The NBA All-Star game occurred on Sunday night in Indianapolis, marking the NBA’s unofficial midseason point. All teams have played more than half their games, but it’s a nice break in the action and a good time to assess what has happened so far.
The Hornets have played 54 of 82 total games, so they have 28 still to go. So far they’ve gone 13-41, good for 13th in the Eastern Conference. It has been a season full of turmoil so far, and that’s evidenced by the fact that 24 different players have taken the floor this season for the team.
Since we have a few more days without Hornets basketball, this is the perfect time to reflect on what has happened so far, and break down what each Hornets player has done to this point with a midseason report card.
I’ll go up and down the roster, grading each player based on their performance in the 2023-24 season for the Hornets related to their expectations coming into the season. However, there will be a few omissions from my list.
I’m not going to bother grading any player who is no longer with the team as they’re not part of the roster anymore. So apologies to Terry Rozier, P.J. Washington, Gordon Hayward, James Bouknight, Ish Smith, Frank Ntilikna, and Theo Maledon.
I’m also not grading the guys who were just acquired, as they’ve only played in three games and would all obviously receive an A+. So more apologies to Grant Williams, Seth Curry, Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, and Davis Bertans.
And I’m also not giving a grade to Amari Bailey as he’s spent most of the season with the G-League team, playing in just 3 games for a total of 15 minutes this season with the NBA club. So that leaves 11 players to be put through the wringer.
Leaky Black, Grade: B-
Leaky hasn’t had the biggest impact this season, but the fact that the 24-year-old undrafted rookie out of UNC has appeared in 22 NBA games this season is pretty remarkable. That’s obviously partly due to the Hornets’ injuries and desperation this season.
But it’s also partly due to how hard Leaky has worked and how well he had to play to earn a chance. He made the most of his minutes, hitting 7 of his 15 3-point attempts, and averaging 3 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 1 block, and 0.8 steals per 36 minutes.
There’s a solid chance we have seen the last of Leaky in Charlotte for this season, but that’s ok. He needs to get more reps in the G-League, but he has proven that he can play. It would not be surprising to see him carve out a real rotation role in the NBA someday, and going into this season that would have been a pretty shocking statement.
He’s represented himself very well, become a bit of a fan favorite, garnered some incredible calls from Eric Collins (“Leeeeaaaaaaaaaakyyyyy!”), and has at least given himself a chance to see his two-way contract converted into a fully guaranteed NBA contract at some point.
Nathan Mensah, Grade: D
Much like with Leaky, the fact that Mensah even got onto an NBA court is impressive. But unlike Leaky, he didn’t show a lot of signs that he belongs. The 6’8” 25-year-old undrafted rookie big man has almost no offensive game.
He has zero floor spacing ability, he’s too small to impact the game around the rim, and he has limited - if any - touch. He scored just 33 points in over 300 minutes, and shot just 12/28 from the floor, despite attempting zero three-pointers.
Mensah also had a ridiculously high turnover rate in very low usage, and committed an outrageous 64 fouls, more than one for every 5 minutes he was on the court while blocking just 14 shots on the season.
While it was nice seeing him get his shot, I’m just not sure Mensah is an NBA player. I’d be fine with never seeing him suit up again for the Hornets. He just doesn’t have the skill set to survive in the modern NBA with his size.
Hopefully, he has a nice playing career overseas, or in some other walk of life, but I don’t see it happening in the league for the kid. He’ll almost certainly spend the rest of the season in the G-League.
J.T. Thor, Grade: C-
In Thor, we have the rare 6’10” big man shooting 37% from the floor. The third-year man out of Auburn came into the league with some decent buzz but hasn’t been able to put anything together.
He continues to be very inefficient on both ends, struggling to score inside and out, with very marginal defensive impact. Thor is supposed to be a stretch big, but he’s shooting just 31% on the season from deep, not good enough to alter the defense.
Somehow he’s shooting just 32/79 on 2-point shots this season, barely over 40%. Those are just unacceptable shooting numbers for an NBA player, especially a big man. He’s not doing nearly enough on the defensive end, or on the boards to make up for such a shoddy offensive game.
