After seasons of disappointing draft picks that have included Noah Vonleh and PJ Hairston, the Charlotte Hornets may have made their fans happy. On Thursday night, the team snatched shooting guard Malik Monk with the No. 11 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Monk arrives from the Kentucky Wildcats and made for the second pick from his school of the night, following in the footsteps of his backcourt teammate De'Aaron Fox.

Malik Monk's resume

The Kentucky Wildcats' guard was considered the best shooter on the board and fell to the No. 11 spot, after previously being considered a potential top-six pick.

For his freshman season with the Wildcats, Monk averaged 19.8 points per game and shot at a rate of 39.7 percent from downtown. His assists and rebounds left a bit to be desired but it's the scoring that will help most in "Buzz City."

Monk hit field goals at an impressive rate of nearly 50 percent, giving the Hornets a stellar shooter that's been missing from the lineup. He also recorded an incredible 47-point outburst against the North Carolina Tar Heels in December to lead Kentucky to victory.

Some of the cons against drafting Monk are the fact he doesn't rebound despite his athletic nature and isn't necessarily the best of defenders.

Those skills can be learned in the NBA, but with his ability to get hot from downtown or knocking down much-needed shots, Michael Jordan and the Hornets could be contending for a playoff spot again.

Hornets' new roster

Just a day or so ahead of the 2017 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets landed Dwight Howard in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks.

That added size to the Hornets' frontcourt that had been seriously lacking. The team tried to experiment with Roy Hibbert for a season to no avail. They've also had recent draft picks including Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky up front. Howard gives them a better inside presence for rebounding and keeping away driving guards or other players.

However, his free throws and fouling will be possible liabilities.

In that Howard trade, Charlotte sent away reserve player Mario Belinelli who could hit some big shots if needed, but with the addition of the new rookie, that seems to have been addressed. It's unknown if Monk will become an immediate starter, or come off the bench as a rookie for the team.

The Charlotte Hornets now have Kemba Walker, Nic Batum, Marvin Williams, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and their newest NBA draft pick Malik Monk. The knock against Monk may be his height, because, at 6-foot-3, he and Walker could form a pretty small backcourt for the Hornets. However, both players can score in bunches and that could be huge for a Hornets team looking to regain entry into the NBA Playoffs.
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