The Charlotte Hornets ended up with four picks in the 2025 NBA Draft after [trading Mark Williams](https://atthehive.com/2025/06/25/hornets-trade-mark-williams-for-29th-pick-and-future-first/) during the early parts of the first round. They somewhat surprisingly elected to use all four picks, and as it stands right now, it looks like all four are going to stick around.
The four selections have varying on court skill sets, but they do have a common thread that weaves between all of them. That thread can be traced back to last draft as well, the first that was led by general manager Jeff Peterson. Every player that Peterson has selected has A+ character and work ethic while being an unselfish player on the court.
I see the vision.
While the flashy highlight reels and jaw dropping displays of talent get the people going, they don’t necessarily always translate to winning. There’s a difference between an impressive basketball player and a good basketball player. The Hornets are clearly prioritizing the latter. That doesn’t mean forgoing talent in favor of dudes that can’t play but try hard. It just means shifting the weight of the evaluation process to put more emphasis on basketball character than maybe teams have done historically.
I’ve found myself looking at prospects the same way over the last few years, so I’m thrilled that the Hornets seem to be taking the same approach. It widens your margin for error as a team. Everybody talks about player’s ceilings, but too often there isn’t enough consideration for how likely it is for a player to reach that ceiling. And too often that ceiling isn’t even attainable. It’s a mirage built off similar play styles and who guys look like. We really don’t know what a player’s ceiling is. That’s why we all get so many prospect evaluations wrong. But you can feel better about a player reaching whatever ceiling they have when you know they’re a dedicated worker that values winning basketball.
On a team level, the goal is to have a collection of players that is greater than the sum of its parts. It takes a certain type of player to make that work, and everyone needs to be bought in. The Pacers are the current embodiment of that method of team building, and that seems to be the new way to win, especially for a smaller market team. Gone are the days of top loading top talent and filling out the roster with whoever was willing to take a minimum contract. Just ask the Suns.
The Hornets were never going to compete for a title this season. They’re still laying a foundation, but you can see what they’re trying to build. Every player they’ve drafted over the last two drafts has been lauded for their work ethic, versatility, and selfless mindset even if not everyone is a fan of their perceived talent. That means whatever their ceilings are, they’ll probably get there, and no matter how high that ceiling is, their on court impact will be maximized. A cohesive team that complements each other and can adapt to changing circumstances is going to win out over a team that has a bit more talent if that talent is haphazardly mashed together. Bonus points if the cohesive team also has a bunch of guys that can shoot the ball and need to be guarded. Even more bonus points if those guys can also dribble and pass a little bit. Everyone that the Hornets have drafted in the last two summers can do that or at least try to do that.
We’re all desperate to watch some winning basketball in Charlotte. The front office is gradually building a team that can provide that by drafting winning players. A team full of winning players is going to win games more often than not. We just need to let the young guys figure out the NBA as talent gets accumulated. The process will work. We just need to be patient while the building happens.
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