Charlotte Hornets: Assistant Coach will lead the Greensboro Swarm in the G-League Bubble

The Charlotte Hornets will send an assistant coach to Orlando to lead the Greensboro Swarm in the G League bubble.

The Charlotte Hornets announced that assistant coach Jay Hernandez will serve as head coach for their G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, this season.

Hernandez, who also serves as the director of player development for the Hornets, has been a member of head coach James Borrego’s staff since 2018. Norman Richardson and Evan Harville will join Hernandez as Swarm assistant coaches.

The Hornets choose not the bring back former Swarm head coach Joe Wolf at the end of the last season. This will be Hernandez’s first opportunity as a head coach.

"“As an assistant coach and director of player development, Jay has played an essential role in the development of the younger players on both our Hornets and Swarm rosters,” said Charlotte Hornets’ general manager Mitch Kupchak. “We believe his experience in development, his tireless work ethic and his leadership skills will be very beneficial as we look to maximize this G League opportunity. The G League bubble will provide our younger players with coaching, court time and competition that will help them in their next stage of development as they continue to grow and improve.”"

The NBA G League season will begin on February 8 and will take place at Disney World inside the same bubble environment that the NBA used this summer for last season’s restart. The G League draft was held on January 11. For the first time in team history, the Swarm held the No. 1 pick and selected forward Admiral Schofield. The Swarm did not make their second (No. 33) or third round (No. 39) selections because of roster size limitations.

On January 11, players will report to their home markets for physicals and season onboarding. Teams are scheduled to arrive in Orlando on January 26. The playoffs will last from March 5-9. Teams are expected to play a 12-to-15 game schedule.

17 other teams will join the Swarm in the G League bubble:

Agua Caliente
Austin Spurs
Canton Charge
Delaware Blue Coats
Erie BayHawks Pelicans
Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Iowa Wolves
Lakeland Magic
Long Island Nets
Memphis Hustle
Oklahoma City Blue
Raptors 905
Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Salt Lake City Stars
Santa Cruz Warriors
Westchester Knicks
G League Elite team

The College Park Skyhawks, Maine Red Claws, Windy City Bulls, Texas Legends, Grand Rapids Drive, South Bay Lakers, Sioux Falls Skyforce, Wisconsin Herd, Northern Arizona Suns, and Stockton Kings have opted out this season. The Capital City Go-Go will use Erie to take part in the bubble.

Hornets’ two-way players Nate Darling and Grant Riller will take part in the bubble as well as second-round draft picks Vernon Carey and Nick Richards. The Hornets have major issues with rebounding from the forward and center positions and also continue to struggle with defensive rim protection. Carey and Richards haven’t gotten many minutes for the Hornets this season. Getting playing time in the G League bubble is essential to their development, and to see if one or the other can help to solve the Hornets’ problems in the post. As the Swarm’s head coach, Hernandez can aid in their development due to his knowledge of their skills, the Hornets’ system, and needs.