It’s been years since we’ve seen a draft garner the hype from top to bottom that the 2026 NBA Draft has seen over the last few months. It’s been a slow burn, but as we sit with less than a week until the draft, hype for many of these players has never been higher.But as some climb higher and higher up mock drafts, others have fallen dramatically in the past few weeks; more than they’ve fallen this entire draft cycle; Yaxel Lendenborg comes to mind.It’s a player I fell in love with at first sight (scout). The size, the positional versatility, NCAA Champion… mature. Or so I hoped. Nobody has fallen further down my board than Yaxel, and I doubt I’m alone in that arena. The F from Michigan has reportedly performed very poorly in his individual draft workouts; concerns about an injury, overall attitude, and performance have become more prevalent for Lendeborg over the last few weeks than they have been throughout the cycle.That’s what happens in crunch time. With less than a week to go and a much clearer picture of the options Charlotte may consider at No. 14 and No. 18, I wanted to take a swing at a classic rank-radio segment, but make it in print:Let’s rank the top ten draft fits for the Charlotte Hornets. One caveat: This list picks ten players whom I believe, no matter what range they're "mocked" to be selected in, will be the best fits for the Charlotte Hornets, regardless of player rankings or consensus boards.The only four players I’ve left out of my selection pool due to their high player rankings are: AJ Dybantsa, Cam Boozer, Caleb Wilson, and Darryn Peterson.Caleb was tempting; I won’t lie. I’d be ecstatic if they traded up, although it is INCREDIBLY unlikely they’ll pay Chicago a king’s ransom to make it happen. So let’s start with a few Honorable Mentions before number 10.Honorable Mentions:Jayden Quaintance, F/C, KentuckyIt’s the injury with the Kentucky big man. No analysis can ever lead me to exclude that from my evaluation, despite there being no CONFIRMED poor medical results. I DID let the analytics rule my thinking here because of how overwhelmingly positive they were… but once pre-draft workout reports started noting he favored a leg and other workout issues? I stopped letting the analytics rule my thinking. He’s fallen back super far into the 20s on most mock drafts after starting the cycle in the mid-to-late lottery.Nate Ament, F, TennesseeAment is one of my most tantalizing prospects in this entire draft. For as much volume offensively as Dailyn Swain handled at UT as a Forward? Ament did it even more, with far more usage, too. I’ve been on Ament since he was in the 20s, and it’s no surprise (to me, at least) that he’s shot up on Mock Drafts. There’s a world where Ament is a Jalen Johnson-lite if he can put some more weight on his frame; as many teams who could use a 6 '9 F who can operate the pick and roll with a 1.04 AST:TO ratio… I fear Charlotte isn’t one of them. But I really believe in Ament’s potential. There aren’t many worlds where he slips, Charlotte takes him at 14, and I’m angry.Yaxel Lendeborg, F, MichiganOh, how the Michigan forward has fallen out of favor with NBA scouts. The combine boosted Lendeborg big time; just as quickly as his stock rose, it fell back down as fast as the negative returns from his draft workouts started circulating. After writing a PJ Hall profile, too…I’m starting to believe Charlotte may have their own Yaxel in the Swarm already. Similar sizes: PJ is a smidge older, but Hall had the No. 1 max standing vertical leap in his combine class, and their wingspans are incredibly similar. The biggest difference is that Yaxel projects as a significantly better defender. There are so many reasons Yaxel has fallen… and I hate it for him. But I’m out on the 23-year-old national champion from Michigan. You have to take draft workout rumors to heart when you're in the rankings business.10. Zuby Ejiofor, F, St. JohnsAnother guy that’s a similar build to PJ Hall – which was entirely unintentional. The difference here, like Lendeborg, Ejiofor is one of the best defensive forwards in this entire draft class. To be just a shade under 6 ‘9, he was the anchor of everything Rick Pitino wanted to do defensively, and during his Senior year last year, he was just as important offensively, too.I almost put Zuby higher – I think his fit with this Hornets team, in the event Morez Johnson Jr. isn’t there, would be astounding. He won’t get exposed by smaller and quicker guards on the perimeter, for the most part… and I think Ejiofor is a legitimate option for Charlotte at 18 if they can’t land Morez at 14. He can come in, be a third PF and C option for the Hornets, and you KNOW he won’t get exposed defensively. Zuby completely anchored