Want to know how good this new Charlotte Hornet can be? Ask Duke
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- New Charlotte Hornet Christian Anderson Jr. keyed an upset win over Duke in December.
- Anderson believes he was best shooter in last week’s NBA Draft; Hornets took him at #18.
- With LaMelo Ball surprise trade, Anderson has a chance to be Hornets’ No. 2 point guard.
If you don’t know much about Christian Anderson Jr., the former Texas Tech point guard whom the Charlotte Hornets took at No. 18 in the NBA Draft last week, let’s take a crash course exemplified by one particular game
It came against Duke, a team that would go 35-3 and featured Cam Boozer, eventually the draft’s No. 3 overall pick and the consensus national player of the year. So Texas Tech was playing against a powerful opponent in a world-famous arena — Madison Square Garden in New York, on Dec. 20, 2025.
And Anderson took the game over.
“Obviously Duke is one of those teams that every young hooper wants to go to growing up,” Anderson said in our interview Thursday. “So playing them at Madison Square Garden, in New York at Christmastime, was super surreal.”
Duke ran out to a 17-point lead with 16:31 to go.
Anderson had only four points at halftime when his coach told him: “Dude, you’re going to have to score.” He obliged, scoring 23 of his 27 points in the second half to lead Texas Tech back on an absurd comeback. Anderson’s final free throw provided both his 27th point and the winning margin in Texas Tech’s 82-81 upset, which stuck Duke with its first loss of the season.
“Winning the game in that fashion was the cherry on top,” Anderson said Friday. “It was definitely the highlight of my season, and one of the best games I’ve ever played.”
Duke coach Jon Scheyer said in the immediate aftermath of the game that the Blue Devils should have never allowed Anderson to get going.
“I think the game changes when you let a really good player like him see one go in,” Scheyer said. “It just changes the confidence. It just changes the dynamic of the game.”
Anderson noted when we spoke after the draft that he wasn’t recruited by Duke — or by UNC, for that matter. At 6-1 and 180 pounds, he has long fought the perception that he’s undersized. But he’s a deadly shooter, and sure of himself, and those two skills translate anywhere. Anderson said on the night he was drafted that by taking him the Hornets had just selected the very best shooter in the draft.
At Texas Tech, Anderson attempted eight 3-pointers per game last season and hit them at a 41.5% clip. Those numbers drew an endorsement from the player who led the NBA in 3-pointers a year ago.
“Even Kon Knueppel told me yesterday that that’s very hard to do,” Hornets general manager Jeff Peterson said. “So if you’re hearing it from him, then it does carry some weight.”
Christian Anderson Sr., the new Hornet’s father, was born and raised in Germany. The elder Anderson played college basketball briefly at the College of Charleston in the late 1990s before returning to Europe, where he had a productive basketball career overseas. His namesake son was born and raised mostly in the Atlanta area, where his father became one of his primary trainers.
“I’ve been training my whole life,” Anderson Jr. said. “It’s been in high-pressure situations. And with the experience and the work, I think that’s where the confidence comes from.”
Because of his father’s German heritage, Anderson Jr. has played regularly for Germany in international events. Many times he’s played alongside the Hornets’ other first-round draft pick: Big man Hannes Steinbach, who grew up in Germany himself and whose father was also an accomplished basketball player.
With the surprise trade of LaMelo Ball last week, there is one less high-profile player at Anderson’s position. Coby White, who has agreed to terms on a three-year, $74-million deal, will be Charlotte’s starter at point guard.
But Anderson will have a fighting chance to be the No. 2 point guard for the Hornets. If he proves that he can play defense at an NBA-level caliber, he should get minutes right away. He will get his first chance to show his mettle at a pro level in the NBA’s annual summer league, starting in July in Las Vegas.
Said Hornets coach Charles Lee of Anderson: “I think that he’s not scared of the moment.”
Duke found that out firsthand.
This story was originally published June 29, 2026 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Want to know how good this new Charlotte Hornet can be? Ask Duke."
