NEW Intel on Hornets’ #4 Pick | Kon Knueppel & Jakucionis in PLAY | Trade Down for More Assets?

NEW Intel on Hornets’ #4 Pick | Kon Knueppel & Jakucionis in PLAY | Trade Down for More Assets?

people are drafting new draft nuggets all over the place over the last 24 hours matt Moore Kristen Peak we got new draft intel on the Charlotte Hornets and then we’ll give you another mock draft today it’s all about the draft baby today locked on Hornets you are Locked on Hornets your daily Charlotte Hornets podcast part of the Locked On your team every day in a minute cuz we live [Music] it’s Locked on Hornets part of the Locked On podcast network it’s your team every day thanks for making us your first listen we’re free and available anywhere you get your podcast and that does include YouTube doug is acting like Adam Shfter on his phone with breaking news coming through his phone i don’t know what that M what did you make a facial expression on your phone for some reason what’s going on uh yeah because I just downloaded the No Ceilings draft guide that’s when draft season for me really picks up when these when these folks released their draft guide i haven’t had a chance to dig into it i literally I just purchased it maybe as we get into some of these names I could like scroll down very quickly and just give you some intel because yeah those guys do a great job it reminds me of watching NFL Live and seeing Adam Sheper on his phone and everybody just understands it’s Sheffy so he’s allowed to be on his phone during this segment nobody else is but it’s Sheffy who might be getting some breaking news as the show goes on except you weren’t getting breaking news you were just getting a draft guide that you downloaded at the very beginning of the show i don’t want that life at the combine I saw these uh news makers like Shams walking around i saw Shams on his phone like not like deep into it looking at it as he’s like walking downstairs that’s unsafe that is unsafe that is how uh one you know tragically has an accident and becomes paralyzed from the waist down i don’t want that life any any real insider like that Woge Sheffy Ian Rapaort they’re a Shamsby they’re just a Shamsby walking around dead they don’t have a life that’s what it is sham Shirania the originator of the Shamsby lifestyle i’m Walker Male listen to me WFNZ every weekday from 12 to 3 on 927 FM there’s Doug Branson every hornetsboxcore.com also hosts locked on NBA with Hayes and Matt Moore and let’s dive in to some Matt Moore intel because he had some stuff to say about the Hornets yesterday on his substack doug so here’s the the write up from one Matt Moore host of Locked on NBA alongside Doug and Hayes charlotte’s probably keeping the number four pick it makes more sense to just add another good player if he helps Brandon Miller andor LaMelo Ball great if he’s the sneak superstar and the best player in the draft awesome what a win however however however league sources have stated that they have taken calls for the four and not shut them down the Hornets seem so far away that I don’t mind the idea of a move back if there’s another player they really like in a lower tier who they could just take with the fourth pick believe in your scouting as well as other assets the Hornets have made it clear to teams they’re willing to take on bad contracts and trade some of their veterans in exchange for assets but haven’t been able to get bites on bait two big things here let’s start with the fourth pick and they’re fielding calls maybe trading back in the draft from number four before we get to the taking on bad contracts thing doug what do you think about this idea if they were to go with it well I’ve said all along that you know the fourth pick picking in the fourth slot I think would be valuable so valuable that you could not move away from it if A the draft is strong which I think it is and B if your team really is devoid of any kind of star power and you need to make sure you are giving your franchise the best opportunity to get a single star on your team but I think the Hornets have hit in enough drafts with LaMelo Ball if he’s healthy and Brandon Miller that they they don’t necessarily need to say “All right we’ve got to take someone at the fourth.” There’s just no and it’s and I would say the strong draft also plays on the other side of the coin which is that I think they could move down a few spots and still pick up a solid wing prospect there are a lot of wings in this draft and the Hornets need uh both shooting and defense at the wing position they need to add that and I think they could do that I honestly I think there’s an argument that they could do that just as well at seven eight as they could do at four particularly if they bring a guy in for a workout and they really fall in love with that player so I would not be opposed to them moving down if it meant accumulating a few more draft assets that they could use down the line or even possibly a veteran that could contribute next season so I I also go back to last year and I think about the Ton