July 16, 2023 • 24 mins
Charlotte ended the Summer League schedule with a victory in Las Vegas. Sam Farber and Rob Longo break down the finale, the overall performance of the team and look at the newly announced contract for rookie guard Amari Bailey.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Hornets Highcast, presented by Charlotte I Ear
Nose and Throat Associates, the official I ear, Nose and
Throat Care provider of the Charlotte Hornets. Here's your host,
Sam Farber.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Welcome to another edition of the Hornets I've Cast, your
Hornets podcast with all the notes, quotes, and daily buzz
around your favorite NBA team. I'm Sam Farber and it
is a pleasure and a privileged deb with us here
once again on the Hornets I've Cast brought to you
by Santa Charlotte, IE ear Nose and Throat Associates, the
official I ear, nos and throat Care provider of the
Charlotte Hornets. It's a winning edition of the AHHC Hornets
(00:39):
winning their final game of Summer League action. We'll talk
about that as well as Summer League as a whole,
and some news on one of the Hornets rookies, Amari Bailey,
signing a two way contract, what that means for him
and the squad looking ahead. Helping me on all of
these topics. He's my producer on the Hornets Radio Network
as well as the producer of this fine podcast. Rob
Longo here with us once again, I'm good to talk
(01:00):
to you, especially on a winning edition. But let's begin
with Amari Bailey. The Hornets have signed Amari Bailey to
a two way contract. Not a shock that he's going
to be on the team this year. He was, after all,
the forty first overall pick in the most recent NBA draft,
but the fact that it was a two way contract
is at least of some interest. Now, it's not a shock.
(01:22):
This is generally where Bryce mcgallan's was drafted the year before,
he too got a two way contract, but it is interesting.
Your thoughts on Amari Bailey getting this type of deal.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Well, I think it's good just to have that flexibility
with the roster in general, especially under the new CBA
with having now three two way contracts, so you get
an extra roster spot more or lection might as well
use it. I think a Mario Bailey is a good
way to utilize that, because, again, based off of the
depth chart the way it looks right now for the Hornets,
there's probably not going to be a whole lot of
(01:52):
opportunity for Amari to get minutes at the NBA level,
so it's a good to at least get him down
into Greensboro, get him some extra work. There are things
he needs to improve on. Everybody's going to admit to that,
especially a guy that was drafted in the second round.
We saw great flashes from him here in summer League.
I like the physicality, I like his playmaking ability. I
like the way that he's able to respond on defense.
(02:13):
It's just polishing up a couple of things here and
there on the offensive end, I feel like limiting turnovers
and things like that. So again, I'm not really fully
surprised that it's just a two way deal, and you
mentioned it, like last year, Bryce Mcallen's got that two
way contract as a rookie, and of course that cot
converted to a full time contract at the NBA level.
Certainly could be the same case for Amari Bailey. We
(02:33):
have yet to see that. Of course, we might see
that here in a couple of months, maybe towards the
end of the season, and you never know what's going
to happen between now and then. Obviously, Tayl Maladon was
a two way contract last year and he played a
very intagra part with the NBA level club because of
all the injuries, and hopefully we don't have that situation
again with all of those injuries and Amari Bailey is
pressed into action in that way. But you never know.
(02:53):
There are opportunities, and there are times during the season
that there might be a five to the ten game
stretch where there are just some bumps and bruises along
the line and guys can't play, and then you're called
upon to really test the depth of your team. So
that's another opportunity for Amri Bailey to stay ready at
the Greensboro level if he's called upon it at the
NBA level as well. So certainly like the way that
this worked out. I think it's a very low pressure
(03:14):
situation for a Mari where he's not have to really
really hone his skills in time for training camp. He's
going to have that ability to develop his game of
Greensboro a little bit more. So I think it's a
win win situation.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
I agree with everything is said, except for maybe the
lack of pressure on Bailey's If anything, I think there's
more on him now because I do agree with you
the two way contract seems to pay his road more
to Greensboro. Yes, Bryce mcgallan's tail maldone. They did get
a lot of time with the NBA club last year
despite being on two way deals, but as he indicated,
it was because of injuries, and hopefully that's not the
(03:47):
case for the Hornets again this year. But I think
Amari Bailey is the kind of talent given that he
was as a junior in a high school considered by
many to be maybe the number one player in his
draft class. He was California's mister back basketball at that point,
goes to UCLA as a top ten recruit, had an
incredible tournament running averaged seventeen points per game between the
(04:08):
PAC twelve and NCAA tournaments. This is a really talented player,
and just our short time with the club, seeing the
variety of players that have been on two way contracts,
it's a dangerous place to be because not too many
of them were retained two years later. Kind of the
exceptions to the rule are players like Bryce McGowan's who
(04:28):
in many ways resembles Amari Bailey, very athletic player, a
one and done, extremely talented guy. But in other ways,
Amari Bailey falls into the camp of all those who
weren't signed because we just don't know what kind of
opportunity he'll have at the NBA level. So on the
side of knowing how talented this player is, having seen
(04:48):
the flashes in Summer League and wanting him to be
around and get that opportunity to see what the Hornets
really have here, there's a little bit of fear. There's
a little bit of trepidation, But in terms of this year,
the here and now, it's fantastic that the Hornets have
a player of this caliber on their squad and they
can't fit him on the normal roster.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, And what I mean by kind of the no
pressure situation is I feel like I think you kind
of had that pressure already. You talked about the expectations
that come with being California mister basketball is a junior
in high school, and then being a McDonald's All American
as a senior, and then going to UCLA being that
kid that everybody really relied on. And I know mc
cronin doesn't really like the play freshman, but it was
(05:28):
hard to keep him off the floor. So we know
what Amari is capable of. We know that he's going
to work his darkness to try to get back up
to the NBA levels. So I'm not worried about that
by any means, it's just fine tuning those things that
I mean by kind of the no pressure situations, any
other thing that relaxes me as well. It's just the
feeder program that the Hornets have been able to develop
over the last couple of years as well. You talk
about guys like Jaylen McDaniels, Devontae Graham, Cody Martin, those
(05:51):
guys that have come through Greensboro and got a lot
of time there, even Mark Williams last year, and of
course Bryce McGowan's those guys that have been able to
develop in just a shorttermut of time in Greensboro. So
I think that Amri is kind of on that linear
path as well, and that's why I'm kind of not
worried about it.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Amari Bailey, he is on the team officially with a
two way contract. Looking forward to seeing more of him
in the upcoming preseason. Coming up next, we've got our
final game of Summer League to break down. How did
the Hornets fare against the Minnesota Timberwolves. We'll tell you
after this here on the Hornets. I've cast Sam Farbar
(06:28):
rob Longo back with you here on the AHHC The Hornets,
iive cast brought to you by Santa Let's talk about
why this is a winning edition of the AHHC Hornets,
grabbing a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, final score one
oh nine to ninety two, a game the Hornets really
controlled from start to finish. Leading score for Buzz City
was Amari Bailey, who just got done talking about last segment.
