NBA all-star Saturday night, but just Hornets players

Slam Dunk Contest

This is the toughest event to come up with a full field of players. Bridges is a clear and obvious choice as he’s already participated in this event in his rookie year. He’s a great athlete and dunker who can sky and hang in the air - as we see on a regular basis. 

Brandon Miller also has the combination of size and athleticism for this event. We’ve seen him have some incredible in-game dunks and he’s put a few defenders on posters already. We haven’t seen a ton of high-flying in-air acrobats, but Miller is more than capable, and as he grows into his frame he should only get better at dunking.

My third selection would be LaMelo. It feels like it’s been forever seen we’ve seen him show off his dunking prowess, but he’s more than capable of getting up there, and he’s big for a point guard at 6’6”. Ball is as crafty as almost anyone in the league with the ball in his hands and I’m sure he could cook up something special for this competition.

The last pick is the real struggle for me. There are plenty of guys who can throw it down, but nobody jumps out as a real contest-style dunker. I’m going to take a chance and go with Bryce McGowens for the final spot. I think with his combination of height and athleticism, he could be well suited for this.

We’ve seen his athleticism on display at times, if not his dunking. But there is no reason to believe he couldn’t get up there and do something special. Bridges would definitely be the heavy favorite going into this contest, but I think it could be more interesting than people think.