Salon selection and there were talks about trading up possibly for Reed Shepard or Stfan Castle would have absolutely been a target there as well but they didn’t trade up because the asking price was too much and eventually Reed Shepard goes number three stfan Castle goes number four okay now we’re talking about the Hornets possibly trading back they did field calls there but they were worried that they would lose their guy in Tan Salon because the Spurs were behind the Hornets they weren’t too far behind the Hornets the Hornets didn’t want to fall all the way back behind San Antonio and so they just decided to stand pat and take their guy in Tan Salon that’s all still on the table here the only reason that they would trade back is because if they felt like they really could not find enough separation between VJ Edgecom Khan Canipple the usual suspects maybe a different one in Illinois guard we’ll talk about because of Kristen Peak dropping some stuff yesterday but if they really did view all of these guys in a tier and then you feel like well I don’t really care who we end up with as long as we end up with more assets a young interesting player alongside whoever else is in this tier five spots later whatever however much later the pick is then okay maybe they would pull the trigger but remember they were reluctant to do this last season when they wanted they they almost uh they they were they didn’t want to risk losing out on Ton which again man Ton is just this mold of uncertainty like he is a ball of uncertainty and if you didn’t want to miss out on that guy and he is way more uncertain than any of these names in this tier that I’m talking about then that’s why I do think Matt Moore is probably right in the first part of his write up when he says the Hornets are probably sticking at number four well I think you have to bet on that because moving up and down in the NBA draft is is a difficult prospect and it it comes with I think a lot of risk and particularly if you move down I think you’re going to peeve some fans like they’re going to be peeved by that idea that hey you won 19 games last year what business do you have trading out of a top five pick uh that you you should feel lucky to have by the way because the the other two teams that had better odds of getting the number one pick than you did slid past you in the draft you should feel lucky that you grabbed the final rock as you were falling off the cliff just take the best player available i love that analysis anytime that we talk about the draft you know we’ll get comments just take the best player available well okay but that’s like that’s so subjective like what you particularly once you get beyond two in this draft like Cooper Flag obviously the best player in this draft although I still think my hottest draft take is that Dylan Harper who will most likely be selected at two is going to be the actual prize in this draft like everyone has those two guys as one too but beyond that you can make arguments that Ace is the best player you can make arguments that VJ that Trey so at at the four position so I I think that’s that’s a little bit silly in terms of analysis and I think the Hornets I would rather them run through their process and really fall in love with the player and if if they think they can if they think they have to take him at four then great but if they think they can move down and accumulate a few assets and they fall in love with a Cedric Coward or Coniple or whoever it is and they think they could slide one or two spots I get particularly if Ace falls if Ace moves beyond three I think there will be a few franchises who are interested in calling the Hornets and taking that opportunity to take Ace and that gives them the opportunity to move back and accumulate a few more assets so I’m just I’m not opposed to it and I think that speaks to my I’m just not falling in love i’m not definite about PJ Edge i’m not definite about Trey Johnson i’m certainly not definite about Khan Canipple in terms of their their star power right and that leaves me open to all kinds of options for the Hornets yeah I’m I’m in a similar way as you are so if that’s the case then I have to try to be as self-aware as possible is this scared money don’t make none where it’s like ah it’s too hard of a decision let me just move back and I’ll just take whoever falls to me which is a dangerous place to be because that that is playing scared it was like well I this is too hard i don’t want to do it if there’s a great package coming your way because another team they have fallen in love with someone and they are willing to take the risk and give you whatever you want to move up three four five six seven spots then great at least you have this package to fall back on and cushion your fall but it is a fall and now you risk trading back and then getting whoever is left of your guys and also that guy not hitting two so would you rather have the first pick of that bunch or the last pick of that bunch and a lot of times scared money forces you to pick the last pick