(06:51):
He signs that two way contract and celebrates with a
seventeen point performance. Also added in a nice display of
playmaking with three assists, had a rebounds there as well.
James Naji had ten points as the starting center, added
in five blocks in this one tray. Scott reaches double
figures with ten. Kobe Simmons finishes with thirteen. Mensa and
(07:11):
Robinson both in double figures off the bench fourteen for Mensa,
thirteen for Robinson overall, rob Longo, what stands out to
you here in this w.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Well, certainly was great to finally see the Hornets pick
up a win here in Summer League, and of course
the California Classic looped into that as well, But I
love the way that they got it done. It was
some great team basketball. When you take a look at
the box score, six players in double figures Amari Bailey
a game high. Of course, that was a team high
for Charlotte. But the thing that impressed me the most
(07:40):
was the Hornets had thirty nine made baskets. They had
thirty four assists off of those thirty nine made baskets.
They were doing a great job sharing the basketball. Everybody
was contributing. The ball boom was great. They played with
a lot of tempo, they played with a lot of pace.
I thought some other guys that had some summer leagues
that might have been a little bit up and down.
Tray Scott's one of those guys. Sneid. Those guys stepped up.
(08:01):
They did a really good job in this game. And
the offense was certainly there, as Charlotte was able to
shoot about forty four to forty five percent from beyond
the yark, fifty three to fifty four percent or so
from the field, eighteen to twenty six from the Charity
strape as well. They did a really good job offensively.
They did a good job defensively taking care of Minnesota,
not shooting the three ball particularly well, just twenty eight
percent from beyond the York. They were able to capitalize
(08:23):
on those get out in those transitions and those long
rebounds and be able to convert for easy buckets on
the other end. So all in all, a great job
by this Hornets team and some of these guys that
rightfully deserved to pick up the win. Obviously, they worked hard,
some of these guys. This was their first and only
summer league action, so they certainly went out there and
made the most of their opportunities, and they were able
to pick up a win.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Let's pick some Stars of the game, Rob Longo. Rob
rules are in effect. You get to choose first.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
I already kind of referenced it, but my top performer
from yesterday's games by far Mariy Bailey up team high,
tied for a game high as well. He was very
efficient though, seven to fourteen from the field, two for
four from beyond, didn't shoot the three a ton, and
he was just one of two from the free throw line,
so I would like to see him get to the
charity stripe a little bit more. But again, anytime we're
shooting fifty percent from the field and fifty percent from
(09:09):
beyond the arc is a pretty good day. Three rebounds,
three assists as well, and the other thing too. He
did a really good job of limiting the turnovers, just
two turnovers in that game yesterday. He is by far
my top performer from last night.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Yeah, Amari Bailey would have been my choice as well,
watching that first Cordy just he was in control. He
was making all the right decisions. Good finishing for him,
I thought. Overall his control of the game it was
much stronger than even that would have made you believe
my pick for Star of the Night. I'm gonna go
with Kobe Simmons on this one. Thirteen points, eight assists.
(09:42):
Did end up with five turnovers, but getting into the
starting lineup and really showing what he could do. Shot
the ball efficiently. Again, the eight assists is very impressive.
Hit the glass hard. This is a guy who has
thrived in G League action previously in his career. Got
a cup of coffee, so to speak, with the Hornets
last season at the very end of the year. Kept
(10:03):
his streak of consecutive made free throws to begin a
career intact as well. He is actually the NBA's all
time leader in most made free throws without a miss
in a career. It's a pretty remarkable thing. But Kobe Simmons,
He's one of these guys who comes to Summer League
looking to impress, looking to hopefully earn either a G
league or a preseason training camp contracts, something to move
(10:24):
one step closer to his dream of being in the
NBA full time. I thought he showed a lot for
the Hornets in that tail run last year, and here
again he gets an opportunity to get some more normal minutes.
He shoots it, efficiently, distributes the ball well. I thought,
a really strong game for him. Also, going one for
one from three doesn't hurt there at all either. So
Kobe Simmons my pick four player of the game that
(10:46):
wraps up Summer League Action. Hornet's only the one win
across seven Summer League games, but there were a lot
of things to highlight and look back positively on. We
will do that next here on the Hornets Hoopcast. Sam Farbar,
Rob Longo here with you, putting a bow on Summer
(11:07):
League Action Hornets wrapping it up yesterday against the Minnesota
Timberwolves and Rob, first off, let's just talk generally. I
don't know how you can look at this Summer League
and not find it to be an overall somewhat disappointment.
I mean, having this much of a losing record, that
can't ever be viewed as a positive. But in terms
(11:27):
of accomplishing what you wanted to do in summer League,
seeing your rookies, seeing exactly where they are, I think
we've seen some really good things from Brandon Miller and
Nick Smith Junior in terms of their readiness for the NBA.
Miller in particular shooting percentages overall impressive to me. That
final performance against Portland that's something really to hang your
(11:49):
hat on. And Nick Smith Junior having a flash of
a thirty point game that too, I think is something
that you want to keep in your back pocket and
use in your mind moving in towards training camp, regular season,
and whatnot. Also, we got a view of Amari Bailey.
