Why the Charlotte Hornets Could Covet Bennett Stirtz in Tonight's NBA Draft

NBA Draft day is here and the smokescreens are thick.

As national insiders update their mock drafts like college students turning in a last-minute paper, a consistent theme is starting to bubble up: the Charlotte Hornets are looking to draft a guard with one of their two first round picks.

That is a reality that we've discussed at length, but there is one prospect that hasn't been mentioned too often by Hornets on SI -- Iowa's Bennett Stirtz.

Multiple draft prognostications have linked Stirtz to Charlotte, and although it could just be noise with the draft just mere hours away, it's worth diving into the talented point guard's game and analyzing his potential fit with the Hornets.

Analyzing Bennett Stirtz

Stirtz is an uber-talented point guard prospect who spent ample time developing his game in the college ranks. His post-high school career started at Northwest Missouri State where he first linked up with head coach Ben McCollum. From there, Stirtz followed McCollum to mid-major Drake, and eventually Iowa University where they led the Hawkeyes to the brink of the Final Four just a few months ago.

The 22-year-old guard is one of this classes more polished offensive prospects. He boasts a robust three-level scoring profile, shooting 70.5% at the rim on solid volume, 46.9% from mid-range, and 35.8% from three on elite volume (11.8 attempts per 100 possessions).

He was the sole driver of Iowa's offense in his long season as a Hawkeye, posting a 26.1% usage rate (61st percentile among guards), which accentuates his ludicrous efficiency numbers as a scorer.

Stirtz will need to put on weight to keep that level of efficiency at the pro level because he is rather slight and not super athletic, but he has enough craft and touch to project him becoming an impactful scorer in the NBA.

Not only is he a sublime scorer, Stirtz also parlays his offensive giftings (most notably his deep range and lightning quick release as a shooter) to create open looks for his teammates. Stirtz is a talented, creative passer who deserves mention alongside Christian Anderson as the best pick-and-roll operator in the 2026 NBA draft. He has every pass in his bag, and like Anderson, would thrive in Charlotte's up-tempo ball screen heavy offense.

He'll likely have an impact on offense off-the-ball as well due to his shooting ability. Stirtz was comfortable moving the ball and operating away from it in McCollum's dizzying offensive system.

Stirtz doesn't offer much in terms of point-of-attack defense, but he's played enough high-level basketball to understand his limitations as an athlete and play solid positional defense without hemmoraging points on that end of the floor. He will struggle, again, with his lack of size and athleticism, which does make him a tough fit in Charlotte's current back court configuration.

Lastly, he isn't an impactful rebounder at the guard position, but Stirtz will help an NBA team win the possession battle by limiting turnovers. Even though he had the ball in his hands on nearly every trip down the floor at Iowa, Stirtz only averaged 1.6 turnovers per game as a Hawkeye.

Analyzing Stirtz's Fit in Charlotte

Stirtz does meet some of the criteria Jeff Peterson and his team have coveted in picks outside of the lottery. Each of Sion James, Ryan Kalkbrenner, KJ Simpson, and Liam McNeeley boasted some combination of: winning pedigree, workout dominance, college productivity, and a connective skill set; all of which Stirtz possesses in spades.

He represents a high-floor guard option that would help smooth the murky waters of the non-LaMelo minutes. With Coby White's situation in flux, Charlotte needs to address their back court at some point this offseason. And frankly, even if White does return, NBA teams can't have enough high-feel, trustworthy ball handlers like Stirtz.

Would selecting Bennett Stirtz at #18 overall be a home run? Far from it. While he does ooze Hornets DNA and project to bring some much-needed skill to Charlotte's back court, he doesn't help fix their lack of physicality on either end, he doesn't project to be a point-of-attack stopper, nor does he have a path to pressuring the rim against NBA-level athletes.

However, I can understand the appeal of Stirtz as a safe, malleable, high-feel back court option to shore of the Hornets' long-term back court.

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