Charlotte Hornets: Jalen McDaniels continues to impress

Heading into his second year with the Charlotte Hornets, Jalen McDaniels seems to be earning more playing time.

As of late, Charlotte Hornets’ General Manager Mitch Kupchak has made some great picks in the second round of the NBA Draft. Kupchak managed to continue this success with the improvements of Jalen McDaniels.

Even though McDaniels was a late second-round pick last season, he still found himself playing about 18.3 minutes per game toward the end of the season. His increased playing time came as a result of his increasingly improving play.

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McDaniels finished his rookie season averaging 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He even showed up his three-point shooting by finishing the season, shooting 38% from behind the arc.

Following his rookie season, McDaniels has continued to show his improvements, as he’s averaged 12.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game through the Hornets’ first two preseason games.

So far through the preseason, McDaniels has been shooting 57% from the floor while also shooting 83% from three. He’s managed to average these numbers with the 15.8 minutes per game that he’s received.

It’s clear that the Hornets will likely be leaning on McDaniels to play the power forward position off the bench. Unlike last season, the Hornets will not be starting this year with Marvin Williams coming off the bench at that spot.

The Hornets did not make a lot of additions to the frontcourt this offseason, so the team will be leaning on McDaniels to help the team’s already stacked bench. WIll McDaniels be able to continue his consistency?

The Charlotte Hornets are set to play their third preseason game Thursday night, while their debut for the 2020-21 season will be on Tuesday.