I think he was one of the more consistent positive
players over the course of Summer League, was able to
(12:10):
have good sustained play. And then James Naji, I think
we saw flashes for him to what he can deliver
in terms of rebounding and defensively. But on the other hand,
you had a lot of veterans on this team, guys
like Bryce mcgallan's, Kai Jones, James Buoknight who have been
through this process before and the fact that they didn't
lead to a winning record, I think is somewhat of
(12:33):
a disappointment.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
It can be. And if you go back to what
we talked about before Summer League in California Classic even started,
we talked about our expectations, goals for the team, that
sort of stuff. You said that you wanted to see
lots of wins, and that was perfectly okay. I personally said,
I didn't want to see anybody get hurt. I didn't
want to see any injuries. Definitely, that was accomplished. Everybody
came under this one unscathed, didn't have to worry about that.
(12:54):
Brandon Miller got his time in there, get a little
bit of his feet wet and understanding from there, saying
with Kai Jones some of these older guys as well.
But at the end of the day, that's the thing
that I kind of hang my hat on is we
saw what the top tier talent can do. We saw
what Brandon Miller is able to do. We saw what
Nick Smith Junior is capable of. We even saw James
nauj and Mary Bailey like you mentioned too. And the
thing that we have to go back and look at
(13:16):
too is Yeah, there's a lot of veteran presence on
this roster for a summer league roster, But at the
same time, the way that the roster was constructed, you
had some guys playing out of position and that sort
of thing. Kai Jones playing at center exclusively. That's where
the squad utilizes him the most, and that's where they
view him the most, and that's what Mitch Kupcheck has said,
and that's what Steve Clifford has said. But he can
(13:37):
also play a little bit of the four as well.
We didn't see Kai at the four at all. We
also saw James book Knight and Nick Smith Junior handling
the point guard duties. Those guys aren't really the guys
that handled the ball a whole lot. Nick Smith Junior
did say he played point guard in high school, but
he's trying to relearn at at a much higher level
here at the NBA level. So again, there has to
be a little bit of an understanding about why things
went a little awry for the Hornets because a lot
(13:59):
of the problems were the offense. Yeah, there were some
defensive lapses, but those got cleaned up as the games
went along. But the offense was definitely the problem at times. Obviously,
starting a game oh for thirteen the other night a
couple of games ago, that doesn't help the cause, obviously.
So when you go back and you look at this,
there's reasons why it happened the way it did. And
I'm not trying to make excuses or anything like that,
but I'm just trying to point out the factors that
(14:20):
resulted in some of these losses in some of these games.
So I totally understand the disappointment. At the same time,
you got to take a step back and look at
the thirty thousand foot view and say, Okay, this is
maybe why things went wrong.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Let's do some superlatives from this Summer League session. Let's
start with favorite moment of Summer League. Rob. Rules are
in effect, Rob, you go first.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Oh, It's hard to kind of pinpoint one. There's some
moments that are really like, Wow, I can't believe that happened,
like the Kai Jones dunk over Victor Winbin Yama. But
I think I just have to go with that performance
by Brandon Miller against Portland. I think that's my favorite
moment from some really just seeing that he is able
to turn the quarter after a couple of games that
weren't really held up to his standards, because they're times
where Brandon Miller gets that ball and he's on the
(15:02):
perimeter and I swear every single time it's going to
go in. That's just how pure his shot is. And
if I'm thinking at then I'm sure that Brandon Miller's
thinking at as well. So I really like what we
saw from him, especially in at Portland game. So that's
probably my favorite moment from Summer League.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
I think if a Brandon Miller three, and I agree
with you on how his shot looked coming out of
his hand, if he had had one of those, maybe
on his first offering in that first game in Sacramento,
that might have been my moment. But for me, it
was that Nick Smith junior spin move to the baseline
during the comeback attempt against Portland. That was just something
else part of his thirty three point effort, his best
(15:38):
game by far, really the team overall, his best moment
by far, so that one for me, I just think
it's a move that clearly showed why he was worthy
of not just a first round pick, but had been
seen by many as a lottery pick. Prior to a
very injury riddled first season of post high school basketball,
and as we know all two well rob longgo injuries,
(16:01):
they can have an incredible impact on someone's draft stock,
on the quality of a season. And I think when
you look towards the future, if you assume that the
Hornets are gonna be healthy this upcoming season, you can
assume they're gonna have a much much better season. I
think the same is true here for Nick Smith junior.
How about a player which player stood out to you
the most here from summer league?
Speaker 3 (16:22):
This is another tough one, but I think it was
a Mari Bailey. I think Amari Bailey did a good
job coming off the bench. Didn't really know a whole
lot about him outside of that big tournament run. Like
I mentioned, not all of us were able to cover
him in high school like you are. But when you
go back and you look at him, I mean, you know,
lanky guard, has a lot of size to them, can
play defensively, likes to get out in transition, has a
(16:42):
lot of athletic ability. I really like what we saw
from Amari Bailey because there were times when we say,
how in the heck did this guy fall? To forty
first overall in the second round because he has some
really great natural gifts. So I really like what I
saw from Maury Bailey. Hopefully he's able to keep it
up now after here in that two way contract here
that was just announced recently.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
I love the pick, be honest, that was gonna be
mine too. He's a guy who I think shows the
requisite athleticism to at least compete. I don't know that
he's gonna beat out guys that are two three years
older than him, who've had a lot more time in
the system and time just to work on their bodies,
work on their game, But I think he's got a
chance to compete in camp, and no question that he will.
(17:21):
So love that pick. I gotta go in a different direction, though,
I'm gonna go with Nick Smith Junior. I think what
he was able to show over the course of Summer
League in terms of his scoring ability is special, and
I think once you get him into camp, it'll be
very interesting to see how head coach Steve Clifford and
his staff attempt to use him. Does he end up
being someone they try to continue to develop as a
point guard. They move him off the ball and let
(17:43):
him compete for backup minutes of Terry Rogier at the
two spot. That's gonna be I think the big question
here for Nick Smith Junior. If it's the former, it's
going to be a process based off what we saw
in Summer League. If it's the latter, I'm curious to
see what he looks like because he might win that
backup if he has a lot of performances like the
one he had in that thirty plus point effort in
(18:05):
Summer League. Last, but not least, who do you think
put themselves in the best position heading in to training camp?