of that bunch and it doesn’t work out and now you just look like a coward and you didn’t hit so that’s the frustrating part about trading all the way back i think if you take a coward you won’t be a coward you will be investing in a coward and I like that idea uh but you also have to consider this that a lot of the allNBA talent right now has been selected in the uh lower in the lower teens i mean SGA was selected by the Charlotte Hornets of course traded on draft night um but uh Tyresese Hallebertton I think what what do you go like nine eight seven somewhere around there like it it’s not a requirement that they drafted for to find that star talent what is required is that they have a great internal process for evaluating these prospects way before this whole draft process even starts and then once they get those guys into the workout once they get them into the interview room can you identify the players that are going to work hard every day to improve their skills because all of these guys are going to come with serious holes in their game particularly if you’re taking 18 19 20 year old prospects and so that’s you know the the great teams are built not I I would say like most great teams are not built at the in the top three picks they’re built you know sort of in the in the late lottery so if the Hornets have a great process and they feel like they can get that guy at seven or eight or even five it doesn’t even have to be that dramatic i think the Utah Jazz uh would be a team that would be interested in moving and in in accumulating another pick um so that would be trading out alto together and so that would come with you know probably a way bigger hull i don’t think the Hornets are necessarily prepared to do that but even if the the Jazz fell in love with someone at four like an ace Bailey because they certainly are in need of star power and they might believe that Ace could come into that locker room and dominate it in a way that would be comfortable for them where it would be uncomfortable for the Hornets it doesn’t even have to be as dramatic as moving back to 910 it could be moving back to one spot i think I trust Jeff Peterson to be savvy in these in these situations all right let’s move on coming up next on the Lockdown Hornets podcast everywhere i want to focus on the last sentence of that excerpt from the Matt Moore piece and then we’ll transition into what Kristen Peak is writing about Khan Canipple could he be a Charlotte Hornet that’s still to come locked on Hornets [Music] this episode is brought to you by BetterHelp let’s talk about something that doesn’t get talked about enough men’s mental health there’s this pressure to always keep it together to perform provide and never show weakness but the truth is real strength comes from opening up and taking care of your mental well-being every year 6 million men in the US experience depression and that may go undiagnosed but talking to someone a friend a loved one or a therapist can make a huge difference therapy isn’t just for crisis moments it’s great for learning how to set boundaries build healthy coping tools and be the best version of yourself with over 35,000 licensed professionals BetterHelp makes it easy to find a therapist who understands you you can connect from anywhere switch therapists at any time and fit sessions into your schedule with just one click as the largest online therapy provider in the world BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise talk it out with BetterHelp our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com/lockedonba that’s betterhelp help betterhelp.com/lockdon NBA more locked on Hornets [Music] ahead let’s focus on that last sentence we’ve been alluding to it with the cap with what the Hornets might do this upcoming season matt Moore just outright reporting some of those things that we’ve been speculating about here Doug the Hornets have made it clear to teams they’re willing to take on bad contracts and trade some of their veterans in exchange for assets but have not been able to get bites on bait end quote so we’ve talked about this we’ve discussed the tough evaluation year following another evaluation year where that that philosophy right there does not land you a spot in the playoffs that that’s not the goal anyway to land bad contracts in order to get assets with that being the prize because assets can’t go out there and draft picks draft future draft picks can’t go out there and help you win ball games i wanted to look at some I wanted to go see some of the teams that are possibly moving up to number four in this scenario and then some of the bad contracts I that I guess the Hornets could could welcome back so I I started with the Pelicans at seven i mean I guess we could start with the Jazz with you bringing them up they got a couple of bad contracts um I John Collins is on an expiring deal that’s not terrible colin Ston 19 million is on an expiring in 2526 jordan Clarkson $14 million expiring okay they’re at five i went to the Pelicans at 7 they have CJ McCollum as their