Who Should the Hornets Build Around After the LaMelo Ball Trade?

Trading LaMelo Ball always seemed like a possibility over the years because of his injury history. To actually move him, though, the Hornets had to wait until he could prove he could stay healthy, and they didn't waste much time moving on from him, shipping him out right after he played in 72 games.

The move was still surprising, considering the organization just had one of its best seasons in recent memory and appeared to have turned a corner with its young core. But now we'll never know what the ceiling would have looked like for the LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller trio.

In prior offseasons, the front office clearly built the roster around LaMelo Ball. Who do they build it around now? Here's what our staff thinks.

Schuyler Callihan: Kon Knueppel

The easy pick would be Brandon Miller, and I don't necessarily disagree with it. But there's something about Kon that has me believing he could become the centerpiece of this organization. For that to happen, he is going to have to become a better shot creator. He's not just a one-trick pony, although the high volume of threes as a rookie may lead you to that belief if you just look at the overall numbers and don't watch the games. He can hit jumpers in the lane, finish at the rim, and so forth. The more experience he gets, the better he will be in those two areas, and with LaMelo now out of the mix, it wouldn't surprise me to see the ball in his hands more often.

Miller certainly has the higher ceiling, but the consistency has me leaning more toward Kon. Look at what he did in his freshman year at Duke when Cooper Flagg was on the shelf. I understand it's a different level and the competition is a different beast, but I think he can do it in the NBA too. It's going to take some time, though.

Albert Böttcher: No one (for now)

My phone wanted me to auto-respond with "I have no idea" to this question, and that's not far off from the more detailed answer I'm about to give. Simply put, the Hornets don't have that one central building block yet. Kon Knueppel isn't versatile enough; the same goes for Brandon Miller, who also has considerable efficiency concerns. And everyone else shouldn't even come into consideration. I'd assume the Hornets take a swing at an established star at some point. If not that, they'll have to keep drafting.

Zach Roberts: Brandon Miller

This isn't because Brandon Miller is better than Kon Knueppel, because I'm not sure he is. But his game seems a little more well-rounded, and he has the physical makings of someone elite. It’s a lot easier to imagine a tall, long wing that can score at three levels (with some work to do in the paint, to be clear) being the face of a team than a shorter, less physically imposing sharpshooter. Plus, with what we know about Knueppel playing without assists from LaMelo Ball, I think the focus has to be more on Miller (who also struggles without Ball). The Hornets need a playmaker to round out their core here, whether it's to support Miller or Knueppel (think Minnesota might part with that new point guard they got?), but I think it would benefit someone who can do a little more on offense, which is Miller.

Austin Leake: Brandon Miller

By making this move, it seems the Hornets have made it a priority to build around Brandon Miller, who has a potential contract extension looming. Miller has the tools to become a star, but he needs to put on some muscle first before he can be considered as such. Something else he could improve on is his ball handling, especially in tight spaces. If those things improve, it's hard not to see him as a guy who can score up to 24 to 25 points per game.

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