Speaker 3 (18:12):
I honestly think it's probably Brandon Miller just for the
simple fact that we saw what he's capable of. I
don't think there was any doubt that he was going
to get significant playing time. That's what you expect from
the number two overall pick. But I think we really
saw what he is capable of. I mean, the three
point shooting looks great. You pair that with a guy
like LaMelo Ball and some of the other spacers out
(18:33):
there on the floor that are going to be able
to give him open looks. He's going to be a
very integral part of this team this season and he's
going to be able to make an instant impact based
off just what we saw from Summer League. You go
back and you look at the film, and the biggest
thing with young guys and rookies is you want to
see that they don't look out of place. Brandon Miller
did not look out of place very often from what
(18:54):
I was able to watch and what I viewed as
me being an amateur scout more or less, I guess
you could say, but I just think that he's going
to be really, really good with guys like LaMelo Ball
in terror Razoo around him floor space. There's people that
can get him open looks where there were times where
he was getting doubled in Summer League, and again he
did not look out of place, but he had a
difficult time making his own shot, and rightfully so when
(19:16):
you are the focal point of the scouting report, he's
not going to be that at the NBA level, at
least not right away. So I think Brandon Miller put
himself in a really good position here heading into training camp.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
You're reading my notes again, Rob Longo. I had Brandon
Miller circled for this one too, so have to go
in a different direction once again. But first I definitely
agree with you, Brandon Miller. The shot looks great. It's
all about what the expectations are going to be next season.
And I think the Charlotte Hornets are not a normal
team that drafts in the top three where you're expecting
them to just roll out the red carpet for the
(19:47):
draft pick, because they quite frankly don't have anyone to
compete with him. Regardless of what position Brandon Miller is
going to be fed into, he's going to have to
compete with a veteran. We've had the news already that
Mile Bridges has signed his qualifying offer. He should be back.
That's the competition at starter for small Ford as well
(20:07):
as Gordon Hayward. Those are two exceptional veterans that Brandon
Miller's got to play his way through to get into
the starting lineup or get minutes on the floor. Same
thing for Terry Rougier at the shooting guard position. So
nothing's going to be handed to Brandon Miller. He's going
to have to earn it. But he clearly, based off
what we saw, has the skill set to do so.
In that same line of thought, knowing what the Hornet's
(20:29):
roster looks like and thinking about who bettered their stock
for where we thought they were going to be going
into next year, I'm gonna go a little off the
beaten path here. I'm going to say James Naji. I
think with James Naji, the expectation how raw he was
coming from Europe, Whether he ends up going back to Europe,
ends up coming to the States playing on a two
way contract, playing for the NBA club playing in Greensboro,
(20:51):
it doesn't really matter. I think the expectation was he
was going to be so raw that we wouldn't necessarily
see huge numbers, were unlikely to in Summer League. And
I'm really impressed with what we saw. We saw a
little bit of a shot beyond just throwing the ball
through the hoop, he made a couple of those varieties
of shots, really good selection on his shots. We saw
an incredible percentage as you would expect from a dunker,
(21:14):
but again he showed just a little bit more range
than that, and beyond that, free throw shooting looked okay
from my vantage point. And again, whether he goes back
to Europe, goes to the G League, we saw someone
who is a very very accomplished rebounder. Summer League. He
had double digit rebound games pretty easily when he got
(21:34):
the number of minutes needed for that, and a good
rim protector, good number of block shots for him as well.
So I'm not saying this in terms of he's put
himself in a really good position to come in to
start for the Hornets, but I'm saying it from the
perspective of if he goes back to Europe, where he
really didn't play a ton last year, I think he's
(21:54):
shown enough to say he can play a lot more
next year he comes to the States and he plays Greensboro.
This isn't the guy who is going to be swallowed
up by G League level players because he just played
against a bunch of them and was more than able
to hold his own. So James Naji to me, is
someone I think has really set himself up well for
whatever path his future takes, and hopefully within a year
(22:16):
or two it's performing well at the NBA level. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
I like that pick too. I thought that James definitely
made some strides. He came in and did his podcast
interview with us. Really liked how down to earth he was.
He was very focused on the task at hand and
just trying to be a sponge and absorb everything he
could to this style of basketball here in the States.
So again, he put himself in a great position, like
you mentioned, whether that's on a two way deal on
(22:39):
the NBA club or just simply going back to Europe
for a year or two. At the end of the day,
he did a really good job performing at a high level.
Because again he's only eighteen, nineteen years old. He's very
very young, very very raw. Still still has a lot
of runway in front of him. So the fact that
he was able to put what he did on film,
I think is really great. So definitely some tough decisions
moving forward, Gui James Nausey just based off the way
(23:02):
that the roster is constructed right now in the other circumstances,
but really really good to see what he was able
to do out there on the floor here for the
last couple of games in California and Las Vegas.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
There you have it. That'll put a bow on our
summer league slate of Hornets Hive Cast podcast for a
seven games in total that we were able to cover
all on the back end of the draft, and with
all that work now behind us, Rob, I think you
can take the rest of the weekend off.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
That's good to hear, except before you know it, we'll
have more news here on the AHHC.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
I'm sure there is always something to cover, and we'll
always have it covered for you on the HHC. Soon enough,
schedules will be coming out. I will of course expect
more signings and press conferences from the Hornets in coming days,
and we of course will have it covered for you
here on the Hornet's hype Cast. Thanks again to Rob Longo,
most of all to all of you for tuning in.
For everyone here, I'm Sam Farber saying it's been a
(23:50):
pleasure and a privilege having you with us here on
the Hornets type Cast.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Thank you for listening to the Hornets Hypecast, brought to
you by Centime, the official I ear nosenthroatcare provider of
the Charlotte Hornets. For more coverage, visit Hornets dot com.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
M h
Speaker 2 (24:09):
M hmmmmmmm.