big-time bad contract but he’s only one year left on the books so Pelicans at seven nick Claxton at 25 26 million 26 years old it’s not terrible the Nets are at eight the Raptors have a bunch of big contracts where like none of them are just so terrible it’s just the Raptors feels like feels like they have overpaid a ton to be as mediocre as possible so I don’t know if they’d be willing to get off of the Brandon Ingram contract Emanuel Quickley RJ Barrett like what they bet they bet on Ingram they’re going to see that out i mean yeah but also you hear some rumors about Messiah Jerry pulling something big off so I guess either way it wouldn’t make sense with a trade with the Hornets jaylen Green Rockets at 10 yeah I mean I I don’t think the Hornets would do that portland at 11 DeAndre Aton Jeremy Grant Rob Williams 13 million expiring Matise Thybol expiring 11 i don’t It’s tough man like I don’t I don’t that’s so the teams aren’t biting with the Hornets i also don’t know just on surface level looking at those payrolls it’s kind of tough to again in five minutes worth of time it’s kind of tough to make something happen now the Hornets regime is going to have a lot more than five minutes but I don’t know nothing speaks to me looking at any of those teams going back all the way to 11 in this draft and then do you want to fall all the way back out of the lottery like now we’re talking about close to out of the lottery which I’d be uncomfortable with yeah why are they not biting i think that’s the question i laughed at this i laughed at the idea of Jeff Peterson just calling all of these folks and they’re like “Jeff you’ve already burned the heat you burned the Mavericks uh and and and you tried to burn the Lakers and the Lakers wouldn’t let you so now we’re out you’re the guy You’re the guy at the party that keeps shilling the new cryptocoin and but you’ve done it too many times now and I’m sorry we can’t we we’re not going to deal with you anymore cuz we’re tired of losing first round picks for talent for veteran talent that you sell us on that isn’t isn’t really helping us contribute to winning oh you did it to the Suns too so no thanks Jeff i just wonder if he’s like tried his trick too many times how teams are fed up with it and he’s running around going “No please dump your garbage on me please.” So and I was focusing on the fourth pick too but it you know Matt does write trade some of their veterans in exchange for assets which would mean LaMelo Miles Nerk Josh Green Grant Williams any of these guys and well here once here once again is where the injuries come to bite you right because if the Hornets were even let’s say they let’s say they missed the playoffs but they were competitive last year grant Williams has a a good season josh Green looks serviceable because he’s surrounded by better talent are those are these calls going a little differently i think probably so uh but and and well two things are biting you one is the injuries but also the fact that it’s so I think it’s so much more difficult to sell a team on LaMelo or Miles when they have zero zero postseason experience and I don’t count playin i’m talking about series experience it’s tough to sell teams on that on that idea particularly at their cost yeah i I I also wonder if people you know the Hornets catch enough strays i had to reset the stray calendar today the Hornets the Hornets catch enough strays to where I think people probably do give some of these players benefit of the doubt because of the organization that they’re in like I’m sure some of it is just I don’t want that player who’s never been to the playoffs but a lot of other times it’s well of course they didn’t make the playoffs it’s the Hornets they haven’t made the playoffs in 10 years that’s not necessarily their fault you put this person in our institution our institution actually makes the postseason and so he’s going to be brand new to this and he’ll be just fine so I wonder if that’s happening anywhere like I I’m trying to look at some of the contenders you know to to go with one of the strays that I talked about like Bill Simmons uh he mentioned specifically some team like the Hornets are going to give Julius Randle this terrible contract and it’s going to be the only contract offer that Julius Randle gets out there on the open market no like you go to Minnesota do they want to turn one of their big contracts into two medium ones that provide a little more flexibility so would Minnesota come calling for I don’t know like Grant is so do they let Nas walk and then they trade Randall for Miles Bridges and Grant Williams so now you have your stretch four to some degree and Grant to replace Nas you have Miles that can also provide some front court depth so now you’ve turned I guess two players into something different but you you know you’re trying to save some money i I’m trying to trying to figure it out perhaps there’s no bite because none of these trades make a ton of sense like that’s what I’m trying to figure out as well and if you’re in the apron and you’re past