Finding solid second-round picks has been a strength for the Hornets. Can they do it again?

They share the same first name and also are members of the Serbian national basketball team, seemingly creating a natural bond.

That’s about the extent of their similarities, though.

But if Nikola Djurisic gets his wish and hears his name called during the NBA Draft on June 22, there’s little doubt his smile will be as wide as the wingspan of the two-time MVP who’s currently chasing the Larry O’Brien trophy: Denver star Nikola Jokić.

“Everyone back in Serbia who starts playing basketball or is playing basketball, Jokic is like their idol,” Djurisic said Saturday after working out for the Charlotte Hornets. “Probably if I met him, I would ask him a ton of questions. He would be mad at me for sure for asking so many questions.

“But I’d just ask him what do you have to do to be on that level. That’s it.”

Djurisic hasn’t had that special chance encounter with Jokić yet and perhaps that will change over the coming months if he lands in the NBA. He’s hoping for an opportunity to bring his game from Europe, and the Hornets’ workout was the first of six the 19-year-old has scheduled so far.

Add him to Charlotte’s growing list of intriguing possibilities.

While things haven’t gone right in every avenue for the Hornets’ front office regime during these seven years under the guidance of Mitch Kupchak, the president of basketball operations/general manager, mining for — and landing — second-round gems has been a strength. And given the number of picks they possess next month, they have plenty of options and the capability to secure some solid talent, which is why they’ve been doing their due diligence over the past three-plus weeks.

Armed with four more selections besides the No. 2 overall spot, including a late first-rounder, the Hornets could be in a very good position to pluck some good players off the board. They also boast three of the initial 10 picks in the second round.

That’s what makes these sessions with the Hornets extremely important for the likes of Djurisic and others projected to be possible second-rounders.

Checking in at 6-foot-8, 214 pounds, Djurisic projects as a wing. Named a top prospect of the Liga ABA — considered to be the top-tiered league in the region featuring teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia — Djurisic saw action in 30 games this past season across all competitions, starting in 28. In averaging a career-best 28.1 minutes per game for KK Mega, he posted 13 points, shooting 40.6% from the floor and 22.1% beyond the 3-point arc.

But he really aided his case by turning a few heads at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, displaying a nice showing in some drills that led to enough intrigue for an early look from the Hornets.

“It helped me a lot,” Djurisic said, “especially because this season I wasn’t shooting the ball effectively from 3-point (range). I was like 20-plus percent. So, at the combine, I hit some shots. I was hitting shots — five in a row, six in a row, which I think the scouts from the clubs can see me shoot, differently from in the game or practice. They could see me shoot.

“But I’m not worried about the 3-point shot because it will come with hard work. But they could see I’m athletic.”

He added with a laugh: “I’m not an ordinary white boy, you know what I’m saying?”

Djurisic’s game caught Syracuse’s Judah Mintz off guard a bit. Mintz, who could be another potential candidate to be nabbed by Charlotte in the second round, was part of the six-man group dripped in sweat after their crash course through the Hornets’ drills.

“Going against him is easier than playing with him,” Mintz said. “You don’t really know what guys like to do. I really didn’t know what Nikola liked. I thought he was a big when I first got here. Then he started shooting, then he started doing pick-and-rolls. So, it’s a little difficult finding out how to play with guys during a 50-minute, 70-minute stretch. But it’s fun and you get better as a player.”

Mintz, a 6-foot-3, 172-pound combo guard, fared well in his lone season in upstate New York under the tutelage of now-retired longtime coach Jim Boeheim. Named to the ACC’s all-freshman team, he was eighth in the conference at 16.3 points per game, fifth in assists (4.6) and finished tops with 59 steals. He also proved he can get to the free-throw line consistently, ranking third in the league with 139 makes.

There were some question marks about whether Mintz will keep his name in the draft beyond Wednesday’s 11:59 p.m. deadline for upperclassmen to withdraw and maintain college eligibility. But it doesn’t sound like Mintz is considering going back to suit up for the Orange again, instead relishing the chance to showcase himself in front of the Hornets’ talent evaluators.

“I’ve got a few days to make a clear-cut decision,” Mintz said. “I really feel like my freshman year kind of spoke for itself. Obviously, it got me in this position right now. I can compete, I can hang around these dudes, especially at the combine, being able to play and prove my worth has been great for me.

“It’s a crazy opportunity. Everybody has a dream to be here. So, for me to actually get here and play in front of people like that is just a dream come true.”

Djurisic couldn’t help but reflect on his journey as well.

“Overseas, I was also a pro,” Djurisic said, “but these are two different types of basketball. This is the best league in the world, obviously. But it was tough. A lot of hard days, hard workouts. A lot of sacrifices.”

Djurisic will get his answer soon. And if the Hornets come calling, he’ll be thrilled.

“I know the Charlotte Hornets have a young core,” Djurisic said. “So, we’ll see what happens on the 22nd of June.”