July 14, 2023 • 18 mins
While Charlotte fell short yet again in Summer League, James Bouknight posted his best effort of Summer League play. Sam Farber and Rob Longo break down the game, and discuss the decision to shut down Brandon Miller and Kai Jones for the remainder of the Las Vegas session.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Hornets High Past 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 Hornet Time Cast, your
Hornets podcast with all the notes, quotes, and daily buzz
around your favorite NBA teen. I'm Sam Farber, and it
is a pleasure and a privileged to have you with
us here once again on the Hornets Iive Cast, brought
to you by Santa Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Associates,
the official I Ear, nos and throw care provider of
the Charlotte Hornets. Another Silver Linings edition of the HHC Hornets,
(00:38):
falling to the New Orleans Pelicans eighty nine to eighty three.
They remain winless on summer league action, but still some
positive performances to take away. We saw James Booknight and
Bryce McGowan's really step forward with the kind of scoring
performance that we've been asking for from these veterans. They
came through with it yesterday or maybe two days ago,
depending on when you're listening to this podcast. We'll talk
(01:00):
them for our silver linings. Also, Brandon Miller Kai Jones
shut down for the remainder of Summer League. We'll talk
about that development as well. Helping me on all these topics.
He is my producer on the Hornet Radio Network as
well as the producer of this fine podcast. Rob Longo
here with me once again and Rob. This one seemed
early on doomed from the start. Turns out it wasn't doomed,
but they certainly didn't do themselves any favors, falling behind
(01:22):
by twenty points at the end of the opening ten
minute quarter.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Yeah, this one was downright ugly for the first ten
minutes or so of the game, like you talked about.
I mean, the Pelicans ripped off a twelve ozho run
just not even admitted into the game, Charlotte had to
call time out. Charlotte missed its first fourteen shots. I mean,
the Pelicans were just running away with this one, and
it was twenty five to five after the first quarter.
But give credit, work credits to the Hornets battled back.
(01:47):
They outscored the Pelicans twenty nine to fourteen in the
second quarter, made it a ballgame, only down five going
into the halftime. Locker room, and then slipped a little
bit there towards the end of the third quarter as
the Pelicans closed on a ten to oh run at
the end of the third frame, but again battle back
in the fourth quarter. It was getting into desperation mode
there late in the fourth frame where the Hornets had
a chance and they were fouling to extended games. So
(02:08):
if you would have told me after watching the first
five minutes of the game that Charlotte would have been
in an opportunity to win a ballgame at one point
there in the fourth quarter, and even in the third
quarter as well, I would have said you were crazy.
So huge credit to the guys for making that effort.
At summer league, it's very easy to just kind of say,
all right, let's just go and try to pat our
stats or something like that. But they played really good
basketball there in the second quarter, made it a ball
(02:31):
game in the third quarter, and didn't give up in
the fourth quarter. So I gotta give them a ton
of credit for that.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, two things really stood out to me on how
they were able to make the comeback. One is about
that never say die attitude, that grit, that determination, that
want to and that was the offensive glass. Hornets were
able to pound the offensive glass, end up pulling down
sixteen offensive rebounds. You compared that to New Orleans who
had only six. That just generates more opportunities to shoot
(02:57):
the basketball. So that was one big factor. The other
is more skill based. The Hornets found their shot again.
They shot forty from three. That's without Brandon Miller, the
arguably best shooter on the Summer league roster available to them.
So I think we saw a huge improvement in that
facet of the game now over these last couple of contests,
(03:17):
and even though there are some sticking points that are
preventing the overall squad from getting wins, they are at
least remaining competitive in the games thanks to again that effort.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
That's what you want to see.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Many of these guys, they're playing for their NBA careers,
that opportunity to have a contract in NBA, in preseason,
in the JI League, whatever it might be, to stretch
your career a little bit longer. That that's what they're
playing for here. So you want to see that fight
and desire. But the skill is what got them there,
and for too many games the Hornets did not have
that reflected in the box score this time around.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
I thought they did.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Yeah, they certainly did. I mean again, like you talked about,
a lot of these guys are vying for options elsewhere
towards the end of the bench, and that was something
that the coach staff and the Hornets wanted to do,
is give these guys some opportunities. Of course, we'll talk
about Kai Jones and Brandon Miller getting shut down for
the rest of Summer League here in a couple of segments.