the first apron and you got to match the contracts and it’s it’s tough man cba makes it tough to make some of these trades especially if you’re a contender that’s paying a lot of money to these dudes all right fine we’ll just pick at the four okay you’ve convinced me oh no i It’s It’s just interesting it’s just interesting i don’t know what’s going to happen i guess we’ll have to pick at four i guess we’ll have to take the top five pick oh well i guess we’ll have to do that here in the Queen City um let’s get real quickly to Kristen Peak’s write up um Kristen Peak wrote “Prior to the combine and draft lottery Khan Canipple’s draft range was anywhere from late lottery to the end of the first round but the way the lottery fell has certainly worked in Caniple’s favor teams like Utah and Charlotte are showing interest in the versatile guard and like his ability to seamlessly slide in alongside a star ball dominant player like Cooper Flag and still find ways to positively impact the game so I guess you’re sliding him in next to LaMelo who’s our star player for the time being what do you think of the Kristen Peak ride up we have another one to get to but the Kanipple intel that she’s getting what do you think about that i don’t know i don’t I don’t know how much the draft lottery or the combine really impacted I haven’t seen Canipple I certainly haven’t seen Canipple at the end of the first round i mean I’ve seen him right he’s always been a lottery prospect I think I mean since Duke’s season ended I I think the Cooper flag injury like if you want to see the pivot point in Keniple’s draft stock I think it was the Cooper flag injury and how he played within the context of that Duke team that really opened people’s eyes fully to what he was capable of but he was a fivestar prospect going into Duke so I I don’t know i I think he’s always been It’s just been is he going to go like late lottery or mid lottery or early lottery but I I’ve just never seen him outside the lottery look in terms of Coniple’s fit in Charlotte like he’s an elite three-point shooter which the Hornets need like how many times do we watch LaMelo Ball work some magic you know through a double team or even single coverage he works some magic and but he’s covered he’s got to dish the ball out he gets two feet in the paint tyresese Hallebertton style he’s ready to kick out to the corner oh god who is that shooting in the corner oh no there’s no way that’s going in like they need a threat that can stand in the corner and and and be that guy that defenses have to take seriously um that’s what allows those double teams to happen on Brandon Miller and to LaMelo Ball that’s that’s what allows these coverages that are built to stop those two guys happen because the Hornets don’t have that player that’s an elite skill set that that Khan has the question is is he Luke Canard where that’s all he has and it’s not enough or is he Desmond Bane where you you could build on his IQ and hopefully he builds his body and you can get him a little bit more defensive upside maybe he’s not an elite defensive player but you can build on that defensive upside enough where he’s not constantly targeted um you know every time it’s on the floor because he can’t lean back on athleticism so that’s the question with Khan and I and I don’t I don’t know the answer i’m not confident enough in the answer to say like yeah the Hornets should make that bet and a lot of that too is I haven’t seen it’s a chicken or the egg situation i haven’t seen the Hornets take that kind of player because we’re early into the Charles Lee experience i haven’t seen them take that kind of player and do that kind of transformation yet they tried with Nick Smith Jr hasn’t worked out so far so with Khan Canipple he’s sturdy he’s stronger than and and can do more stuff than your typical just you know just put him on the three-point line and have him be a sniper people are worried about the defense part of a 3 and D player i don’t think you would describe Coniple as that he’s a straightup sniper from deep but he can do stuff there’s not any wasted movement with him there’s no wiggle to his game at all it’s shot fake relocate shoot it’s shot fake now I have a little bit of an advantage on you i’ll put you on my hip i’ll get to the paint and then I’ll throw a lob to whoever’s in the dunker spot and it’s going to be an ontarget pass and Khan Canipple can also get down low shot fake shot fake create some space that way and then put up the shot so there there are some intriguing things what he can do off of the dribble but he’s not going to cross you up it’s going to be again throw you off balance with a shot fake and then go straight line like go straight downhill he’s a north south running back if you will and he is strong like he’s not soft when he gets into the restricted area uh I don’t think he’s going to get knocked off of his spot a whole lot i think that’s going to help him defensively i think when somebody tries to get into his body on drives I think he’s going to be able to absorb that contact my