St. John's last year. Charlotte desperately needs more of that skill set. Rick Pitino also says he’s the ultimate team-guy, and it sounds an awful lot like Hornets DNA to me…9. Koa Peat, F, ArizonaGiven that Koa Peat is 19, it’s hard not to be infatuated with the potential ceiling Peat can hit at his best. He’s won four gold medals in FIBA play for the USA, projects as a great rebounder, and has every physical tool to translate immediately in the NBA. At least, we all think he does. What worries me about Peat, like most, is his VERY limited offensive game. I love the high-ceiling version of Peat who becomes an elite and switchable defender… but I think that happens in a ton of worlds. What happens in less worlds is Peat becoming this defensive utility player while ALSO adding more to his offensive repertoire.The IQ is there, but the skill set and “bag” offensively just haven’t caught up yet. The jump shot is truly bad. If Peat did ANYTHING offensively at an elite level? He’d be a surefire lottery pick… there’s just more development to do. You would hope that in two years in the league, Peat will grow as much as someone like Swain did from year two at Xavier to his junior year at Texas. Peat is just 19. While that keeps him in the top ten, ultimately, it’s also what’s holding him back from being higher. I like Ejiofor better immediately with this Hornets team, I think, but given they’d both be rotation big men and Peat is also a good defender who is younger and more athletic overall? This is how the cookie crumbled.8. Bennett Stirtz, G, IowaDespite Marc Stein’s 1 AM report, I have a good feeling Coby White will be back, although it may not be the price tag most people expect. In the event Charlotte DOES plan to bring White back as the team’s sixth man moving into next year?Stirtz is my favorite candidate to essentially replace what Charlotte had hoped Tre Mann would be if White is in the Hornets’ plans. A reserve guard who comes in for 8-12 minutes here or there, and makes the most of them. Stirtz’s ridiculous usage and volume at Iowa show you he’s going to make the most of his attempts when he does put the ball up. His size is a concern, sure, but if we knew for certain White was returning? I would’ve considered moving Stirtz up even higher. He was that good at Iowa.7. Labaron Philon Jr., G, AlabamaYou draft scouts and your past sub-180 guard comps in past drafts won’t fool me. Trae Young wasn’t getting to the rim like Philon Jr. did this past year as a sophomore at Alabama. This kid hits above his weight, and he’s my darling of this whole draft… I adore the way this guy approaches the game of basketball. Absolutely fearless.Philon Jr. is an elite finisher at the rim, and he’s seeking contact when going to the rim for someone who’s only 6'3.75 "; you just don't see that very often. Guys at Philon's size, like Young at Oklahoma, usually dominate from behind the arc alone. Philon can do that: Off the dribble, on a catch-and-shoot, and with his driving ability. It’s also the height that I love for Philon. He’s not a 6‘0" PG; there is room within his frame to take advantage of an NBA training regimen. He’s an elite isolation player, and not in the way a slender Nate Ament is – Philon Jr. is coming at your chest. The shot will absolutely translate, in my opinion.Philon just needs to be on a team that can give him a ton of PT to reach his highest ceiling, but if Charlotte wants a guard at 18 – there’s a 90+ % chance they take a big at 14, in my opinion – and is going with the best player available? It’s Philon Jr. for me. There are big men who will rank higher at 18, but I haven’t decided whether Charlotte takes two bigs or not. It’s 50/50 for me, and the upside is a lot bigger for Philon than Stirtz. If Coby isn’t coming back… I like Philon as a potential replacement to carry the torch Coby lit as a microwave scorer off the bench. 6. Dailyn Swain, F, TexasIt’s pretty easy to tell you off the top of my head what my favorite thing about Swain is – the growth this guy saw from his first two years at Xavier to his most recent Junior season at Texas may be the biggest year-over-year progression I've seen from… anyone in this class?Swain’s progression on his jump shot alone was the stuff of legend: The speed increase, the form adjustment. It wasn’t just the shot growth: Swain’s handle grew a ton, and he became a borderline, if not outright, primary initiator for Texas’ offense. Swain is capable of making great passes, and he moves even better off the ball despite many analysts thinking otherwise. He didn’t move off the ball nearly as much at Texas, but it’s all over his Xavier film… It’s how he most often found himself open as a freshman and sophomore.He somehow got even craftier