But again, guys like Cobe Simmons who had a stint
at the end of the season with the big league
(04:12):
club in Charlotte and also spent a lot of time
in the G League as well. With the Swarm. You
got James Nagy trying to prove himself here on what
he's going to do moving forward, whether there's that move
coming from Europe or not. I know, there's some other
circumstances in there. Trey Scott was a guy that was
a starter in the last couple of games. He's another
guy that needs to at least prove himself. There's other
guys on there, like Leaky Black who got signed onto
(04:34):
the Summer League team. So there's a number of these
guys that are fighting for just minutes anywhere, and the
best way to do that is, of course, in summer League.
But at the end of the day, you know, that's
what summer league is all about. You hear about those
great performances. You see great performances from guys that you
would never think of. Last night for the Hornets, Bryce
McAllen Chae spokes night, two guys that you certainly hear of,
(04:54):
and those were the ones that were able to shoulder
the load. But again, it's that never say die attitude,
and that's what it's all about. It's those effort plays
that are gonna get you on the radar of It
might not be the summer league team that you're on,
but maybe other summer league teams. So maybe somebody from
New Orleans says, Hey, I like the way that this
person battled and I want them on my G League team.
Maybe I want to offer them a two way. There's
endless possibilities. So there's really a no lose attitude there
(05:18):
where you can go out and say I have nothing
to lose, I have everything to gain, and that's the
mentality I'm going to have. And that's what this Hornets
team did yesterday.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Certainly if they have to circle a couple of things
for why the loss happened again, digging the big hole,
whether that is the o fer whatever it was to
start the game, or falling behind by twenty kind of
a U say potato, I say a potato type of
situation here. Either way, it put the team in a
really detrimental position. The other was free throw shooting it
(05:45):
and look, this ended up being, at one point in
the second half a one point game, it ends up
finishing a two possession game.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
That's with fouling ad nauseum.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
I'm not focused so much on New Orleans and how
many more free throws they took and made, because again
Hornets were in a fouling situation. But Charlotte as a
squad goes eight of eighteen from the line. That's something
you can control. And in the game where you lose
by six, if you miss ten free throws, that's certainly
going to stand out. A couple of individuals stood out
as well. We'll select our silver linings next here on
(06:15):
the Hornet Time Cast.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Sam Farbar rob Longo here with you on the AHHC.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
The Hornet Time Cast brought to you by sentas Charlotte
i ear nosen Throat Associates, the official I ear nosen
Throatcare provider of the Charlotte Hornets. Rob Three different Hornets
finish in double figures in points, one did in rebounds
plenty to pick from for silver linings?
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Where would you like to go?
Speaker 3 (06:39):
I think the pretty obvious one is James book Night.
He finishes with a game high twenty eight points, eleven
of twenty one from the field, shooting four to nine
beyond yark. He also had seven rebounds as well. But
the thing that's probably the most impressive from James's performance
is the fact that he had twenty six of those
twenty eight in the second half. If you want to
boil it down a little bit more, he had seventeen
of his twenty six second half points in the fourth
(07:01):
quarter alone. So he went into the locker room at
halftime at one of four, shooting over two beyond the arc.
