The Charlotte Hornets have a type. After selecting two players in the first round that can impact winning basketball without the rock in their hands, the Hornets opted to select a couple more with their pair of early second round picks.

Duke’s Sion James (14) drives around Alabama’s Mark Sears (1) during the first half of Duke’s game against Alabama in their Elite 8 game in the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Saturday, March 29, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com

The Hornets drafted two defensive-minded players in consecutive picks in the second round of the NBA Draft. With the 33rd overall selection, Charlotte took Duke guard Sion James, who will join college teammate Kon Knueppel in the Queen City.