issue is we saw that a lot in college but now it’s the NBA where all of these guys are stronger all of them are craftier they’re going to attack Khan Canipple and I think more often than not uh they’re going to win it’s just can he be a good enough team defender that can absorb contact to where he’s not a liability on that end of the floor and then you can reap all the benefits of what he does offensively and if the answer is yes he can hold up defensively if the answer is yes to that question then Coniple makes a lot of sense in the lottery in the top 10 and maybe where the Hornets are selecting if you’re not a believer in VJ Edgecomb and Trey Johnson and Ace Bailey like he he’s in play he’s in play 98th percentile and spot up shooting jump shot 90th percentile catch and shoot 92nd percentile that’s the thing if you if you want a player who’s going to immediately contribute to the Hornets offensively then Khan Keniple is your guy and if you’re someone that doesn’t want the Hornets to give up on LaMelo Ball yet I think the strongest indicator that they’re not willing to trade LaMelo Ball and they want to see this thing one more year out would be for them to select Khan Canipple because that’s I think that’s a player um that that says “Hey we’re not we’re not about trying to find a star at four we’re about trying to find a player that can contribute to to the core whatever core we’ve currently built here.” Uh last thing for him best thing he did was showcase his ability when Cooper Flag went out in the ACC tournament when he was the lead guy and they still won the ACC tournament because of him being the primary ball handler it was really impressive stuff coming up next on the Lockdown Hornets podcast everywhere we got to go right back to Kristen Peak who writes something about Casperis Yakuchonis could he be a Hornet ah all this draft intel we got to comb through coming up next [Music] LOH this episode is brought to you by Open Phone if you’re running a business you know that every missed call is money left on the table think about the last time you had an urgent need maybe for a plumber or a service provider and if the p first person didn’t answer you probably didn’t wait you moved on and that’s why you need Open Phone open Phone is the number one business phone system built to streamline and scale your customer communications all from an app on your phone or computer open Phone lets you manage business calls and texts from a single app the shared inbox feature is a gamecher your team can jump into any conversation instantly without missing a beat and their AI agent handles afterhour calls answers common questions and captures leads so you never miss a customer open Phone is offering our listeners 20% off your first six months at openphone.com/lockdonba that’s op ho ne openphone.com/lockonba and if you have existing numbers with another service open phone will port them over at no extra charge open phone no missed calls no missed customers more locked on Hornets ahead [Music] all right we got to get some more draft intel man I guess yesterday was the day to drop all of the draft nuggets let’s go back to what Kristen Peak had to say here Doug take a peek it’s in and take a peek with Kristen Peak i like it he could go as high as number six to Charlotte which typo could go as high as number six to Charlotte the Hornets kept things very quiet all the way up until draft day last year when they surprised a lot of people and selected Tan Salon but Casperis Yakuchonis could be another player that the Hornets are quietly targeting this year i tweeted that as soon as this dropped I I tweeted out “Whatever Kristen Peak tweets out at 400 p.m on draft day is as strong as Oak because it was the only time we ever heard anything about Tan Salon.” In fact Wes made the joke on Won Walker it was the one guy we didn’t talk about the Hornets selecting it was pretty true for us here as well Doug i mean we So our job now is to figure out who that guy is we got to figure out But we got to wait a little while and figure out like who have we not talked about it It’s so true it’s true for Wesson Walker it’s true for Lockdown Hornets where like we would mention his name but not very much we looked at a lot of other guys and eventually he was the pick is Yakuchon that guy in 2025 well let’s let’s then if you don’t want Yakyuch Jonas to be that guy then I think we need to start talking about him right we need to figure out who who we want them to take and then stop talking about that guy immediately and start talking about the players we we don’t want them to take um it’s a little reverse psychology uh but in terms of Yakuchonis yeah this this thing from Peak confused me not only because of the sixth pick typo which I think would be easy to make because she was on the Hornets last year when they were selecting six but then she mentioned something about them needing size at the guard position and I’m like I feel like they’ve got they’ve got some good size at the guard position right now i don’t know that that’s necessary unless