Thor has a team option on his contract for just under $2 million next season and it’ll be interesting to see if Charlotte wants to pull the plug on the J.T. Thor experiment or give him one more season to see if he can improve.
Thor is still only 21 years old and came into the league with some decent pedigree so he could always click down the road. But most likely, Thor is another guy who just isn’t quite destined for a long NBA career.
Nick Smith Jr., Grade: B+
Smith has been a pleasant surprise for Charlotte this season. The 19-year-old rookie and late first-round pick was not expected to be a contributor, but the raw talent out of Arkansas has been thrust into action regularly, appearing in 37 games.
He has looked mostly raw and will need time to develop into a consistent NBA player, but he showed plenty of promise on the court and looks like he can be a player. Notably, he’s shooting over 45% from three-point land, on 113 attempts.
Sharp shooting and athleticism have popped for Smith Jr., which would make him a great fit as a possible shooting guard of the future. But everything else has looked like it needs some work, including shooting a paltry 37/104 on 2-point shots.
Above all, Smith just needs reps and that’s why he’s headed back to the G-League, probably for the remainder of the year. It’s a win for the Hornets that it looks like Smith can be a rotation player in the future, but he still has a long way to go, and a lot of skills to develop before he can impact winning on both ends.
Bryce McGowens, Grade: B
The 6’7” 21-year-old second-year guard out of Nebraska looks like a solid find for the Hornets. He’s proven to be useful as a guy who does a little bit of everything, helping out on both ends and providing whatever the team needs.
He’s flashed a little bit of shooting, a little bit of playmaking, an ability to d up, and can hold his own inside and is a pretty good rebounder for a guard. He profiles as a role player in the future, but if he can improve his jump shot, he can be a very positive rotation player.
It likely won’t happen overnight, McGowens is another player whose talent is mostly raw and he needs to polish his game with reps and experience. He won't be getting that in Charlotte anymore after the trade deadline.
The next two years of his contract are not guaranteed, but I think he’s worth keeping around if the Hornets can find a spot for him. He’s shown enough to me that makes me think he could have a solid future as a three-and-d type of player. But so much of that upside is dependent on developing a reliable three-point shot, even if that’s just catch-and-shoot threes from the corners.
Nick Richards, Grade: A-
Richards has been a major positive for the Hornets this year and has shown he’ll have a place in this league for a long time. He’s a hard-working, hard-nosed old fashioned big man. He doesn’t stretch the floor, but he’s a solid rim runner and someone who can play above the rim.
Richards has done everything the Hornets could have asked and more in the absence of Mark Williams, putting up almost 10 points and 8 rebounds a night in just under 26 minutes, shooting 69% from the floor. In fact, he played so well that the Hornets had to consider selling high on him at the trade deadline.
He also brings great energy on the defensive end and has given the team much-needed rim protection, averaging 1.3 blocks a game. He’s also shown some fire and a competitive edge that is a welcome sight for Hornets fans.
Ideally, he’d be a great backup big when Mark Williams is healthy, but he may even be overqualified for that role. But Richards is just 25 years old and has another year on his contract at $5 million, then a team option for $5 million for the 2025-26 season.
That’s looking like an absolute steal and whether it’s for the Hornets or not, Richards will definitely be an asset going forward.
Cody Martin, Grade: B-
Cody is just a rock-solid NBA role player who does all the little things and the dirty work. He’s not really exceptional at anything, but he does most things well. He’s been over-extended this year, asked to do a lot of ballhandling, starting several games at point guard.
That’s not the role he should be playing, but he did his best to fill it admirably. He’s always been a good defender and athlete and has mostly taken on the other team’s best perimeter scorer each night.
The biggest issue and obstacle holding Martin back is his shooting ability or lack thereof. Struggling this year he’s hit just 39% from the floor, 34% from three, and just 53% from the free throw line.
He’s going to need to pick up those numbers dramatically if he wants to stick in the league with a big role going forward. The shot doesn’t look bad and there’s reason for optimism, but the results just haven’t been there.
But Cody is a good veteran leader for this group to have around, one who helps set the tone on defense, perhaps as much as any player. He’ll be back next year and has a team option the following season, at which point it’ll be decision time for the Hornets.
