2015 NBA Draft results: Frank Kaminsky picked by Charlotte Hornets
Kaminsky is the first four-year senior off the board in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Frank Kaminsky has completed his trek from unheralded recruit to NBA player after being selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft on Thursday night. Kaminsky is the first four-year college senior off the board this year after a storied career with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Kaminsky was recruited out of Lisle, Ill., by Bo Ryan as a three-star recruit, but proved to be much more during his four-year stay in Madison. During his junior year, he broke out and led the Badgers to their first Final Four appearance in over a decade. As a senior, he earned National Player of the Year honors while getting Wisconsin to the national title game.
2015 NBA Draft
It took Kaminsky a long time to win over his doubters, but his constant improvement and success on the court made it impossible for scouts to ignore his potential as an NBA player. Seven-footers who can put the ball on the floor, make crisp passes and step out to hit the long-range shot are rare, but Kaminsky is one, and it's not a surprise he garnered a lot of attention from several lottery teams despite concerns about his potential as a defender.
Chris Barnewell of At The Hive, SB Nation’s Hornets blog, isn’t sure this was the best Charlotte could do at No. 9, however.
All of that said, Kaminsky being picked at this point is definitely a head scratcher. He doesn’t show much potential to grow outside of the skills he has already shown, and it’s hard to not see why the Hornets couldn’t have gotten him later in the draft by trading down. Perhaps they felt pressured to take him early with Kaminsky’s name shooting up draft boards over the last few days, but it feels weird taking a player so close to his ceiling this early in the draft.
The Hornets missed Josh McRoberts after watching him walk in free agency a year ago, so Kaminsky can help to fill that floor-spacing big man role along with former lottery pick Cody Zeller. How he'll hold up defensively early on is hard to say, but Steve Clifford is a good coach and should be able to help him on that end of the floor. For a Charlotte team that's looking to rebound quickly after a disappointing year, Kaminsky should be able to help quickly, even if his ceiling might not be that exciting.
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