Report: Hornets to trade No. 31 pick Frank Jackson to Pelicans

With the first pick of the second round in Thursday's NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets selected Duke guard Frank Jackson, although the team will reportedly ship Jackson to the New Orleans Pelicans, according to The Vertical's Shams Charania.

Charlotte will receive the 40th pick and cash, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge.

The Hornets had acquired the pick earlier in the week in the Dwight Howard trade with Atlanta.

As a freshman, Jackson averaged 10.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game for the Blue Devils. He shot 47.3 percent from the field, including 39.2 percent on 3-point shots, and 75.5 percent from the free-throw line. At 6-foot-3, Jackson uses his whopping 6-foot-7 wingspan and quick first step to create mismatches with the defense.

With the size and speed to finish around the rim in traffic, Jackson will be well-suited to a reserve role where he isn't necessarily called on to be a distributor. With just 1.7 assists per game at Duke, it's clear that setting up his teammates wasn't a primary goal. He will have to integrate more passing into his approach if he wants to take his game to a higher level.

Jackson might be too slow to contain the quickest point guards in the league, but he's shown solid defensive instincts overall. He might be able to stick with smaller shooting guards that don't immediately recognize his imposing length.