Charlotte Hornets: Takeaways from Summer League

There were other players aside from the two first-rounders that played a role in this Summer League team.

The first player that looked better than expected was JT Thor, the 37th pick in the draft. Despite missing the first game of the event because of NBA trade rules, Thor came to Las Vegas in great shape and ready to play a role in this team. He was mainly used as a power forward showing that the Hornets probably believe in his future development as a two-way wing. His versatility was on display on both ends of the floor and he posted a very intriguing 10 points and 5 rebounds stat line in just 16 minutes of play per game.

Consistency will be the key for Thor heading into next season and he seemed much more advanced in this regard. He will surely be playing a good amount of time with the Swarm to adjust to the NBA production. The three-point shooting is still a work in progress but the 6’10” forward demonstrated a complete skillset while driving the ball to the rim. In the next video, you can see the craftiness of his handles and his ability to explode when he is near the basket.

Scottie Lewis was another good contributor to this team, especially on the defensive end. The Florida product – currently on a two-way contract – was undeniably the best defender of the team as he was disruptive when guarding the perimeter. His active hands allowed him to be a presence when protecting the rim with an average of almost two blocks per game.

There were some hopes about the offensive side of the floor as well. Here he showed a mix of good and bad flashes. He was not always well engaged in the offensive flow of the team and therefore was a turnover machine posting 3.5 a night. However, his jumper looked much better than his Florida days and he hit some very difficult shots during these five games. In the last outing against the Chicago Bulls, he played the majority of his minutes as the point guard of the team showing improved handles and a good ability to see open teammates.

Aside from the players previously mentioned there is not much more left to talk about. Arnoldas Kulboka – the second two-way contract – was a solid role player but did not look consistent with his defensive positioning and his overall physicality looks below the NBA average. He had a tough time guarding much better and quicker athletes consistently, playing a lot of minutes at the small forward position surely did not help but these are questions that will need to be addressed this season.

There also was a lot of buzz around LiAngelo Ball but for him, aside from few impressive stretches and tough shot-making, there is not much to talk about. It is very unlikely that he gets a roster spot in Charlotte in the next month. His overall offensive game is not enough to reach an average level in the NBA and even on the defensive end he got beat pretty easily by opponents who were not that great.