Former Clippers Star Doesn’t Believe Cooper Flagg Is Enough to Change Hornets’ Fate

The expectation has been that Cooper Flagg will end up a member of the Washington Wizards on the night of the NBA Draft. But the 18-56 Charlotte Hornets will also have a 14% chance to snag the top pick. Lou Williams doesn’t believe adding Flagg is enough to turn around the franchise’s disastrous trajectory right away, though.

The former Sixth Man of the Year says the Duke standout wouldn’t make Charlotte a playoff team in his rookie season, but he stressed that it’s not any fault of Flagg’s. He blames the Hornets’ underwhelming team situation for the franchise being nowhere near postseason contention.

“I don’t think so, not yet,” Williams answered whether the 18-year-old could lead Charlotte back to greatness. “I don’t wanna make it about Cooper Flagg… You’re looking at a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in nine seasons… Is [Flagg] gonna be a guy that’s gonna flip that entire thing around? I’m not sure.” 

Williams knows Flagg would be a welcome addition to any struggling team, but he believes that if Flagg were to lead a previously pitiful Hornets back to the playoffs in his first year, it would say a lot about his potential and ranking within the roster.

“If [Flagg] was the piece to turn them into a playoff team, I think that precisely makes him the best player on that team,” Williams continued. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen. I think LaMelo Ball is still gonna be the guy for the Charlotte Hornets for seasons and seasons to come.”

Cooper Flagg would NOT make the Hornets a playoff team

“If he turned them into a playoff team, he’d be their best player…LaMelo Ball is still gonna be the guy.” – @TeamLou23

“There’s a reason he’s gonna go number one to the worst team in the NBA.” – @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/xR0vJu60uz

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 31, 2025

The former guard may not be convinced that Flagg is already capable of carrying a team out from the NBA’s cellar, but league executives seem to think the young big man is fully equipped to dominate at the next level.

NBA executives are confident Cooper Flagg is ready for the league

Some years, there are questions surrounding the potential top pick in the NBA Draft, including last year’s first selection, Zaccharie Risacher. But league executives are leaving little doubt who they’ll be after with the first pick this summer. In their minds, there’s little doubt that Flagg will be taken first.

“[Flagg’s] as NBA-ready as any of the [No. 1] guys in the past 10 drafts, if not more,” one Western Conference executive told ESPN. What really impresses front office decision-makers is Flagg’s unquenchable desire to win.

“The best thing Cooper Flagg does is drive winning,” an Eastern Conference executive told ESPN. “It sounds cliché, but all the intel we’ve gathered, every interview we’ve done with current and past coaches, teammates, trainers, etc., all point to that same concept in different variations. It’s what fuels him every day.”

The executive stressed how attractive that is in an uber-talented teenager. A player of Flagg’s caliber, combined with his drive to win, would be a huge addition for the Charlotte Hornets, especially with them coming off a miserable season.