they were going to move LaMelo Ball i’m just not sure but but you’re talking about weight weight’s the only thing that you don’t have with Miller and ball you have height though yeah I guess so 66 205 i mean is that enough is there is this is is Yaku Chonas Yaku Chunkis like is that good no no yonuch Chunky no no he’s not that uh but he is he does have great basketball IQ like if you could play he and LaMelo Ball together that would be just a few great brains playing the game of basketball but again same thing with Canipple like you’re giving up athleticism it feels like he has good instincts on the ball off ball it can get a little bit interesting probably needs some work there defensively um you know playmaking great shooting i don’t know yeah this this doesn’t make much sense to me i’ll say if they did this at four I would not you know I would not criticize anyone for booing this this is the one would you rather Yaku Chonis or Malawatch at number four that’s the hellscape scenario I present to you Doug Branson he does look like a young David Lynch i don’t know what that means for his prospects in the NBA uh but I’m a huge fan of David Lynch he looks like a young David Lynch so unlike Caniple like Yakuchon does have wiggle to his game he will cross you up or he will put you on a little SGA wiggle he’s fun i I so surface level eval reading this and then going through like the whole 15minute highlight montage i didn’t watch a lot of Illinois basketball this year i didn’t watch any of his defensive tape i watched the no sillings breakdown and I watched some of the just highlights that are on YouTube just trying to pick and choose what makes sense but uh surface level eval I like man i will say offball uh secondary ball handler can absolutely handle uh secondary playmaking duties um and I agree like Jake Kyle man writes this on the Ringer draft guide that he’s not deterred from the bad turnover present uh percentage from him i Okay so I know we talked about turnovers being a big thing in the postseason taking care of the ball and then forcing turnovers that’s a big deal but it it does show your creativity right like I do like that you have the vision to try some of these crazy passes that end up working out for you a lot of times and sometimes you’re going to give the other team a possession but I I kind of like ironing that out i’d rather Okay I like that you have this vision let’s tail it back just a tiny bit but you’ll figure it out in 3 years worth of time uh when to take the risk and when not to um the some of the shooting numbers uh especially coming off of screens and the pullup three-point percentage is not great but it’s also comparable to some really good shooters pre-draft process like Damen Lillard before he went to the NBA uh Tyresese Hallebertton before he got drafted some pretty impressive shooters and this is all from No Ceilings by the way on YouTube they had like a 10-minute video so yeah I I’m actually intrigued by him if if they traded back I’d be welcoming of this option um number four seems a little too high but if they traded back and collected some assets then yeah Yakuchon he he’s the type of guy I usually just say if you trust your scouting like Matt Moore said take the guy at four and who cares what people say this is one that’s still a little too rich for me taking Yakuchon at four is a little rich trade back I’d be much more comfortable with that scenario now if you’re someone that thinks that the Hornets should trade LaMelo Ball and get what they can before he injures his ankle again then this is your guy this is your pick because this pick at four particularly would indicate to me if they’re willing to pay Yakuchonis $10 million a year with the fourth pick then I’m thinking okay ball’s going i don’t know where Ball’s going but he ain’t staying here all right mock draft time you have another mockdraft for us day 45 of 61 we’re basically 75% of the way through it’s been a hell of a journey and I think I owe one i don’t even think I got to mine uh yesterday so I’ve got a couple to get to and now I’ve lo I feel like I’ve had 17,000 tabs open in this show i don’t even know if I I don’t even know if I still have one so I think I’m going to owe three tomorrow it’s going to be mockdraft Palooa tomorrow i’m going to have three mock drafts well I think we counted the Malawatch mockd draft for our mock draft we just had it in the first segment yeah I think so i mean it’s we we only talked about it all show long so I think it counts i think it’s fine um speaking of tabs though I experimented with the segment one time on Wes and Walker it didn’t really work out wes was like packing his computer in the last segment and then he’d have to bring it out and then mentioned like tabs that I don’t know weren’t weren’t all that interesting but I tried a what tabs do you have open segment to like just kind of show the chaos of the show and so if you wanted to tell the people what tabs you have open perhaps that’s a segment we could try to resurrect and see if there’s any intrigue there but if