But then he's able to go off there and he
finishes with those game high twenty eight points. He is
clearly my silver lining performance, just based off of what
he did in that second half and the fact that
we've been wanting to see this from James book night
all summer league long, so the fact that we were
able to finally see it here in this game was
(07:22):
a big sign of improvement.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Yeah, he really came on strong that second half, as
he indicated four for seven from three in that twenty
minute stretch. I also liked the decision making for all
the time he spent out there on the floor, shot
better than fifty percent from the floor, better than forty
percent from three, only missed one free throw, only had
one turnover, and particularly down the stretch, he had that
(07:44):
incredible four point play or potential four point play.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
He knocked down the three.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
He missed the free throw, that was his only free
throw missed there, But it's this incredible play, and then
the next time down you know you have a feeling,
all right. We've seen this quite frankly from younger versions
of James, where he makes this incredible shot because he's
so talented and then decides to take one that's even
more unbelievable if he were to make it, but he
doesn't because he hasn't put himself in a good spot. Well,
(08:10):
next time he came down the floor, drew the double,
gave up the ball to an open shooter who missed
the shot, but still he made the right call, and
that's what you want to see, the decision making speeding
up for James book Knight to match the scoring talent
that he so clearly has. He has worked very, very
hard in the offseason by all accounts that I've heard,
I'm thrilled for him having this kind of scoring performance,
(08:31):
and it's what you want to see in Summer League
from former lottery in first round picks, which James book
Knight falls into that category. After the game, Hornet Summer
League head coach Marlon Garnett asked about Brandon Miller and
how his star performances shine brightly is last game or
two of Summer League, and he took the question but
(08:52):
quickly pivoted it to guys like Booknight.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
I was just excited to see, you know, booking Bryce
with more opportunities and more touches tonight. They kind of
found their rhythm, found their flow. You know, that was
impressive to see. So I'm just excited about those guys.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
So there you go.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Even when he's asked about Brandon Miller on this day
with a twenty eight point performance, Marlon Garnett head coach
of the Hornets summer league squad, goes with James Booknight.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
I would have loved to take him. I got to
go in another direction.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Do you want to give some applause to James Nause
He got the start with Kay Jones out only two points,
but he only took one shot. He did miss a
free throw in there, but still, I mean, he was
a monster on the boards. Ends up with eight rebounds.
I think he finished with something like four blocks. Really
a presence on the interior and for all the minutes
he spent on the floor twenty six twenty seven minutes,
(09:39):
a net even in the plus minus. So that's a
good sign that he was doing some good things out there.
But my silver lining selection is going to be the
winner for the Hornets in the plus minus category. That's
Bryce McGowan's. Bryce ends up a plus seven in the
plus minus a turnover free performance. Only missed one free
throw four for seven from three seven to fifteen from
the floor. Don't know how they reviewed that one play
(10:01):
and say he didn't get bound. In my perspective, he
got clobbered, but neither here nor there. At the end
of the day, nineteen points four redowns efficient performance. This
is more what we wanted to see from Bryce McGowan's
as he uses his experience and his skill set taking
another step forward.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Yeah, I'll be honest with you, I thought Bryce is
going to be my silver linings performance through the majority
of the game until James Booknight went off there in
the second half. But again, the majority of Bryce's work
came there in that first half. Like I mentioned, eleven
of his nineteen coming there in the first half is
four to nine from the field, three for four beyond
the ark. In the first half alone. He was basically
the entire offense there for the first ten twelve minutes
(10:38):
of the game, quite frankly because nobody was able to
shoot the ball particularly well. But again, another step in
the right direction he got to start last night. That
was something that we haven't seen the last couple of
games from the Hornets, just because of the matchups and
the way that the lineup shook out for the opponent
and the way they had to line everybody up. So
good to see Bryce back in the starting lineup here
in yesterday's game. He performed extremely well playing second fiddle
(11:01):
for the most part, considering the way that James Booknight
went off there in the second half, but really really
good stuff from Bryce mcallen's like you mentioned.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
So there you have in our Silver Linings selections.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
James Booknight twenty eight points the Lions share in the
second half, Bryce McGowan's scores nineteen tip of the cap
as well to a couple of rookies. James Naji twelve
boards in this one and Nick Smith Junior had twelve points,
although not the same efficiency from the floor he had
in the prior Summer League contest. One more segment to
go here on this edition of the HHC. We do
know a couple of players who are not going to
(11:31):
be playing in future Summer League games.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
Hornets have shutdown.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Kay Jones Brandon Miller will tell you why and our
thoughts on it next here on the Hornet Time Cast.
Sam Farvar, rob Longo here with you on the HHC.
The Hornet Time Cast prought to you by SENTA Charlotte Eye,
ear Nose and Throat Associates, the official I ear Nosen
Throatcare provider of the Charlotte Hornets. Rob Longo, There's a
(11:56):
lot of reasons players go to Summer League, particularly highly
drafted ones, You're going to get some experience, get some seasoning.
