New Orleans GM Jeff Bower said Thursday the Hornets had Julian Wright listed at No. 6 on their mock draft board.
“The scenarios we had played out over the last week or so, this was one we were very hopeful for it to happen, but didn’t really expect it to because of how highly we had him rated in our evaluations,” Bower told the Associated Press. “So we’re extremely happy.”
Hornets coach Byron Scott said he thought Bower was “crazy” when they discussed the possibility of Wright still being available when New Orleans’ selection came up.
“There’s no way in the world he’s going to be there at No. 13,” Scott said of his pre-draft thoughts.
Scott called Wright a “poor-man’s Magic Johnson with his skills – I mean the way he handles the ball, the way he passes, the way he sees the floor, his vision on the floor, his unselfishness. He really has a lot of the intangibles we’re talking about.”
“I laugh every time I hear that,” Wright said of the Magic comparisons. “They may be real or fair, but now it’s like I haven’t even played the game yet. I have similarities but I don’t think it’s a fair comparison yet. I appreciate the compliment.”