Welcome to the Hornets Highcast, presented by Charlotte I Ear
Nose and Throat Associates, the official I ear, Nose and
Throat Care provider of the Charlotte Hornets. Here's your host,
Sam Farber.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Welcome to another edition of the Hornets I've Cast, your
Hornets podcast with all the notes, quotes, and daily buzz
around your favorite NBA team. I'm Sam Farber and it
is a pleasure and a privileged deb with us here
once again on the Hornets I've Cast brought to you
by Santa Charlotte, IE ear Nose and Throat Associates, the
official I ear, nos and throat Care provider of the
Charlotte Hornets. It's a winning edition of the AHHC Hornets
(00:39):
winning their final game of Summer League action. We'll talk
about that as well as Summer League as a whole,
and some news on one of the Hornets rookies, Amari Bailey,
signing a two way contract, what that means for him
and the squad looking ahead. Helping me on all of
these topics. He's my producer on the Hornets Radio Network
as well as the producer of this fine podcast. Rob
Longo here with us once again, I'm good to talk
(01:00):
to you, especially on a winning edition. But let's begin
with Amari Bailey. The Hornets have signed Amari Bailey to
a two way contract. Not a shock that he's going
to be on the team this year. He was, after all,
the forty first overall pick in the most recent NBA draft,
but the fact that it was a two way contract
is at least of some interest. Now, it's not a shock.
(01:22):
This is generally where Bryce mcgallan's was drafted the year before,
he too got a two way contract, but it is interesting.
Your thoughts on Amari Bailey getting this type of deal.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Well, I think it's good just to have that flexibility
with the roster in general, especially under the new CBA
with having now three two way contracts, so you get
an extra roster spot more or lection might as well
use it. I think a Mario Bailey is a good
way to utilize that, because, again, based off of the
depth chart the way it looks right now for the Hornets,
there's probably not going to be a whole lot of
(01:52):
opportunity for Amari to get minutes at the NBA level,
so it's a good to at least get him down
into Greensboro, get him some extra work. There are things
he needs to improve on. Everybody's going to admit to that,
especially a guy that was drafted in the second round.
We saw great flashes from him here in summer League.
I like the physicality, I like his playmaking ability. I
like the way that he's able to respond on defense.
(02:13):
It's just polishing up a couple of things here and
there on the offensive end, I feel like limiting turnovers
and things like that. So again, I'm not really fully
surprised that it's just a two way deal, and you
mentioned it, like last year, Bryce Mcallen's got that two
way contract as a rookie, and of course that cot
converted to a full time contract at the NBA level.
Certainly could be the same case for Amari Bailey. We
(02:33):
have yet to see that. Of course, we might see
that here in a couple of months, maybe towards the
end of the season, and you never know what's going
to happen between now and then. Obviously, Tayl Maladon was
a two way contract last year and he played a
very intagra part with the NBA level club because of
all the injuries, and hopefully we don't have that situation
again with all of those injuries and Amari Bailey is
pressed into action in that way. But you never know.
(02:53):
There are opportunities, and there are times during the season
that there might be a five to the ten game
stretch where there are just some bumps and bruises along
the line and guys can't play, and then you're called
upon to really test the depth of your team. So
that's another opportunity for Amri Bailey to stay ready at
the Greensboro level if he's called upon it at the
NBA level as well. So certainly like the way that
this worked out. I think it's a very low pressure
(03:14):
situation for a Mari where he's not have to really
really hone his skills in time for training camp. He's
going to have that ability to develop his game of
Greensboro a little bit more. So I think it's a
win win situation.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
I agree with everything is said, except for maybe the
lack of pressure on Bailey's If anything, I think there's
more on him now because I do agree with you
the two way contract seems to pay his road more
to Greensboro. Yes, Bryce mcgallan's tail maldone. They did get
a lot of time with the NBA club last year
despite being on two way deals, but as he indicated,
it was because of injuries, and hopefully that's not the
(03:47):
case for the Hornets again this year. But I think
Amari Bailey is the kind of talent given that he
was as a junior in a high school considered by
many to be maybe the number one player in his
draft class. He was California's mister back basketball at that point,
goes to UCLA as a top ten recruit, had an
incredible tournament running averaged seventeen points per game between the
(04:08):
PAC twelve and NCAA tournaments. This is a really talented player,
and just our short time with the club, seeing the
variety of players that have been on two way contracts,
it's a dangerous place to be because not too many
of them were retained two years later. Kind of the
exceptions to the rule are players like Bryce McGowan's who
(04:28):
in many ways resembles Amari Bailey, very athletic player, a
one and done, extremely talented guy. But in other ways,
Amari Bailey falls into the camp of all those who
weren't signed because we just don't know what kind of
opportunity he'll have at the NBA level. So on the
side of knowing how talented this player is, having seen
(04:48):
the flashes in Summer League and wanting him to be
around and get that opportunity to see what the Hornets
really have here, there's a little bit of fear. There's
a little bit of trepidation, But in terms of this year,
the here and now, it's fantastic that the Hornets have
a player of this caliber on their squad and they
can't fit him on the normal roster.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, And what I mean by kind of the no
pressure situation is I feel like I think you kind
of had that pressure already. You talked about the expectations
that come with being California mister basketball is a junior
in high school, and then being a McDonald's All American
as a senior, and then going to UCLA being that
kid that everybody really relied on. And I know mc
cronin doesn't really like the play freshman, but it was
(05:28):
hard to keep him off the floor. So we know
what Amari is capable of. We know that he's going
to work his darkness to try to get back up
to the NBA levels. So I'm not worried about that
by any means, it's just fine tuning those things that
I mean by kind of the no pressure situations, any
other thing that relaxes me as well. It's just the
feeder program that the Hornets have been able to develop
over the last couple of years as well. You talk
about guys like Jaylen McDaniels, Devontae Graham, Cody Martin, those
(05:51):
guys that have come through Greensboro and got a lot
of time there, even Mark Williams last year, and of
course Bryce McGowan's those guys that have been able to
develop in just a shorttermut of time in Greensboro. So
I think that Amri is kind of on that linear
path as well, and that's why I'm kind of not
worried about it.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Amari Bailey, he is on the team officially with a
two way contract. Looking forward to seeing more of him
in the upcoming preseason. Coming up next, we've got our
final game of Summer League to break down. How did
the Hornets fare against the Minnesota Timberwolves. We'll tell you
after this here on the Hornets. I've cast Sam Farbar
(06:28):
rob Longo back with you here on the AHHC The Hornets,
iive cast brought to you by Santa Let's talk about
why this is a winning edition of the AHHC Hornets,
grabbing a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, final score one
oh nine to ninety two, a game the Hornets really
controlled from start to finish. Leading score for Buzz City
was Amari Bailey, who just got done talking about last segment.