And then there's a lot of reasons why guys get
shut down. One could be they've shown everything they need
to show, coaching staff feels comfortable with what they put
on tape, don't risk injury in some of these games.
Let them go back to their summer work with their
individual coaches and get ready for the upcoming season. Another
(12:18):
is you want to see some other guys get some
of those minutes. Sometimes the answer is both Hornets have
shut down two players. They did it ahead of the
game against the Pelicans. These guys will sit the next games.
In the NBA two K twenty four Summer League in
Las Vegas, Kai Jones shut down after averaging seven point
eight points per game, shot sixty two percent from the
floor along the way averaging just under five rebounds and
just over one block per game across five appearances in
(12:41):
both Sacramento.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
And Las Vegas.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Also being shut down the number two overall pick Brandon Miller.
He ends up averaging fifteen points per game, almost seven
rebounds per game, more than kai Jones, three plus assists
per contest, and over a steal per game, as well
as I mentioned before. There's a lot of reasons why
guys get shut down in summer League.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
What is your reasoning for these two gentlemen.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
I think the clear one is obviously Brandon Miller. You
saw what you needed from the number two overall pick.
You got him acclimated to the NBA game. You got
him used to the three point line being a little
bit further back. You got him used to physicality. He
had that big time showdown against Victor Webbin Yama the
first game in Vegas. He played those two games in
the California Classic as well, and based off the last
game that he played, I don't think you need to
(13:29):
really see anymore when he went off in that game
against the Blazers. So certainly understand Brandon Miller getting shut down.
You don't want to risk anything else. It's been a busy,
busy couple of weeks for these guys, between going back
and forth wherever they were coming from before the draft,
coming into town, trying to get used to a new city,
trying to get used to a new environment. They're able
to get a couple of weeks of practice, not even
(13:51):
maybe just a week of practice getting ready for that
mini camp before heading out West, especially since it was
a little bit earlier because of the California Classic in Sacramento.
So just a very very busy couple of weeks for
these guys. Shut him down, Just have them get some rest,
get them ramped up ready to go here for training
camp in a couple of weeks, because again we saw
the same thing from San Antonio. Victor Webbin Yama played
two games and called it a summer league. And I
(14:13):
know that Wemby had some other circumstances. Obviously, he played
a very long season in Europe into May and Junius,
so he might be a little bit more fatigued than
a guy like Brandon Miller, who stopped playing competitive basketball
there back in March and April. So again, totally understand
Brandon Miller getting shut down. Kai Jones, I'll be honest,
I was a little surprised that he did get shut
down as early as he did. I maybe would have
(14:34):
liked to see Kai play one more game, But again
totally understand going into the third season here for Kai
in the fall, I totally understand that you've seen enough
from him. You just wanted to get a little bit
of extra work, a couple of extra weeks of practice
under his belt, some more game action just to see
what he has, and of course that clears the way
for a guy like James Nauje, who you want to
see more of, you want to see what he's capable of,
and maybe even a guy like Nathan Menza. He got
(14:55):
thirteen minutes of game time in yesterday's contest as well,
So I totally understand trying to see some more guys
out there. So as a whole, totally understand what the
Hornets are doing.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Agreed.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
I think with Kai Jones the stats aren't eye popping,
but there were certainly some of those eye popping plays,
and we've seen that routine lea quite frankly from Kai
Jones now over three successive summer leagues. It's just they're
becoming more common and longer stretches of them. I think
in his first summer league there was like one play
they got everyone ooing an eye, but we didn't see
a whole lot else. Last summer league, he had a
(15:27):
dreadful start shooting from three, but then found his form
and really had some quality games on the interior. This one,
it was more some longer stretches of being a pest, defensively,
turning things over, getting out in open space and finishing
like only Kai Jones can. Kai can fly after all,
So Kai Jones, I get it. You do want to
see some of those other guys you mentioned, in particular
(15:48):
James Naji get more minutes, and to do that, you
got to get someone out of the way. Kai Jones
third Summer League. It's worth protecting him for the regular season.