around the rim at UT, too. He went from bullying people at Xavier to get to the rack to stepping through and spinning past forwards who couldn’t guard him off the dribble. I truly love the growth of Swain over his college career, and did I mention his footwork is impeccable? Borderline elite, in my opinion? He’s no scrub defensively, but he doesn’t have the upside of a Karim Lopez, either, for me. I wouldn’t be upset with Swain whatsoever at 18, depending on how the draft board falls on Tuesday.5. Allen Graves, F, Santa ClaraGraves has moved from an enigma in my mind to a no-doubt must-draft at 18 if he’s there. The rebounding will translate immediately, and the stats back that up; Charlotte isn’t in a position to be passing up guys who can dominate on the glass. His analytics on that front are absolutely nuts; 99th percentile in multiple areas.Not only is he potentially the best rebounder in this class, but he will also help Charlotte defensively despite his athletic limitations. Graves makes up for his lack of sheer athleticism with his basketball IQ on almost every possession, though. He knows when to be in the right spots, even if some gambles leave him exposed to getting scored on. He also has hands the size of Kawhi. Kawhi Hands next to Moussa Diabate couldn’t be a BAD thing. He’s not a scorer… but that’s not what Charlotte needs from an F if they’re drafting one, and that's why Graves sits above Swain for me.4. Karim Lopez Jr., F, New Zealand Breakers (NBL)I felt the same way about Ament before he jumped, and I’ve liked Lopez a lot since I first saw him, too. The Mexican national has been one of the biggest risers as we get closer to the draft, and the more you look at where he played and less at his shot chart, the more you can get there mentally with Lopez.It’s no joke in the NBL, and this kid has played two seasons in one of the best overseas leagues before he was TWENTY. You can’t buy that kind of experience, and to me it has to be taken into account when you talk about his strengths, but also his weaknesses. He’s an elite finisher at the rim with a percentage within 3 feet comparable to Philon Jr. and Dailyn Swain, and he is wonderful at moving without the basketball. You have to be if you’re going to start 30 games at 19 years old in the NBL. I don’t believe his handle has the room to grow like Swain’s does – Lopez is stiffer with the ball in his hands to me, yet he still found ways to get himself open and get to the cup, regardless. The occasional lapse on defense was real for Lopez, but this is where the NBL part of it comes into play. Of course, grown men are going to catch a 19-year-old backdoor or take him off the dribble more than you’d like… but the fact that it happened in the NBL and we still saw plenty of defensive capability from Lopez at times gives me hope. I believe his transition to the league will be easier than that of your average 19-year-old, because the NBA frame for Lopez is legit.3. Aday Mara, C, MichiganFor a guy I’m not the biggest fan of, it’s still pretty difficult not to place Mara towards the top of this list. The size, combined with the prospect of Mara’s shooting ability on this Hornets team, makes it hard not to start daydreaming. Then you have to start being realistic. The shot potential for Mara is real, and the stroke looks good… in an open gym. He’s certainly shown it in-game, as well, but Mara’s up this high because of his potential alone. He may very well be my most polarizing prospect, because if the shot doesn’t develop? Mara’s only differentiator from Ryan Kalkbrenner, to me, is his youth and ability to run the floor at an elite level for someone who’s 7'3. Does the shot develop along with it? If so, Mara could absolutely make me regret not liking him more. Ultimately, I fear Mara won’t have enough PT in Charlotte to develop that shot all the way, and if that’s the case, Mara may not be enough of a curveball from Diabate or Kalkbrenner to warrant drafting him at No. 14.If it does work though…. It’ll REALLY work. Biggest high-upside, low-ceiling pick for Charlotte in this draft to me, period.2. Hannes Steinbach, F/C, WashingtonSteinbach is for the Al Jefferson lovers out there. The footwork, touch around the basket, and ability to finish with finesse around the rim for his age are impeccable. On the other hand, his ability as a defender for his size is… not. It's not a complete negative, though; his Washington teammates did him no favors on that end last season. If you’re Charlotte, I think you’re okay with the defense because of that; if they pick Steinbach, it’ll be at 14, and it’ll be because Morez Johnson Jr. isn’t available anymore. Yaxel projects as a wonderful defender and is likely to be available at 14 