you have a lot maybe there is some intrigue well I think it’s more windows like I have two notes app windows that have like our rundown and then some other things in it i’ve got Yeah this one for locked on NBA it has a lot of tabs i got to talk about tibs today so I’m trying to figure out what the Knicks are going to do with their head coaching position i like some people were joking that the Hornets should bring on Tibs and bail on Charles Lee that’s ridiculous were they joking i don’t think they were joking i think they were being serious no I think they were too all right I’ve got a mockdraft really quick from uh This is This is what you do when you haven’t done your research and you need a quick fix of mockdrafting like I do today i go to Mark Gonato of USA Today who has another mockdraft by artificial intelligence this time Grock AI doing the picks cooper flag Dylan Harper VJ Edgecom goes three to the Philadelphia 76ers according to Grock and Charlotte Hornets they take hey how about this we talked about him all show long khan Canipple high IQ and shooting provides spacing for Lowry Marketing and Brandon Miller wait a minute are we trading for Lowry Marketing grock what are you talking about i love it i hate AI so much i can’t I can’t stand it it’s uh it’s a real issue god well something something that was going a tab that I do have open that was going to make this show but it’s going to get bumped but I want to do it tomorrow is I was looking I was doing my pre-show routine looking around the Hornets newscape trying to see if there’s anything that I missed overnight and I found a headline from Motorcycle Sports and the headline reads as follows lamelo Ball poised to shatter the NBA under the weight of Hornets epic trade rumors mark this is motorcycle sports i clicked into the article and it’s just all obvious AI slop and I can’t wait to read it to you tomorrow don’t go read it i’m going to read it to you tomorrow so did did AI create the the picture the headshot of just what there was it’s Harper it’s a the name is Harper right that person exists i mean that’s a name that is common enough to that I’m sure that someone on this earth the six billion odd people someone is named Harper Wright but they do not Harper Wright for motorcycle sports that is a fake it’s all fake you know what I what I think happened with AI is they scanned all of the most famous authors of all time for the first names and they just came Harper harper Lee oh Harper that’s good and then what else oh they they write Harper Wright that’s the name let’s go all right that’s it locked on Hornets ending with a tomorrow hornets slop hornet slop report tomorrow we talk about a Lari Mark and Conanipple pairing here in Charlotte that’ll do it thanks for making us your first listen we’re free and available anywhere you get your pods that includes YouTube go check Doug out every hornetsboxcore.com locked on NBA with Matt Moore who we broke a lot of his intel down today alongside Hayes unlocked on NBA i’m Walker Male listen to me wfnz every weekday 12 to 3 Sports Radio 927 WFNZ have a great day we’ll be back with you tomorrow [Music]

The Charlotte Hornets are facing a major draft decision—stick at #4, trade down, or take a surprise swing. Doug and Walker break down fresh intel on prospects like Kon Knueppel, VJ Edgecombe, and Kasparas Jakucionis, and what it all means for the future of LaMelo Ball.

Is Charlotte sticking at #4 or setting up a surprise? On this episode of Locked On Hornets, Doug Branson and Walker Mehl react to new reporting from Matt Moore and Krysten Peek that sheds light on what the Hornets might do with their top-5 pick. Could the team trade down and still grab a top shooter like Kon Knueppel? Would passing on VJ Edgecombe signal a new direction—or just smart scouting?

Moore intel: https://hardwoodparoxysm.substack.com/p/free-agency-and-draft-rumors-panic

Peek intel: https://www.hoopshq.com/nba-draft/nba-draft-intel-latest

Doug argues that Knueppel’s elite shooting and IQ make him a plug-and-play piece next to LaMelo Ball, while Walker warns of the risks in moving back too far and ending up with leftovers. They also dive into whether veterans like Grant Williams or Miles Bridges could be trade bait as Charlotte eyes long-term flexibility—and why injuries and lack of postseason reps are stalling trade talks.

Later, they assess the rising stock of Kasparas Jakucionis and whether his all-around skillset makes sense at #4 or only in a trade-down scenario. If Charlotte takes Jakucionis or Knueppel, does that mean LaMelo is staying—or going?

This episode is packed with draft theories, fit analysis, and the kind of Hornets chaos that only June can bring.
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Top 35 Hornets Nicknames of All-Time According to Doug Branson: https://hornets.substack.com/p/the-top-35-nicknames-in-hornets-franchise

Top 35 Hornets of All-Time According to Walker Mehl: https://hornets.substack.com/p/the-top-35-players-in-hornets-history

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