In terms of Brandon Miller, I'm I think we saw
what we needed to see. I think if you drill
it down to just Las Vegas Summer League, scoring averages
are even a little bit higher, seventeen points per game.
There were a couple of games where the shooting percentages
(16:11):
were just dreadful, but overall, I like what we saw
in terms of the consistency and adjusting to that three
point line. In particular, that finale was really incredible, and
overall the numbers are really good. Using his size to
get rebounds, his ability to finish above the rim, I
think we saw a little extra and in terms of
his athleticism than was advertised and just saw him get comfortable,
(16:32):
and that's what you want to see. Brandon Miller is
going to be a big piece. He's going to have
a consistent role, I believe, pretty quickly into the regular season,
and so there's no sense in risking him after he's
put forth such a great performance against the Portland Trailblazers,
so makes sense. You do get to see some other
guys out there. I'm excited to see Moramari Bailey in
the games to come. James put Knight, Bryce McGowan's. Not
(16:53):
only did they make the most of their minutes, which
really didn't change, but their role on the team did
with Brandon Miller stepping aside, and so I think that's
a benefit for the Hornets as well. And speaking of
James Buckknight and Brandon Miller, after his twenty eight point performance,
James book Knight talked about what he had seen from
Brandon Miller so far in Summer League.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
My day is gonna be a great player for us.
You shush the floor, you can get to the basket. Defense,
plays at a high level, and he has a high IQ,
a bunch of things that coach Cliff looks for.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
There you have it, James Booknight on the number two
overall pick Brandon Miller. So all in all, successful Summer
League for those individuals, particular Brandon Miller, and now we'll
see if the team can come up with a win.
Whenever their next scheduled game happens to be, we know
we'll have it covered for you here on the HHC.
I'll try and keep Rob Longo chain to the desk
one more day of Summer League so we can squeeze
(17:43):
one more game preview out of them.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
And we have no idea when that will be or
who it will be against, but when it happens, we
will certainly have you covered here on a Hornets podcast.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
We certainly will.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
We'll dig deep for two extra topics as well till
that yet to be announced podcast date. With many thanks
to Rob Longo and most of all to all of
you for tuning in. I'm Sam Farber saying it's been
a pleasure and a privilege having you along. We will
talk to you next time right here on the Hornets Hypcast.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Thank you for listening to the Hornets Hypecast, brought to
you by Santa the official i Ere Nosenthroat Care provider
of the Charlotte Hornets. For more coverage, visit Hornets dot com.
Welcome to the Hornets High Past 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 Hornet Time Cast, your
Hornets podcast with all the notes, quotes, and daily buzz
around your favorite NBA teen. I'm Sam Farber, and it
is a pleasure and a privileged to have you with
us here once again on the Hornets Iive Cast, brought
to you by Santa Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Associates,
the official I Ear, nos and throw care provider of
the Charlotte Hornets. Another Silver Linings edition of the HHC Hornets,
(00:38):
falling to the New Orleans Pelicans eighty nine to eighty three.
They remain winless on summer league action, but still some
positive performances to take away. We saw James Booknight and
Bryce McGowan's really step forward with the kind of scoring
performance that we've been asking for from these veterans. They
came through with it yesterday or maybe two days ago,
depending on when you're listening to this podcast. We'll talk
(01:00):
them for our silver linings. Also, Brandon Miller Kai Jones
shut down for the remainder of Summer League. We'll talk
about that development as well. Helping me on all these topics.
He is my producer on the Hornet Radio Network as
well as the producer of this fine podcast. Rob Longo
here with me once again and Rob. This one seemed
early on doomed from the start. Turns out it wasn't doomed,
but they certainly didn't do themselves any favors, falling behind
(01:22):
by twenty points at the end of the opening ten
minute quarter.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Yeah, this one was downright ugly for the first ten
minutes or so of the game, like you talked about.
I mean, the Pelicans ripped off a twelve ozho run
just not even admitted into the game, Charlotte had to
call time out. Charlotte missed its first fourteen shots. I mean,
the Pelicans were just running away with this one, and
it was twenty five to five after the first quarter.
