Southeast Division recap: Hornets add winning college players in NBA draft after a 63-loss season

By Canadian Press on June 26, 2025.

The Charlotte Hornets lost 63 games last year.

The four players they took in this year’s draft — combined — lost fewer than half that last season in college.

Charlotte drafted two players from Duke, one from UConn and one from Creighton this year. That’s after the Hornets took Duke’s Sion James and Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner in the second round Thursday night. If nothing else, Charlotte can move forward with several young additions from winning college programs.

The Hornets and Washington Wizards were the two worst teams in the Southeast Division last year, and they had two first-round picks each, with Washington selecting Tre Johnson at No. 6 and Will Riley at No. 21, and Charlotte taking Kon Knueppel of Duke fourth and Liam McNeeley of UConn 29th.

The Hornets also finally got 7-footer Mark Williams traded this week after a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers fell through last season. Charlotte sent him to Phoenix and got the 29th pick in return.

Also active on the trade market were the Hawks, who dealt away the 13th pick and received the 23rd selection. That was after they’d already traded No. 22 in a deal bringing Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta.

Rounding out the division, it was a quieter draft for Miami and Orlando, which made one pick each in the first round — both picking in the latter half.

Charlotte Hornets

Needs: You name it, the Hornets need it. Most notably, Charlotte had to stabilize the center position after trading Williams to the Phoenix Suns (and dealing away backup Nick Richards last year). After winning only 19 games, improving 3-point shooting, rebounding and defense were also priorities and the team addressed some of those.

Who they drafted: Knueppel, McNeeley, James and the 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner.

NBA comparisons: Knueppel draws comparisons to Cam Johnson and Bojan Bogdanović for his shooting ability, savvy play and basketball IQ. McNeeley has been compared to Corey Kispert.

Washington Wizards

Needs: After winning 33 games over the past two seasons, the Wizards still need whatever young talent they can find, and after drafting center Alex Sarr last year, it made sense that they would look to the perimeter. They could use a pure scorer since their recent draft picks — who have shown promise in general — have not been all that efficient in that department.

Who they drafted: Johnson of Texas and Riley of Illinois in the first round, then Jamir Watkins of Florida State in the second.

NBA comparison: Johnson has been compared to Tyler Herro, who is also 6-foot-5. That was an offense-oriented pick.

Miami Heat

Needs: The Heat clearly needed a boost on offense.

Who they drafted: Lithuanian guard Kasparas Jakucionis from Illinois. He’s a good shooter, good slasher and excellent in the pick-and-roll. A strong finisher as well, and some of the passes he tried at the college level showed he was NBA-ready.

NBA comparison: For a Miami standpoint, try Goran Dragic — another smart European who wasn’t afraid to go into the lane, draw contact and use his body against bigger defenders.

Atlanta Hawks

Needs: New general manager Onsi Saleh addressed a need at center with a trade for Porzingis the day before the draft. Saleh then scored a potential draft-day steal by trading the No. 13 pick to New Orleans and landing the No. 23 pick and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick that will be the most favorable of picks held by Milwaukee and New Orleans. That could prove to be a lottery pick.

Who they drafted: Power forward Asa Newell of Georgia may have been Atlanta’s pick at No. 13, so it was a bonus when Newell was still available 10 picks later following the trade.

NBA comparison: Newell has been compared with former NBA forward Paul Millsap, who played four seasons in Atlanta.

Orlando Magic

Needs: The Magic acquired Desmond Bane from Memphis in a recent trade, a move they hope can improve their shooting. Four first-round picks went to the Grizzlies in the deal, so it’s clear Orlando is in win-now mode. Picking 25th, the Magic tried to find a sleeper late in the first round.

Who they drafted: Michigan State’s Jase Richardson, whose father Jason also played for the Magic. Orlando also acquired Noah Penda of France in the second round.

NBA comparison: Richardson isn’t big enough to be compared to his father, but if he can show similarity to Philadelphia’s Jared McCain, the Magic would probably be pretty happy.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Noah Trister, The Associated Press