Hornets look to continue building youth-infused roster with the third pick in the NBA draft

The Charlotte Hornets look to significantly enhance their roster tonight when they make the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

There is a rich history surrounding the third pick which includes such players as Pau Gasol, James Harden, Dominique Wilkins and Chris Paul. Davis.The third pick has, however, been fickle when it comes to the Charlotte Hornets. In 1999, the team selected Baron Davis out of UCLA. Davis went on to become a two-time NBA All-Star and garner more than 13,000 points. Fast forward to 2006 and the selection of Adam Morrison out of Gonzaga proved to be a far less fruitful pick. Morrison spent only five years in the league and amassing just 1,200 points.

After a recent press conference with team General Manager Mitch Kupchak, many experts have projected the Hornets will select LaMelo Ball with this year's pick. Kupchak declined to give in depth information on certain players as restricted by NBA rules, but did talk about the likelihood that they would likely pick a younger player based on the areas the team needed to improve. "I will tell you that at number three we will probably end up drafting someone who is 19 or 20," Kupchak said.

The team has also expressed that the Covid-19 adapted pre-draft process being a little bit more challenging this year than previous years because players can opt out of the Chicago phase in which are required to take a physical.

There is still an opportunity for the team to trade up for even more talent to add to the current roster. But that would be a pricey option for the team that has struggled to fill their arena and win games. Nonetheless, whoever the staff selects will need to make an impact in a shortened development window as Training camps will start on Dec. 1, and opening night is set for Dec. 22.

So for now, it looks as if the best options for the Hornets will be to get the best the third pick has to offer and possibly add a seasoned star-quality veteran to link it all together.

We'll see tonight when the NBA draft begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.