But give credit, work credits to the Hornets battled back.
(01:47):
They outscored the Pelicans twenty nine to fourteen in the
second quarter, made it a ballgame, only down five going
into the halftime. Locker room, and then slipped a little
bit there towards the end of the third quarter as
the Pelicans closed on a ten to oh run at
the end of the third frame, but again battle back
in the fourth quarter. It was getting into desperation mode
there late in the fourth frame where the Hornets had
a chance and they were fouling to extended games. So
(02:08):
if you would have told me after watching the first
five minutes of the game that Charlotte would have been
in an opportunity to win a ballgame at one point
there in the fourth quarter, and even in the third
quarter as well, I would have said you were crazy.
So huge credit to the guys for making that effort.
At summer league, it's very easy to just kind of say,
all right, let's just go and try to pat our
stats or something like that. But they played really good
basketball there in the second quarter, made it a ball
(02:31):
game in the third quarter, and didn't give up in
the fourth quarter. So I gotta give them a ton
of credit for that.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, two things really stood out to me on how
they were able to make the comeback. One is about
that never say die attitude, that grit, that determination, that
want to and that was the offensive glass. Hornets were
able to pound the offensive glass, end up pulling down
sixteen offensive rebounds. You compared that to New Orleans who
had only six. That just generates more opportunities to shoot
(02:57):
the basketball. So that was one big factor. The other
is more skill based. The Hornets found their shot again.
They shot forty from three. That's without Brandon Miller, the
arguably best shooter on the Summer league roster available to them.
So I think we saw a huge improvement in that
facet of the game now over these last couple of contests,
(03:17):
and even though there are some sticking points that are
preventing the overall squad from getting wins, they are at
least remaining competitive in the games thanks to again that effort.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
That's what you want to see.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Many of these guys, they're playing for their NBA careers,
that opportunity to have a contract in NBA, in preseason,
in the JI League, whatever it might be, to stretch
your career a little bit longer. That that's what they're
playing for here. So you want to see that fight
and desire. But the skill is what got them there,
and for too many games the Hornets did not have
that reflected in the box score this time around.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
I thought they did.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Yeah, they certainly did. I mean again, like you talked about,
a lot of these guys are vying for options elsewhere
towards the end of the bench, and that was something
that the coach staff and the Hornets wanted to do,
is give these guys some opportunities. Of course, we'll talk
about Kai Jones and Brandon Miller getting shut down for
the rest of Summer League here in a couple of segments.
But again, guys like Cobe Simmons who had a stint
at the end of the season with the big league
(04:12):
club in Charlotte and also spent a lot of time
in the G League as well. With the Swarm. You
got James Nagy trying to prove himself here on what
he's going to do moving forward, whether there's that move
coming from Europe or not. I know, there's some other
circumstances in there. Trey Scott was a guy that was
a starter in the last couple of games. He's another
guy that needs to at least prove himself. There's other
guys on there, like Leaky Black who got signed onto
(04:34):
the Summer League team. So there's a number of these
guys that are fighting for just minutes anywhere, and the
best way to do that is, of course, in summer League.
But at the end of the day, you know, that's
what summer league is all about. You hear about those
great performances. You see great performances from guys that you
would never think of. Last night for the Hornets, Bryce
McAllen Chae spokes night, two guys that you certainly hear of,
(04:54):
and those were the ones that were able to shoulder
the load. But again, it's that never say die attitude,
and that's what it's all about. It's those effort plays
that are gonna get you on the radar of It
might not be the summer league team that you're on,
but maybe other summer league teams. So maybe somebody from
New Orleans says, Hey, I like the way that this
person battled and I want them on my G League team.