(06:51):
He signs that two way contract and celebrates with a
seventeen point performance. Also added in a nice display of
playmaking with three assists, had a rebounds there as well.
James Naji had ten points as the starting center, added
in five blocks in this one tray. Scott reaches double
figures with ten. Kobe Simmons finishes with thirteen. Mensa and
(07:11):
Robinson both in double figures off the bench fourteen for Mensa,
thirteen for Robinson overall, rob Longo, what stands out to
you here in this w.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Well, certainly was great to finally see the Hornets pick
up a win here in Summer League, and of course
the California Classic looped into that as well, But I
love the way that they got it done. It was
some great team basketball. When you take a look at
the box score, six players in double figures Amari Bailey
a game high. Of course, that was a team high
for Charlotte. But the thing that impressed me the most
(07:40):
was the Hornets had thirty nine made baskets. They had
thirty four assists off of those thirty nine made baskets.
They were doing a great job sharing the basketball. Everybody
was contributing. The ball boom was great. They played with
a lot of tempo, they played with a lot of pace.
I thought some other guys that had some summer leagues
that might have been a little bit up and down.
Tray Scott's one of those guys. Sneid. Those guys stepped up.
(08:01):
They did a really good job in this game. And
the offense was certainly there, as Charlotte was able to
shoot about forty four to forty five percent from beyond
the yark, fifty three to fifty four percent or so
from the field, eighteen to twenty six from the Charity
strape as well. They did a really good job offensively.
They did a good job defensively taking care of Minnesota,
not shooting the three ball particularly well, just twenty eight
percent from beyond the York. They were able to capitalize
(08:23):
on those get out in those transitions and those long
rebounds and be able to convert for easy buckets on
the other end. So all in all, a great job
by this Hornets team and some of these guys that
rightfully deserved to pick up the win. Obviously, they worked hard,
some of these guys. This was their first and only
summer league action, so they certainly went out there and
made the most of their opportunities, and they were able
to pick up a win.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Let's pick some Stars of the game, Rob Longo. Rob
rules are in effect. You get to choose first.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
I already kind of referenced it, but my top performer
from yesterday's games by far Mariy Bailey up team high,
tied for a game high as well. He was very
efficient though, seven to fourteen from the field, two for
four from beyond, didn't shoot the three a ton, and
he was just one of two from the free throw line,
so I would like to see him get to the
charity stripe a little bit more. But again, anytime we're
shooting fifty percent from the field and fifty percent from
(09:09):
beyond the arc is a pretty good day. Three rebounds,
three assists as well, and the other thing too. He
did a really good job of limiting the turnovers, just
two turnovers in that game yesterday. He is by far
my top performer from last night.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Yeah, Amari Bailey would have been my choice as well,
watching that first Cordy just he was in control. He
was making all the right decisions. Good finishing for him,
I thought. Overall his control of the game it was
much stronger than even that would have made you believe
my pick for Star of the Night. I'm gonna go
with Kobe Simmons on this one. Thirteen points, eight assists.
(09:42):
Did end up with five turnovers, but getting into the
starting lineup and really showing what he could do. Shot
the ball efficiently. Again, the eight assists is very impressive.
Hit the glass hard. This is a guy who has
thrived in G League action previously in his career. Got
a cup of coffee, so to speak, with the Hornets
last season at the very end of the year. Kept
(10:03):
his streak of consecutive made free throws to begin a
career intact as well. He is actually the NBA's all
time leader in most made free throws without a miss
in a career. It's a pretty remarkable thing. But Kobe Simmons,
He's one of these guys who comes to Summer League
looking to impress, looking to hopefully earn either a G
league or a preseason training camp contracts, something to move
(10:24):
one step closer to his dream of being in the
NBA full time. I thought he showed a lot for
the Hornets in that tail run last year, and here
again he gets an opportunity to get some more normal minutes.
He shoots it, efficiently, distributes the ball well. I thought,
a really strong game for him. Also, going one for
one from three doesn't hurt there at all either. So
Kobe Simmons my pick four player of the game that
(10:46):
wraps up Summer League Action. Hornet's only the one win
across seven Summer League games, but there were a lot
of things to highlight and look back positively on. We
will do that next here on the Hornets Hoopcast. Sam Farbar,
Rob Longo here with you, putting a bow on Summer
(11:07):
League Action Hornets wrapping it up yesterday against the Minnesota
Timberwolves and Rob, first off, let's just talk generally. I
don't know how you can look at this Summer League
and not find it to be an overall somewhat disappointment.
I mean, having this much of a losing record, that
can't ever be viewed as a positive. But in terms
(11:27):
of accomplishing what you wanted to do in summer League,
seeing your rookies, seeing exactly where they are, I think
we've seen some really good things from Brandon Miller and
Nick Smith Junior in terms of their readiness for the NBA.
Miller in particular shooting percentages overall impressive to me. That
final performance against Portland that's something really to hang your
(11:49):
hat on. And Nick Smith Junior having a flash of
a thirty point game that too, I think is something
that you want to keep in your back pocket and
use in your mind moving in towards training camp, regular season,
and whatnot. Also, we got a view of Amari Bailey.
