NBA draft prospect V.J. Edgecombe talks about playing for the Charlotte Hornets, Coach Charles Lee's defensive focus, and his journey to the playoffs. By FOOTAGE BY ROD BOONE| PRODUCED BY DIAMOND VENCES
Dust off the tarot cards.
It’s nearly time for the NBA’s annual tip-off to the offseason — the NBA Draft. And the draft always seems to bring out even more pundits and predictors than usual.
Things certainly won’t be a mystery at the top of the draft like a year ago, when there didn’t appear to be a clear-cut favorite. In 2024, the Atlanta Hawks selected Frenchman Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick.
Duke’s Cooper Flagg is a sure bet to be taken first at the 2025 NBA Draft in New York on June 25, once the Dallas Mavericks go on the clock after securing the top spot at the NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago earlier this month. But things could get interesting in the aftermath of Flagg getting plucked off the board, setting the stage for the Charlotte Hornets.
Sitting at No. 4, the Hornets will have a variety of good prospects to choose from.
We’re less than a month away from what many expect will be a much more thrilling draft than last year, which was considered the weakest in at least a decade, so let’s have a stab at what the Hornets may do.
Here is our initial 2025 Hornets-themed mock draft:
Baylor Bears guard VJ Edgecombe (7) has the ball against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Lenovo Center. Zachary Taft USA TODAY NETWORK
No. 4 pick
▪ Name: V.J. Edgecombe
▪ Position: PG/SG
▪ Team: Baylor
Ask V.J. Edgecombe what he’ll bring to the table for his soon-to-be NBA employer and the answer is what puts him on the radar of teams in dire need of a talent boost.
“They are going to get a two-way player,” Edgecombe said at the NBA Draft Combine, “someone that’s coming in Day One ready to play, ready to hoop that’s going to play with all his heart for that program and represent that jersey with pride. That’s something they are getting for sure.”
Viewed as one of the best combo guards in the 2025 draft class, the 19-year-old fared well at the combine in Chicago and appears to be in the Hornets’ crosshairs. A league source on one team with a top 10 selection believes Edgecombe is a strong candidate to be the third draft pick for Charlotte’s president of basketball operations, Jeff Peterson, since taking the reins at the tail end of the 2023-24 campaign.
Defense is considered Edgecomb’s strong suit and that’s an area Hornets coach Charles Lee emphasizes, which could make him an ideal fit in Charlotte. He also averaged 15 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists as a freshman in his lone season with the Bears, shooting 43.6% from the floor and 34% from 3-point range.
Barefoot, he stands at 6-4 and weighs 193 pounds, boasting a wingspan of 6-7.5 and an 8-5.5 standing reach. Add in a max vertical leap of 38 feet, which topped Flagg’s mark of 35.5, and it puts Edgecombe among the best of this year’s class.
One draft site likens him to Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, suggesting his body frame slightly mirrors that of the guy taken No. 1 overall in 2020 — two spots ahead of LaMelo Ball.
There are some areas he’ll need to continue honing.
Among them is his ball-handling, which will be a necessity at his height. He will likely be tasked with having the ball in hands at times, needing to be a playmaker so others can potentially feast in off-ball situations.
Becoming adept with the ball will expand things and allow him to become a true triple threat, making him a difficult guard.
“I feel like everyone looks at me as a defensive person and just someone that dunks,” Edgecombe said. “But I know I can provide more than that for sure.”
No. 33 pick
▪ Name: Ryan Kalkbrenner
▪ Position: C
▪ Team: Creighton
With the Hornets’ likely needing to reshuffle their big men, he could be a young inexpensive option to improve their depth.
Hovering at 7-1 and checking in at 270 pounds, the 23-year-old is more in the traditional mold of centers. He’s coming off his super senior season with the Bluejays and averaged 19.4 points, nine rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.4 assists per game.
Creighton Bluejays center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11) looks on during the first half against the Auburn Tigers in the second round to the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena. Aaron Doster USA TODAY NETWORK
The 2025 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year ranks second in Creighton history in points (2,443), rebounds (1,146), blocks (399) and field goal percentage (.658). In 2024-25, Kalkbrenner finished second in the nation in made field goals, third in blocked shots, fourth in field goal percentage and 19th in points.
One of the knocks on Kalkbrenner is he doesn’t possess great mobility. That could be an issue when he’s trying to defend the oldest and most simplistic play in basketball: the pick-and-roll.
No. 34 pick
▪ Name: Alex Toohey
▪ Position: SF/PF
▪ Team: Sydney Kings
He would be a good versatile addition for the Hornets.
After originally committing to play college basketball at Gonzaga, the Australia native changed his mind and decided to sign with the National Basketball League. That’s the same league in which LaMelo Ball won rookie of the year during the 2020 season with the Illawarra Hawks, before the Hornets drafted him third overall behind Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman.
Toohey is an athletic 21-year-old who averaged 10.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game this past season en route to winning the NBL’s Next Generation Award as one of its most exciting prospects. He showed he can shoot at the NBA Combine, draining three of five attempts from 3-point range during one drill.
He has good size at 6-9, 223 pounds, and possesses a 6-11 wingspan that should help defensively and aid when the game plan calls for switching.
The Charlotte Observer
Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he’s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” endlessly. Support my work with a digital subscription