Maybe I want to offer them a two way. There's
endless possibilities. So there's really a no lose attitude there
(05:18):
where you can go out and say I have nothing
to lose, I have everything to gain, and that's the
mentality I'm going to have. And that's what this Hornets
team did yesterday.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Certainly if they have to circle a couple of things
for why the loss happened again, digging the big hole,
whether that is the o fer whatever it was to
start the game, or falling behind by twenty kind of
a U say potato, I say a potato type of
situation here. Either way, it put the team in a
really detrimental position. The other was free throw shooting it
(05:45):
and look, this ended up being, at one point in
the second half a one point game, it ends up
finishing a two possession game.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
That's with fouling ad nauseum.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
I'm not focused so much on New Orleans and how
many more free throws they took and made, because again
Hornets were in a fouling situation. But Charlotte as a
squad goes eight of eighteen from the line. That's something
you can control. And in the game where you lose
by six, if you miss ten free throws, that's certainly
going to stand out. A couple of individuals stood out
as well. We'll select our silver linings next here on
(06:15):
the Hornet Time Cast.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Sam Farbar rob Longo here with you on the AHHC.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
The Hornet Time Cast brought to you by sentas Charlotte
i ear nosen Throat Associates, the official I ear nosen
Throatcare provider of the Charlotte Hornets. Rob Three different Hornets
finish in double figures in points, one did in rebounds
plenty to pick from for silver linings?
Speaker 4 (06:38):
Where would you like to go?
Speaker 3 (06:39):
I think the pretty obvious one is James book Night.
He finishes with a game high twenty eight points, eleven
of twenty one from the field, shooting four to nine
beyond yark. He also had seven rebounds as well. But
the thing that's probably the most impressive from James's performance
is the fact that he had twenty six of those
twenty eight in the second half. If you want to
boil it down a little bit more, he had seventeen
of his twenty six second half points in the fourth
(07:01):
quarter alone. So he went into the locker room at
halftime at one of four, shooting over two beyond the arc.
But then he's able to go off there and he
finishes with those game high twenty eight points. He is
clearly my silver lining performance, just based off of what
he did in that second half and the fact that
we've been wanting to see this from James book night
all summer league long, so the fact that we were
able to finally see it here in this game was
(07:22):
a big sign of improvement.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Yeah, he really came on strong that second half, as
he indicated four for seven from three in that twenty
minute stretch. I also liked the decision making for all
the time he spent out there on the floor, shot
better than fifty percent from the floor, better than forty
percent from three, only missed one free throw, only had
one turnover, and particularly down the stretch, he had that
(07:44):
incredible four point play or potential four point play.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
He knocked down the three.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
He missed the free throw, that was his only free
throw missed there, But it's this incredible play, and then
the next time down you know you have a feeling,
all right. We've seen this quite frankly from younger versions
of James, where he makes this incredible shot because he's
so talented and then decides to take one that's even
more unbelievable if he were to make it, but he
doesn't because he hasn't put himself in a good spot. Well,
(08:10):
next time he came down the floor, drew the double,
gave up the ball to an open shooter who missed
the shot, but still he made the right call, and
that's what you want to see, the decision making speeding
up for James book Knight to match the scoring talent
that he so clearly has. He has worked very, very
hard in the offseason by all accounts that I've heard,
I'm thrilled for him having this kind of scoring performance,
(08:31):
and it's what you want to see in Summer League
from former lottery in first round picks, which James book
Knight falls into that category. After the game, Hornet Summer
League head coach Marlon Garnett asked about Brandon Miller and
how his star performances shine brightly is last game or
two of Summer League, and he took the question but
(08:52):
quickly pivoted it to guys like Booknight.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
I was just excited to see, you know, booking Bryce
with more opportunities and more touches tonight. They kind of
found their rhythm, found their flow. You know, that was
impressive to see. So I'm just excited about those guys.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
So there you go.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Even when he's asked about Brandon Miller on this day
with a twenty eight point performance, Marlon Garnett head coach
of the Hornets summer league squad, goes with James Booknight.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
I would have loved to take him. I got to
go in another direction.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Do you want to give some applause to James Nause
He got the start with Kay Jones out only two points,
but he only took one shot. He did miss a
free throw in there, but still, I mean, he was
a monster on the boards. Ends up with eight rebounds.
I think he finished with something like four blocks. Really
a presence on the interior and for all the minutes
he spent on the floor twenty six twenty seven minutes,
(09:39):
a net even in the plus minus. So that's a
good sign that he was doing some good things out there.
