Could Christian Anderson be a LaMelo Ball backup plan for the Hornets?
Could Christian Anderson be a LaMelo Ball backup plan for the Hornets?Yahoo Sports’ Draft Live crew breaks down the 18th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft as the Texas Tech guard is heading to Charlotte.2:33Now PlayingPaused
Christian Anderson: ‘I’ve always been overlooked’2:36Now PlayingPaused
Hannes Steinbach could bring ‘instant impact’ to Hornets1:47Now PlayingPaused
Yaxel Lendeborg may be missing piece for the Spurs2:05Now PlayingPaused
Post-lottery mock draft: Mikel Brown to the Mavericks1:59Now PlayingPaused
Kings will need to trade up for Darius Acuff Jr.2:19Now PlayingPaused
Could Christian Anderson be a LaMelo Ball backup plan for the Hornets?
Yahoo Sports’ Draft Live crew breaks down the 18th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft as the Texas Tech guard is heading to Charlotte.
Video Transcript
Charlotte is up.
This is their second pick in the first round, and they go to Christian Anderson- Oh the guard out of Texas Tech.
AdvertisementAdvertisementOh.
Like you guys said, they have a lot of guards, but clearly they felt they could pick up one more in Anderson.
Oh, I mean, this one's a very interesting- Wow.
Christian Anderson, sophomore out of Texas Tech.
He, his second year there at Texas Tech became a truly elite- Mm-hmm three-point shooter, both off the dribble, from deep range, NBA range off the bounce, but also off the catch as well, the type of guy that you can run through screening actions.
So I think for Charlotte, clearly they obviously have a lot of guys in that back court- Yeah al- al- ready with LaMelo Ball, Kobe White, Kon Knipple.
I wonder if maybe this is a bit of, you know, a hedge against LaMelo, who's had injury concerns.
There's a still leadership concerns with him as well because I think with Christian Anderson, even though he's only 6'1", he's got a 6'6" wing span.
He had a game with 11 rebounds last year against Cincinnati, a big conference game, averaged nearly- Yeah four boards per game as a guy who's 6'1", really a hard-nosed, tough defensive player, and I think he has leadership qualities.
Yeah.
Yes.
So I think for Charlotte, this is perhaps a hedge against LaMelo, but also a guy that can be part of this rotation c- because of his ability to play with and without the ball.
AdvertisementAdvertisementYou know, I called that game against Cincinnati where he had the 11 rebounds.
Oh, wow, you were on that.
But, yeah.
But- but what impressed me the most about that game, 'cause JT Toppin wa- was out, and this was early on when JT Toppin went out.
So this was like third or fourth game with him being out, so they're still trying to adjust to their role and figure out who they really were.
But I didn't think Christian Anderson could get by anybody.
I didn't think he'd get to the rim.
I think he settled for a lot of jumpers, settled for a lot of threes, and granted, he knocked them down at a really high rate.
AdvertisementAdvertisementOof.
Yes, he did.
But my biggest question to the Texas Tech staff, and for Christian Anderson going into that game was, could he get by people?
Well, he showed me in that game that the answer was yes, he can.
The Charlotte Hornets team loves to fire up threes- Yes and this is one of the best three-point shooters- Yes in America- I agree last season for, for m- Grant McCasland, who loves to play that NBA offense- Yes where they're firing up threes, whether it was there or at his previous stops.
He's a guy who has an NBA program, and Charles Lee is gonna love having this guy on the team.
Yeah.
'Cause you talk about the play making, seven assists a game, and the 40-plus percent shooting on about eight three-pointers a game.
AdvertisementAdvertisementHe, he's gonna be able to fire it up from downtown, and that is what the Charlotte Hornets did.
At one point in the second half of last season, the Charlotte Hornets had the top three three-point shooters in America in terms of volume, whether it's Kon Knipple, LaMelo Ball, and Brandon Miller, and they got another amazing perimeter- Yes three-point shooter in this kid, Christian Anderson
- Could Christian Anderson be a LaMelo Ball backup plan for the Hornets?Yahoo Sports’ Draft Live crew breaks down the 18th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft as the Texas Tech guard is heading to Charlotte.2:33Now PlayingPaused
- Christian Anderson: ‘I’ve always been overlooked’2:36Now PlayingPaused
- Hannes Steinbach could bring ‘instant impact’ to Hornets1:47Now PlayingPaused
- Yaxel Lendeborg may be missing piece for the Spurs2:05Now PlayingPaused
- Post-lottery mock draft: Mikel Brown to the Mavericks1:59Now PlayingPaused
- Kings will need to trade up for Darius Acuff Jr.2:19Now PlayingPaused
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