after some poor team draft workouts, but you have absolutely no idea what he’s going to give you offensively.Steinbach, though? You start foaming at the mouth thinking about what he can give the Hornets on offense that neither Moussa Diabate nor Ryan Kalkbrenner can. He has legitimate All-Star potential because of his feel and ability there, which Charlotte desperately needs. The shot projects well; he’s played against good competition in Germany’s Division 2 before coming to Washington, too. There’s so much to love here – but if Charlotte goes Steinbach at 14? They really have to focus on finding someone in FA or at pick 18 who can help them on defense. Outside of the team needs he can't control, though? The ceiling for Hannes is the roof, as Michael Jordan would say.1. Morez Johnson Jr. F, MichiganOh, Morez. The apple of my (draft) eye; seemingly every other Hornets’ fan’s proverbial apple, too. More than Johnson Jr.’s limited offensive game, the thing that scares me the most about the Michigan F is… the consensus. Consensus is scary in the NBA; heck, I’ve spoken to people around the league who had Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as one of the “can’t-miss” prospects from 2012, and look how that turned out (I love you, MKG). It happens every year. People and NBA teams make mistakes.But, man. If you take superstition out of this, there’s truly no better player in this entire draft class to slot right into what the Hornets are trying to do. If Sion James got the rub he did last year on-court because of his defensive impact alone? Morez Johnson Jr. projects as the kind of defender who, as a rookie, could LEGITIMATELY push Miles Bridges to be this team’s starting 4 alongside Diabate. Would you lose some offense? Sure. But the possessions you’d gain back by having Johnson Jr. alongside Diabate defensively – as compared to a Miles or Grant Williams, let’s say – are in Mean Girls territory: The limit does not exist.In this case, where Morez is exactly what we want and is an all-world defender right away, assuming you bring Coby White back, too, you wouldn’t just make up for lost ground because of Johnson Jr.'s defense. In this hypothetical, where Miles moves to the bench as your pseudo seventh-man? The firepower you’d then be bringing off the bench includes:Coby White, Miles Bridges, Sion James (so now you have an elite defender coming in with your second unit, too), Grant Williams, and Ryan Kalkbrenner. This assumes they only took Morez, and who knows how a No. 18 pick could factor into this hypothetical rotation. Morez gives you just an absurd amount of flexibility with Charles Lee’s lineups that, due to the lack of elite defenders currently on the roster, Charlotte didn’t have last year.I’m surprised, given the overall Hornets fans’ infatuation with Morez, that we haven’t seen more speculation about a trade-up for him, honestly. This is a guy who fills such a big hole right away, that to me? It’s worth losing the extra top-20 pick to get an almost surefire, perfect play style and fit at a position of desperate need for the Hornets.Most people are out on a Domantas Sabonis trade, and for the MOST part – I agree. BUT:If you can swing a deal with Sacramento to take Sabonis off their books whilst also moving up to pick No. 7 for a group of players whose salaries match, 14, 18, and a future first from Miami or Cleveland?To me, that kind of deal is worth the salary risk on Sabonis because you get a perfectly slotted-in guy with Morez at seven, and you don’t have to worry about him being poached ahead of No. 14… but you also add a three-time All-Star along with Pick 7 to make you feel better about losing No. 18.It’s certainly a wild proposal… but if Sacramento is truly desperate for more draft capital in return for a Sabonis trade? They’re going to HAVE to do something like this because no team, not even Charlotte, is giving FUTURE picks that are theirs and not another team’s for Sabonis.Charlotte could give “two of their own” with 14 and 18, but also keep future pick control whilst still giving SAC the capital they’re desperate for in return for Sabonis. This feels like the kind of deal – because of moving off a top-ten for SAC, and taking on the big money for Charlotte – where both teams feel like they win a little bit.But it all starts with Morez. That’s my reasoning for this massive trade proposal, to begin with… Not because I want Sabonis – because I want Charlotte to do WHATEVER they deem necessary to get this kid into a Hornets uniform.I'm sure nobody will overreact to this proposal...Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter for the latest news and updates on the Charlotte HornetsAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow