{"id":200885,"date":"2026-06-16T10:15:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T14:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=200885"},"modified":"2026-06-16T10:15:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T14:15:47","slug":"3-draft-prospects-hornets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/06\/16\/3-draft-prospects-hornets\/","title":{"rendered":"3 2026 NBA Draft Prospects for the Charlotte Hornets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Draft night is just a few days away, and the Charlotte Hornets<\/a> still hold both picks \u2014 No. 14 and No. 18 \u2014 heading into June 23.<\/p>\n

3 Draft Prospects Hornets Fans Should Know Before Draft Night<\/h2>\n

Whether they trade one, package both, or stay put, Charlotte enters draft week with more options than almost any team in their draft range. But as mock drafts solidify and workout intel filters through, three Hornets 2026 NBA Draft prospects have emerged as the names most consistently linked to Charlotte. None of them are guaranteed. Mock drafts are imperfect, and team interest is difficult to separate from agent chatter. But these three deserve to be on every Hornets fan’s radar before Thursday.<\/p>\n

Charlotte’s positional needs are clear. The frontcourt requires size, physicality, and defensive versatility. The backcourt could use another creator behind Ball. With two picks in the middle of the first round in one of the deepest classes in years, the front office has genuine flexibility \u2014 and based on everything circulating in draft circles, these are the three names that have surfaced most often.<\/p>\n

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1. Morez Johnson Jr. \u2014 The Name With the Most Momentum<\/h3>\n

Morez Johnson Jr.<\/a> has been the loudest Charlotte connection in recent mock drafts \u2014 and the basketball logic is hard to dispute. The Michigan forward is a 6-foot-9, 251-pound athlete who brings relentless motor, physical rebounding and multi-positional defensive versatility to any roster. He averaged 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds this season on a national championship team and was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. At the combine, he posted the highest maximum vertical among all forwards at 39 inches and drilled 17-of-25 in the three-point shooting drill.<\/p>\n

What makes the Johnson connection feel like<\/a> more than a mock draft exercise is the reported Charlotte workout. Multiple sources have confirmed the Hornets brought him in for a pre-draft visit \u2014 a meaningful signal that the interest is genuine rather than theoretical. His profile addresses Charlotte’s frontcourt need without requiring the roster to change around him. He does not need the ball. He runs the floor, sets physical screens, cleans the glass, and defends. That is exactly the brief Charlotte needs filled at 14.<\/p>\n

The risk is his three-point shooting at volume \u2014 he attempted just 35 threes in college, though his combine drill suggested real potential. At 20 years old with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and a national championship on his resume, Johnson is the kind of player who tends to outperform his draft slot over time.<\/p>\n

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2. Hannes Steinbach \u2014 The Steadiest Frontcourt Option at 18<\/h3>\n

If Johnson is the name tied most strongly to pick 14, Hannes Steinbach<\/a> is the one that consistently surfaces around pick 18. The Washington forward occupies a different part of the frontcourt spectrum \u2014 he is a more traditional interior presence<\/a>, built to finish through contact, rebound in traffic and provide a steady, grounded anchor alongside more athletic teammates. He is not flashy. He does not profile as an All-Star. But he is a player who fits cleanly into a winning rotation without demanding adjustments.<\/p>\n

NBA.com’s official team draft profile specifically identified the frontcourt as Charlotte’s clearest positional need and named<\/a> Steinbach as one of the notable candidates available in their range. That is not a throwaway mention. Being named by the league’s official draft resource as a team-specific fit is meaningful and reinforces the consistent mock-draft projections that have placed him in Charlotte’s range throughout the pre-draft process.<\/p>\n

Charlotte does not need to draft for need at the expense of talent. But with two picks available and the frontcourt clearly the most urgent gap, using one of them on a player who addresses that need immediately and reliably is a sound strategy.<\/p>\n

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3. Labaron Philon Jr. \u2014 The Wild Card With Real Upside<\/h3>\n
The third name is the most intriguing \u2014 and the most debated. Labaron Philon<\/a> had a breakout sophomore season at Alabama, averaging 22 points, 5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 39.9% from three. He is lightning-quick with the ball, a legitimate threat off the dribble, and one of the few guards in this class who can both create and finish through contact at an elite level.<\/div>\n

The fit question for Charlotte is legitimate. LaMelo Ball<\/a> is the engine of this offense. Adding another primary ball handler risks creating a ball-sharing imbalance. However, the more relevant question is not about starter fit \u2014 it is about depth. Charlotte’s backup point guard situation is one of the most urgent problems on the roster. If Coby White<\/a> leaves in free agency, that problem becomes critical. Philon, unlike most players discussed in this range, could step in and run a second unit at a high level from Year 1.<\/p>\n

The best player available is always the right philosophy in the first round \u2014 and if Philon is on the board at 14 when Charlotte picks, he deserves serious consideration. His offensive ceiling<\/a> alongside Ball, Kon Knueppel<\/a>, and Brandon Miller<\/a> makes the lineup with him genuinely dangerous. His defensive effort, the most consistent criticism of his game, is worth monitoring. But at this point in the pre-draft process, he has appeared in enough Charlotte-specific projections to earn his place among the three names Hornets fans need to know.<\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/h3>\n

Of the three, Johnson has the clearest current momentum and the cleanest immediate fit. Steinbach is the most reliable safety valve if the frontcourt priority holds at 18. Philon is the wild card \u2014 the one who could reshape the entire conversation if his name is still on the board when Charlotte picks at 14.<\/p>\n

Beyond these three, Karim Lopez<\/a> and Jayden Quaintance<\/a> have both surfaced in Charlotte’s range. Lopez brings the historic significance of potentially becoming the first Mexican-born first-round pick, along with a two-way profile that fits the system. Quaintance remains the highest-ceiling option of anyone connected to Charlotte \u2014 but his injury history places a significant question mark over any decision to select him. Watch the medicals on Quaintance closely between now and draft night. If he comes back clean, the conversation around Charlotte’s board could change entirely.<\/p>\n