Who are the Two Best Fits for the Charlotte Hornets at 14 and 18 on Tuesday Night?

With two months having gone by since the end of the 2025-26 Charlotte Hornets season, the page is finally being turned to the next chapter.

The NBA offseason has started to heat up, and Tuesday night features an event where each team has the chance to improve their roster: the NBA Draft.

During the first round tonight, the Hornets will hold two first-round selections. The first being their own, sitting in the final lottery slot at 14. The second, an Orlando Magic pick, was acquired via a trade with the Phoenix Suns at the 2025 Trade Deadline; this selection sits 18th.

The NBA Draft kicks off at 8 PM ET, and the rumors will only grow until then. So, who are the best fits for the Hornets at their two first round picks?

Allen Graves, F, Santa Clara

Since 2008, only eight NBA players finished their freshman NCAA season with a BPM (box plus-minus) of 12 or higher: Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg, Michael Beasley, Kevin Love, Chet Holmgren, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Evan Mobley.

Sitting at a BPM of 12.7 is Allen Graves.

There are few players who have tantalized me in the draft process as the Santa Clara product has. The 19 year old put together a strong freshman season, averaging 11.8 points a night, 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 0.9 blocks, and shot 40.7% from deep.

Graves' tape does not stick out to fans the way that Morez Johnson or Hannes Steinbach's may. He is a slow, big-bodied four, who struggles as a point-of-attack defender, and may never become a good scorer in the NBA.

The eye test is deceptive.

Watching his film alone, Graves holds all the traits of being a pro: he has great hands, he's a good shooter, he is intelligent with or without the ball in his hands, and he almost never turns the ball over. In fact, he was in the 99th percentile amongst players at his position when it comes to his efficiency at taking care of the ball.

Graves provides excellent offensive value to whichever team selects him. He forces turnovers at a high rate, hits threes at a 40% clip, and is arguably the best offensive rebounder in this class (in the 99th percentile). Even his playmaking is serviceable, where he ranked in the 69th percentile for assist percentage, and in the 99th percentile for assist to turnover ratio.

As a defender, it gets even better. Graves has a feel for the game that simply cannot be taught. He is in the 100th percentile for steal percentage at a 4.9%. His block percentage is in the 86th percentile at 5.0%. He has an excellent motor, and works extremely well as a backline roamer, something that benefits both him and his team.

Allen Graves is the perfect player for both Charles Lee and LaMelo Ball. One of Graves' perceived "weaknesses" is the fact that 97.4% of his made threes were assisted. The good thing about the Hornets is that their starting point guard loves to find his teammates open from three. Graves' willingness to shoot, as well as his 40% three-point clip, and his ability to playmake on defense, scream out the perfect Hornet.

Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa

With looming interest from several teams, Coby White's tenure with the Hornets may have been a short one. While the team is still likely to re-sign him, the Hornets will need to have options at the backup guard position in case that White does end up moving on.

Bennett Stirtz would be a fantastic addition.

There are only three clear weaknesses to his game: his ability to defend, his size, and his age.

Come the time the season starts, Stirtz will be as old as Brandon Miller with three less years of NBA experience. His lone season at Iowa was his senior season, and only his second season with a major team. He would also be the shortest player on the Hornets roster by a little over two inches, where his 6'2 frame is widely seen as a weakness to his game.

The only true on-court weakness that Stirtz has? His defense. While he may provide some defense on the perimeter, any team with him on it essentially are playing four on five once the ball crosses the three-point line. His defense against quicker guards is a huge red-flag, and something that teams cannot overlook.

Having said that, there is a lot to like about his game. Stirtz shotchart is extremely fun to look at, with marks heavily in the paint and on the perimeter. While he has several midrange shots, it's never been a heavy part of his game to take shots there.

His three-point percentage was down during his senior season, where he shot 35.8% from deep. That can be attributed to taking four more threes per game than he did in his junior season, though, and over the course of his final two seasons he hit at a 36.4% clip from deep.

His finishing ability is extremely noteworthy, something that the Hornets need to take a close look at. He shot 72.1% at the rim over his final two seasons, a number that is around the 95th percentile amongst guards. With the Hornets' struggles at getting to the rim, Stirtz provides an excellent ability that the team should not take for granted.

While his assist numbers do not jump off the screen, Stirtz has extremely high basketball IQ that cannot be taken lightly. He's in the 80th or higher percentile in assist percentage and assist to turnover ratio, and almost rarely turns the ball over.

Stirtz is the exact player that you want to have the ball in their hands when LaMelo Ball is off the floor. He provides a scoring and playmaking ability to keep the Hornets offense afloat, something that was increasingly needed prior to dealing for Coby White at the trade deadline.

With the NBA Draft on tonight, stay tuned for all the potential drama that could go down with the Hornets organization.

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