. In reality, Sion James plays like a wing in a guard-sized package.

Drafting a lead ball handler would alleviate James of his ball handling duties, allowing him to focus on what he does best.

Pressure Bursts Pipes

Have you watched the NBA playoffs?

To my eye, there are four traits that are put under a microscope when the calendar flips to May and eventually June: physicality, on-ball defense, shooting, and ball handling. NBA teams can't have enough high-level ball handlers that possess the ability to break down the defense by getting two feet in the paint.

Charlotte has two guys that can do that, and one of them (Coby White) is a pending free agent.

Paint touches are hardwood gold in the playoffs, and the Hornets need to mine for them this offseason.

Winning the Non-LaMelo Minutes

This goes hand-in-hand with the first point that revolved around Sion James specifically, but it still stands: the Hornets need to find someway to alleviate the offensive burden on LaMelo Ball's shoulders.

They took a major step last season by drafting Kon Knueppel, acquiring White at the trade deadline, and developing Brandon Miller's on-ball repitoire, but those incrimental improvements weren't quite enough. Adding another guard into the developmental pipline will both insulate the non-LaMelo minutes as soon as next season, while also giving Charlotte a parachute to fall back on if Ball winds up suffering another ankle injury (*finds nearest wood and knocks on it*).

Which Guard Should the Hornets Target?

All roads lead back to Ebuka Okorie for me.

The jitterbug lead guard who eviscerated the ACC as a freshman at Stanford would be my preferred option at #18. He is a walking paint touch who boasts the requisite skills (touch on his floaters, craft around the basket, a +6" wingspan) an undersize guard needs to thrive at the next level.

As long as Charlotte addresses their front court need at pick 14 (Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr., or Hannes Steinbach will do), it's all systems go for the franchise to select a guard with pick #18.

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