Mark Williams, Grade: D+
It pains me to give Mark such a low grade, and in his limited action, he looked awesome, but I just can’t get past the 19 games played. Missing Williams for so long has been a crushing blow and a massive part of the reason for the team’s lowly record.
Williams is supposed to be the center of the future, and a core young building block for this team, said to be “untouchable” in trades. That’s warranted based on his play, but he’s been out for months with a back injury and has seen some of the best specialists in the world, yet remains without a timetable for a return.
That is beyond alarming for a 22-year-old 7-footer. The team even had to state the injury is not thought to be career-ending, which is good, but it’s horrifying that needs to be said. It speaks to the serious and troubling nature of this back injury.
Hopefully, we’ll get an update on his status soon, and he’ll be able to take the floor again this season. But if not, it’s basically a lost season for the second-year player, and it’s going to be hard to count on him going forward.
The reason this is all so disappointing and upsetting is that Williams was looking like an awesome player on both ends of the floor. In just over 26 minutes a game, he was averaging 12.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks a game on 65% shooting.
I desperately hope that Williams’ long-term health is not a concern and we see him back on the floor and dominating next year. With any luck, I’ll be giving him a much higher grade on this list a year from now.
Brandon Miller, Grade: A
Miller is getting the only straight A on the team, as the rookie has been by far the biggest bright spot. Sure, he started a little slowly, but he’s come on lately and then some. He’s played better every month of the season and has looked like a legitimate star for about a month.
Miller has shown the upside that he can be a two-way superstar in this league, with three-level scoring ability. He should be scoring over 20 a game for years to come and should be able to do it with efficient shooting.
He’ll be able to do some creating for his teammates and should be close to a lockdown defender as well. The Hornets absolutely aced their pick at the top of the draft, and looks like they’ve added a star of the future.
He’s been so good, so fast, that he’s changed the entire trajectory of the team and it’s fair to wonder if the rebuild is now around him, even more than LaMelo Ball. If that’s the only thing that comes out of this season, that would still be a victory. Getting the stars in place is the biggest factor and the hardest part in rebuilding, and the Hornets have one in Miller. He’s a stud.
LaMelo Ball, Grade: C-
Like Mark Williams, LaMelo gets dinged for his inability to stay on the floor, as he’s been out there for just 22 games this season. Big things were expected for the Hornets this season, and Ball was the biggest reason.
But after a disappointing season last year, playing just 35 games, Ball has been equally unreliable this year, leading to another lost season. He’s never been able to get into a consistent rhythm, and his long-term health has become a question mark as he’s now only been relatively healthy in one out of his four NBA seasons.
That’s scary stuff for the 22-year-old superstar, who is still the face of the team and the rebuild. Everything being done has been with LaMelo in mind, and if he can’t be a reliable part of the team, they’re almost back to square one.
The emergence of Miller has offset this a bit, but still, the Hornets need to see a lot more out of Ball next season, or they have to start having some uncomfortable conversations about his future as his 5 year $205 million extension kicks in.
He has still been really good when he plays, a truly dynamic offensive player, and I’m not advocating for the team to give up on him. But there is some truth to the expression, “the best ability is availability” and LaMelo has not proven to be very available as an NBA player.
Miles Bridges, Grade: A-
On the court, it’s tough to find much fault in Miles’ game. Since returning to the lineup he has been an absolute rock for this team, a small shred of consistency in a season that has been anything but that.
He’s become a really good scorer and playmaker while being asked to guard up on defense and crash the boards and rebound. He’s done it all and has improved his efficiency in the process.
Bridges has become the Hornets’ closest thing to a go-to guy this year, largely due to the absences of other players. But he has stepped up admirably and filled the role, averaging a career-high 21.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 0.6 steals per game and doing it while shooting 37% from three-point land on 6.6 attempts a night.
Those are very impressive numbers for Bridges, especially after missing more than an entire season due to suspension stemming from his domestic violence charges. Despite serving the final 10 games of his suspension this season, he still leads the team in total minutes and has been a bit of an iron man.
His on-court play combined with off-court issues have made his contract situation into a fascinating one, and we’ll see how it plays out this offseason as he hits unrestricted free agency.