I think he was one of the more consistent positive
players over the course of Summer League, was able to
(12:10):
have good sustained play. And then James Naji, I think
we saw flashes for him to what he can deliver
in terms of rebounding and defensively. But on the other hand,
you had a lot of veterans on this team, guys
like Bryce mcgallan's, Kai Jones, James Buoknight who have been
through this process before and the fact that they didn't
lead to a winning record, I think is somewhat of
(12:33):
a disappointment.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
It can be. And if you go back to what
we talked about before Summer League in California Classic even started,
we talked about our expectations, goals for the team, that
sort of stuff. You said that you wanted to see
lots of wins, and that was perfectly okay. I personally said,
I didn't want to see anybody get hurt. I didn't
want to see any injuries. Definitely, that was accomplished. Everybody
came under this one unscathed, didn't have to worry about that.
(12:54):
Brandon Miller got his time in there, get a little
bit of his feet wet and understanding from there, saying
with Kai Jones some of these older guys as well.
But at the end of the day, that's the thing
that I kind of hang my hat on is we
saw what the top tier talent can do. We saw
what Brandon Miller is able to do. We saw what
Nick Smith Junior is capable of. We even saw James
nauj and Mary Bailey like you mentioned too. And the
thing that we have to go back and look at
(13:16):
too is Yeah, there's a lot of veteran presence on
this roster for a summer league roster, But at the
same time, the way that the roster was constructed, you
had some guys playing out of position and that sort
of thing. Kai Jones playing at center exclusively. That's where
the squad utilizes him the most, and that's where they
view him the most, and that's what Mitch Kupcheck has said,
and that's what Steve Clifford has said. But he can
(13:37):
also play a little bit of the four as well.
We didn't see Kai at the four at all. We
also saw James book Knight and Nick Smith Junior handling
the point guard duties. Those guys aren't really the guys
that handled the ball a whole lot. Nick Smith Junior
did say he played point guard in high school, but
he's trying to relearn at at a much higher level
here at the NBA level. So again, there has to
be a little bit of an understanding about why things
went a little awry for the Hornets because a lot
(13:59):
of the problems were the offense. Yeah, there were some
defensive lapses, but those got cleaned up as the games
went along. But the offense was definitely the problem at times. Obviously,
starting a game oh for thirteen the other night a
couple of games ago, that doesn't help the cause, obviously.
So when you go back and you look at this,
there's reasons why it happened the way it did. And
I'm not trying to make excuses or anything like that,
but I'm just trying to point out the factors that
(14:20):
resulted in some of these losses in some of these games.
So I totally understand the disappointment. At the same time,
you got to take a step back and look at
the thirty thousand foot view and say, Okay, this is
maybe why things went wrong.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Let's do some superlatives from this Summer League session. Let's
start with favorite moment of Summer League. Rob. Rules are
in effect, Rob, you go first.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Oh, It's hard to kind of pinpoint one. There's some
moments that are really like, Wow, I can't believe that happened,
like the Kai Jones dunk over Victor Winbin Yama. But
I think I just have to go with that performance
by Brandon Miller against Portland. I think that's my favorite
moment from some really just seeing that he is able
to turn the quarter after a couple of games that
weren't really held up to his standards, because they're times
where Brandon Miller gets that ball and he's on the
(15:02):
perimeter and I swear every single time it's going to
go in. That's just how pure his shot is. And
if I'm thinking at then I'm sure that Brandon Miller's
thinking at as well. So I really like what we
saw from him, especially in at Portland game. So that's
probably my favorite moment from Summer League.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
I think if a Brandon Miller three, and I agree
with you on how his shot looked coming out of
his hand, if he had had one of those, maybe
on his first offering in that first game in Sacramento,
that might have been my moment. But for me, it
was that Nick Smith junior spin move to the baseline
during the comeback attempt against Portland. That was just something
else part of his thirty three point effort, his best
(15:38):
game by far, really the team overall, his best moment
by far, so that one for me, I just think
it's a move that clearly showed why he was worthy
of not just a first round pick, but had been
seen by many as a lottery pick. Prior to a
very injury riddled first season of post high school basketball,
and as we know all two well rob longgo injuries,
(16:01):
they can have an incredible impact on someone's draft stock,
on the quality of a season. And I think when
you look towards the future, if you assume that the
Hornets are gonna be healthy this upcoming season, you can
assume they're gonna have a much much better season. I
think the same is true here for Nick Smith junior.
How about a player which player stood out to you
the most here from summer league?
Speaker 3 (16:22):
This is another tough one, but I think it was
a Mari Bailey. I think Amari Bailey did a good
job coming off the bench. Didn't really know a whole
lot about him outside of that big tournament run. Like
I mentioned, not all of us were able to cover
him in high school like you are. But when you
go back and you look at him, I mean, you know,
lanky guard, has a lot of size to them, can
play defensively, likes to get out in transition, has a
(16:42):
lot of athletic ability. I really like what we saw
from Amari Bailey because there were times when we say,
how in the heck did this guy fall? To forty
first overall in the second round because he has some
really great natural gifts. So I really like what I
saw from Maury Bailey. Hopefully he's able to keep it
up now after here in that two way contract here
that was just announced recently.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
I love the pick, be honest, that was gonna be
mine too. He's a guy who I think shows the
requisite athleticism to at least compete. I don't know that
he's gonna beat out guys that are two three years
older than him, who've had a lot more time in
the system and time just to work on their bodies,
work on their game, But I think he's got a
chance to compete in camp, and no question that he will.
(17:21):
So love that pick. I gotta go in a different direction, though,
I'm gonna go with Nick Smith Junior. I think what
he was able to show over the course of Summer
League in terms of his scoring ability is special, and
I think once you get him into camp, it'll be
very interesting to see how head coach Steve Clifford and
his staff attempt to use him. Does he end up
being someone they try to continue to develop as a
point guard. They move him off the ball and let
(17:43):
him compete for backup minutes of Terry Rogier at the
two spot. That's gonna be I think the big question
here for Nick Smith Junior. If it's the former, it's
going to be a process based off what we saw
in Summer League. If it's the latter, I'm curious to
see what he looks like because he might win that
backup if he has a lot of performances like the
one he had in that thirty plus point effort in
(18:05):
Summer League. Last, but not least, who do you think
put themselves in the best position heading in to training camp?
