Charlotte enters the 2026 draft with two first-round picks — No. 14 overall and No. 18 from Orlando — and Bleacher Report projects the Hornets to address the frontcourt with both selections, taking Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 14 and Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr. at No. 18.

The Hornets control two picks in this range thanks to the Orlando selection acquired via a prior transaction. Charlotte’s perimeter is loaded — LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel form a formidable young wing group — but the frontcourt is thin, aging, or both. Two first-round bigs would dramatically reshape what the Hornets can do in terms of lineup construction and defensive versatility.

Lendeborg is the more polarizing prospect. The Michigan senior turns 24 in September, which makes him old for a lottery pick, and some lottery-chasing teams will pass on him for that reason alone. But the Hornets are not a lottery-chasing team — they’re building toward genuine competitiveness around Ball and Miller, and Lendeborg’s two-way toolkit fills a specific void. He stands 6-foot-10 with a 241-pound frame, moves like a wing, and brings the toughness and competitive fire that Charlotte’s frontcourt has historically lacked. He’s not a building block in the traditional developmental sense; he’s a ready-now rotation piece who could make the Hornets’ defense significantly harder to play against from day one.

The player immediately after Lendeborg at No. 14 in this projection is Jayden Quaintance, who goes to Chicago at No. 15. Quaintance represents more upside — elite defensive ceiling, extraordinary length, pre-injury lottery-level talent — but also more risk after a major knee injury. Charlotte opting for Lendeborg’s floor over Quaintance’s ceiling reflects where this franchise is in its competitive arc.

At No. 18, Cenac is a versatile frontcourt player who functions as a stretch-5 or a powerful 4 depending on lineup configurations. He’s 6-foot-11 with a 240-pound frame and the kind of perimeter mobility that makes him effective in modern NBA systems. His shooting needs refinement — 33.3 percent from three in college is too low — but his approach as a scorer and his rim-running athleticism offer real value as a secondary big who can be featured in certain lineups without being a liability.

Outlet	Projected Player
Bleacher Report	Yaxel Lendeborg
CBS Sports	Morez Johnson Jr.
Tankathon	Karim López

CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein projects Morez Johnson Jr. to Charlotte at No. 14 in his most recent mock. Gary Parrish also has Johnson Jr. in the mid-lottery range consistent with Charlotte’s slot. Tankathon diverges, projecting Karim López to the Hornets at pick 14 instead — a wing-forward option rather than a frontcourt big. Yahoo Sports did not have a confirmed projection for Charlotte at No. 14 in their most recent mock.

Ball needs bigs who can catch-and-finish, set functional screens, and switch defensively in pick-and-roll. Both Lendeborg and Cenac fit that profile, though in different ways. Lendeborg is the defender and connector; Cenac is the rim-runner who creates lob opportunities and collapses defenses. Playing them together in certain lineups would give Charlotte’s backcourt room to operate in ways the current frontcourt doesn’t provide.

Landing two physically developed, versatile frontcourt players in a single draft gives Charlotte meaningful frontcourt depth without sacrificing the perimeter excellence that makes this team worth watching. Lendeborg’s readiness and Cenac’s athleticism complement each other and the existing core. For a team that is trying to establish a defensive identity alongside Ball’s offensive firepower, this night’s work would represent a significant step forward.