Why the Charlotte Hornets Selected Christian Anderson

The New York Knicks just proved that championships are won by reuniting former teammates, and the Charlotte Hornets did exactly that in the NBA Draft.

With the 18th overall pick, Charlotte selected point guard Christian Anderson out of Texas Tech -- and also Hannes Steinbach's teammate on the German national team.

Everything about Anderson builds out from his acumen as a three-point shooter. He has one of the best long-range shooting profiles in this draft class with the ability to pull up from well beyond NBA-range while knocking shots down off the catch too. Steinbach offered a scouting report of Anderson in his post-draft media availability, calling him 'a great point guard who can really pass and create his own shot,' before commenting specifically on his deep shooting touch.

On top of his limitless range, Anderson is an absolute maestro in the pick-and-roll. He has a bevy of tricks up his sleeve to work a ball screen -- a trait that will be put on full display in Charlotte's screen-heavy offense. Anderson can make all of the passes from a variety of windows with both hands and in conjunction with his touch as a shooter, that should bring a solid floor to Charlotte's offense that has cratered when LaMelo Ball sits.

Much like the Steinbach pick, the Hornets are doubling-down on their strengths by drafting Christian Anderson. His game is akin to LaMelo in terms of the pull-up shooting and pick-and-roll playmaking, just with a much lower ceiling due to his lack of elite size and athleticism...

...which are a problem.

Anderson stands a shade short of 6'1" and weighed in at 180 pounds at the NBA Draft combine and there just aren't many NBA players who thrive at that height and weight. It's likely that he will get targeted on defense early in his NBA career due to that lack of size, which will be difficult for Charlotte to overcome as currently constructed because the team lacks true perimeter stoppers up and down their roster.

His slight frame shows up on offense around the rim where he struggled. On the surface, the 72.4% shooting at the basket looks dazzling, but it becomes a bit more harrowing when you realize it was only on 3.4 attempts per 100 possessions. Without a ball screen, Anderson lacks the burst, creative handle, and physicality needed to pressure the rim -- something Charlotte has struggled to do in recent years.

Overall, I'm a bit iffy on this pick. I think Anderson has very clear NBA-ready strengths that do fit nicely in Charlotte's perimeter-heavy, ball screen-centric offense. Whether or not the Hornets re-sign Coby White, Anderson represents a safe, high-floor backup point guard option that will buoy the non-LaMelo minutes.

With Moussa Diabate on the roster and Hannes Steinbach coming soon, it seems like the Hornets are going to lean heavily into their philosophy of 'shoot a ton of threes and rebound the majority of them' based on the selection of Anderson.

However, there were players on the board that I had ranked much higher than Anderson that would have provided the Hornets some much-needed physicality and versatility on the perimeter, most notably Koa Peat, Cameron Carr, Labaron Philon, and Allen Graves.

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter for the latest news and updates on the Charlotte Hornets

Add us as a preferred source on Google