{"id":197468,"date":"2026-05-26T13:40:57","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T17:40:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=197468"},"modified":"2026-05-26T13:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T17:40:57","slug":"morez-johnson-jr-hornets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/26\/morez-johnson-jr-hornets\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Morez Johnson Jr. Would Be the Hornets’ Perfect Pick"},"content":{"rendered":"

The connection between Morez Johnson Jr.<\/a> and the Charlotte Hornets has been quietly building for weeks. After his showing at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, it has become one of the more compelling draft fits in the entire first round. Johnson confirmed he is staying in the draft, and with ESPN<\/a> projecting him 17th overall in its latest mock, Charlotte, who owns pick 14, would need to move quickly or risk watching him land elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Why Morez Johnson Jr. Would Be the Perfect Pick for the Charlotte Hornets<\/h2>\n

The Hornets’ most urgent need is a physical, versatile frontcourt<\/a> presence. Johnson, at 20 years old, checks that box in ways no other realistic pick at 14 quite matches.<\/p>\n

He is a national champion, a combine standout and a player whose physical tools address Charlotte’s most glaring weakness. The question is not whether he fits. It is whether he will still be available when Charlotte picks.<\/p>\n

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How Johnson Announced Himself at the Combine<\/h3>\n

The combine did not just confirm what scouts already knew about Johnson<\/a> — it elevated him. He measured 6-foot-9 barefoot, 250 pounds, with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and 8-foot-11 standing reach. He posted the highest maximum vertical<\/a> among all forwards in attendance at 39 inches. And he drilled 17 of 25 3-pointers during the shooting drill — a number that directly addresses the most common concern scouts had about him heading into Chicago.<\/p>\n

Multiple scouts and analysts<\/a> who covered the combine described him as a great fit for almost any NBA roster, noting his ability to exploit mismatches against smaller defenders on offense while holding his own defensively against perimeter players. The comparison that has circulated most widely is to Isaiah Stewart<\/a> of the Detroit Pistons, a physical, winning big with defensive versatility and an emerging perimeter game. For a Charlotte team that needs physicality without sacrificing spacing, that comparison is almost tailor-made.<\/p>\n