Speaker 3 (18:12):
I honestly think it's probably Brandon Miller just for the
simple fact that we saw what he's capable of. I
don't think there was any doubt that he was going
to get significant playing time. That's what you expect from
the number two overall pick. But I think we really
saw what he is capable of. I mean, the three
point shooting looks great. You pair that with a guy
like LaMelo Ball and some of the other spacers out
(18:33):
there on the floor that are going to be able
to give him open looks. He's going to be a
very integral part of this team this season and he's
going to be able to make an instant impact based
off just what we saw from Summer League. You go
back and you look at the film, and the biggest
thing with young guys and rookies is you want to
see that they don't look out of place. Brandon Miller
did not look out of place very often from what
(18:54):
I was able to watch and what I viewed as
me being an amateur scout more or less, I guess
you could say, but I just think that he's going
to be really, really good with guys like LaMelo Ball
in terror Razoo around him floor space. There's people that
can get him open looks where there were times where
he was getting doubled in Summer League, and again he
did not look out of place, but he had a
difficult time making his own shot, and rightfully so when
(19:16):
you are the focal point of the scouting report, he's
not going to be that at the NBA level, at
least not right away. So I think Brandon Miller put
himself in a really good position here heading into training camp.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
You're reading my notes again, Rob Longo. I had Brandon
Miller circled for this one too, so have to go
in a different direction once again. But first I definitely
agree with you, Brandon Miller. The shot looks great. It's
all about what the expectations are going to be next season.
And I think the Charlotte Hornets are not a normal
team that drafts in the top three where you're expecting
them to just roll out the red carpet for the
(19:47):
draft pick, because they quite frankly don't have anyone to
compete with him. Regardless of what position Brandon Miller is
going to be fed into, he's going to have to
compete with a veteran. We've had the news already that
Mile Bridges has signed his qualifying offer. He should be back.
That's the competition at starter for small Ford as well
(20:07):
as Gordon Hayward. Those are two exceptional veterans that Brandon
Miller's got to play his way through to get into
the starting lineup or get minutes on the floor. Same
thing for Terry Rougier at the shooting guard position. So
nothing's going to be handed to Brandon Miller. He's going
to have to earn it. But he clearly, based off
what we saw, has the skill set to do so.
In that same line of thought, knowing what the Hornet's
(20:29):
roster looks like and thinking about who bettered their stock
for where we thought they were going to be going
into next year, I'm gonna go a little off the
beaten path here. I'm going to say James Naji. I
think with James Naji, the expectation how raw he was
coming from Europe, Whether he ends up going back to Europe,
ends up coming to the States playing on a two
way contract, playing for the NBA club playing in Greensboro,
(20:51):
it doesn't really matter. I think the expectation was he
was going to be so raw that we wouldn't necessarily
see huge numbers, were unlikely to in Summer League. And
I'm really impressed with what we saw. We saw a
little bit of a shot beyond just throwing the ball
through the hoop, he made a couple of those varieties
of shots, really good selection on his shots. We saw
an incredible percentage as you would expect from a dunker,
(21:14):
but again he showed just a little bit more range
than that, and beyond that, free throw shooting looked okay
from my vantage point. And again, whether he goes back
to Europe, goes to the G League, we saw someone
who is a very very accomplished rebounder. Summer League. He
had double digit rebound games pretty easily when he got
(21:34):
the number of minutes needed for that, and a good
rim protector, good number of block shots for him as well.
So I'm not saying this in terms of he's put
himself in a really good position to come in to
start for the Hornets, but I'm saying it from the
perspective of if he goes back to Europe, where he
really didn't play a ton last year, I think he's
(21:54):
shown enough to say he can play a lot more
next year he comes to the States and he plays Greensboro.
This isn't the guy who is going to be swallowed
up by G League level players because he just played
against a bunch of them and was more than able
to hold his own. So James Naji to me, is
someone I think has really set himself up well for
whatever path his future takes, and hopefully within a year
(22:16):
or two it's performing well at the NBA level. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
I like that pick too. I thought that James definitely
made some strides. He came in and did his podcast
interview with us. Really liked how down to earth he was.
He was very focused on the task at hand and
just trying to be a sponge and absorb everything he
could to this style of basketball here in the States.
So again, he put himself in a great position, like
you mentioned, whether that's on a two way deal on
(22:39):
the NBA club or just simply going back to Europe
for a year or two. At the end of the day,
he did a really good job performing at a high level.
Because again he's only eighteen, nineteen years old. He's very
very young, very very raw. Still still has a lot
of runway in front of him. So the fact that
he was able to put what he did on film,
I think is really great. So definitely some tough decisions
moving forward, Gui James Nausey just based off the way
(23:02):
that the roster is constructed right now in the other circumstances,
but really really good to see what he was able
to do out there on the floor here for the
last couple of games in California and Las Vegas.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
There you have it. That'll put a bow on our
summer league slate of Hornets Hive Cast podcast for a
seven games in total that we were able to cover
all on the back end of the draft, and with
all that work now behind us, Rob, I think you
can take the rest of the weekend off.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
That's good to hear, except before you know it, we'll
have more news here on the AHHC.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
I'm sure there is always something to cover, and we'll
always have it covered for you on the HHC. Soon enough,
schedules will be coming out. I will of course expect
more signings and press conferences from the Hornets in coming days,
and we of course will have it covered for you
here on the Hornet's hype Cast. Thanks again to Rob Longo,
most of all to all of you for tuning in.
For everyone here, I'm Sam Farber saying it's been a
(23:50):
pleasure and a privilege having you with us here on
the Hornets type Cast.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Thank you for listening to the Hornets Hypecast, brought to
you by Centime, the official I ear nosenthroatcare provider of
the Charlotte Hornets. For more coverage, visit Hornets dot com.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
M h
Speaker 2 (24:09):
M hmmmmmmm.
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