Hornets fall to Timberwolves in Summer League finale

The Charlotte Hornets ended their time in Las Vegas, Nevada at the NBA 2K23 Summer League with an 89-86 defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. In a game in which Charlotte led by nine at halftime, Minnesota took advantage of a strong third quarter to build a lead they would not relinquish. JT Thor led the way for the Hornets with 28 points, while third-year guard Kevon Harris led the Timberwolves with 23 points of his own. With the loss, Charlotte ends Summer League with a 2-3 record, their best mark since 2019.

Despite the loss, JT Thor had his best Summer League performance to date. His 28 points were a game high, while his five steals were the most by any Hornets player in this year’s Summer League. Thor also shot 64% from the field and 50% from three-point range, while posting a team-high + 11 plus-minus. After playing the most games of any of Charlotte’s rookies a season ago, Thor’s strong performance in Summer League is a promising sign that he could be ready for an even larger role this season.

The frontcourt tandem of Mark Williams and Kai Jones also made their mark, with Williams grabbing a game-high seven rebounds and Jones registering a game-high four blocks.

Jones had a particularly impressive sequence in the first quarter, one that showed the potential that has Charlotte fans so excited for his future. In a span of 12 seconds, Jones blocked a shot with his off hand, runs to the open spot on offense, and drives to the basket for a ferocious dunk. Jones’ three-point shot is still a work in progress, as he finished Summer League with just one made three-pointer in 16 attempts. However, the rest of his game is promising enough to overshadow this deficiency.

Rookie guard Bryce McGowens was Charlotte’s leading scorer for Summer League with an average of 14.6 points per game. After proving that his scoring ability should translate to the next level, McGowens will need to focus on how to help his team win when his shots are not falling. Tonight’s matchup marked McGowens’ first positive plus-minus figure in any of the Summer League games, and he was the only Charlotte player to play in all five games who entered tonight’s matchup without having posted a positive plus-minus.

McGowens will need to improve his ball security, as he tallied the second-most turnovers for Charlotte. He will also need to improve on defense, as he still tends to foul too often on that end, resulting in him leading Charlotte in total fouls during Summer League. While McGowens still has clear areas for improvement, his scoring ability is evident and will help keep him afloat while he develops the other facets of his game. A rising tide lifts all boats, and playing with more established talent, whether at the NBA level or in the G League, should help McGowens’ development.

Summer League showed a promising foundation for the Hornets to build on

With Summer League in the books, the attention will now turn to the rest of the offseason. With 95 days until the start of the NBA season, the next several weeks will consist of the Hornets filling out the roster and preparing for the first season of head coach Steve Clifford’s second stint with the franchise. While there are still plenty of questions surrounding the franchise, Summer League showed that the Hornets have a collection of young talent on which to build for this season and beyond.