CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Hornets have been busy on draft night.
After trading for the 37th pick before the draft, the Hornets acquired the 19th pick from the New York Knicks, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The New York Knicks made the pick for the Hornets and chose former Texas forward Kai Jones.
Jones, who is a 6-foot-11, 218-pound forward/center, played two seasons Texas, coming off the bench in most of them. He averaged 8.8 points per game and 4.8 rebounds as a sophomore, shooting 58% overall and 38% from 3-point range.
His former college coach Shaka Smart said in 2019 that Jones “has the best work ethic of any 6-11 player I have ever coached.”
Jones was also considered at No. 11. That they got him at No. 19 without giving up their 11th pick should be considered a success. Jones adds size and length to the Hornets.
With the 11th overall pick, Charlotte took guard James Bouknight from UConn.