But my silver lining selection is going to be the
winner for the Hornets in the plus minus category. That's
Bryce McGowan's. Bryce ends up a plus seven in the
plus minus a turnover free performance. Only missed one free
throw four for seven from three seven to fifteen from
the floor. Don't know how they reviewed that one play
(10:01):
and say he didn't get bound. In my perspective, he
got clobbered, but neither here nor there. At the end
of the day, nineteen points four redowns efficient performance. This
is more what we wanted to see from Bryce McGowan's
as he uses his experience and his skill set taking
another step forward.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Yeah, I'll be honest with you, I thought Bryce is
going to be my silver linings performance through the majority
of the game until James Booknight went off there in
the second half. But again, the majority of Bryce's work
came there in that first half. Like I mentioned, eleven
of his nineteen coming there in the first half is
four to nine from the field, three for four beyond
the ark. In the first half alone. He was basically
the entire offense there for the first ten twelve minutes
(10:38):
of the game, quite frankly because nobody was able to
shoot the ball particularly well. But again, another step in
the right direction he got to start last night. That
was something that we haven't seen the last couple of
games from the Hornets, just because of the matchups and
the way that the lineup shook out for the opponent
and the way they had to line everybody up. So
good to see Bryce back in the starting lineup here
in yesterday's game. He performed extremely well playing second fiddle
(11:01):
for the most part, considering the way that James Booknight
went off there in the second half, but really really
good stuff from Bryce mcallen's like you mentioned.
Speaker 4 (11:07):
So there you have in our Silver Linings selections.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
James Booknight twenty eight points the Lions share in the
second half, Bryce McGowan's scores nineteen tip of the cap
as well to a couple of rookies. James Naji twelve
boards in this one and Nick Smith Junior had twelve points,
although not the same efficiency from the floor he had
in the prior Summer League contest. One more segment to
go here on this edition of the HHC. We do
know a couple of players who are not going to
(11:31):
be playing in future Summer League games.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
Hornets have shutdown.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Kay Jones Brandon Miller will tell you why and our
thoughts on it next here on the Hornet Time Cast.
Sam Farvar, rob Longo here with you on the HHC.
The Hornet Time Cast prought to you by SENTA Charlotte Eye,
ear Nose and Throat Associates, the official I ear Nosen
Throatcare provider of the Charlotte Hornets. Rob Longo, There's a
(11:56):
lot of reasons players go to Summer League, particularly highly
drafted ones, You're going to get some experience, get some seasoning.
And then there's a lot of reasons why guys get
shut down. One could be they've shown everything they need
to show, coaching staff feels comfortable with what they put
on tape, don't risk injury in some of these games.
Let them go back to their summer work with their
individual coaches and get ready for the upcoming season. Another
(12:18):
is you want to see some other guys get some
of those minutes. Sometimes the answer is both Hornets have
shut down two players. They did it ahead of the
game against the Pelicans. These guys will sit the next games.
In the NBA two K twenty four Summer League in
Las Vegas, Kai Jones shut down after averaging seven point
eight points per game, shot sixty two percent from the
floor along the way averaging just under five rebounds and
just over one block per game across five appearances in
(12:41):
both Sacramento.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
And Las Vegas.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Also being shut down the number two overall pick Brandon Miller.
He ends up averaging fifteen points per game, almost seven
rebounds per game, more than kai Jones, three plus assists
per contest, and over a steal per game, as well
as I mentioned before. There's a lot of reasons why
guys get shut down in summer League.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
What is your reasoning for these two gentlemen.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
I think the clear one is obviously Brandon Miller. You
saw what you needed from the number two overall pick.
You got him acclimated to the NBA game. You got
him used to the three point line being a little
bit further back. You got him used to physicality. He
had that big time showdown against Victor Webbin Yama the
first game in Vegas. He played those two games in
the California Classic as well, and based off the last
game that he played, I don't think you need to
(13:29):
really see anymore when he went off in that game
against the Blazers. So certainly understand Brandon Miller getting shut down.
You don't want to risk anything else. It's been a busy,
busy couple of weeks for these guys, between going back
and forth wherever they were coming from before the draft,
coming into town, trying to get used to a new city,
trying to get used to a new environment. They're able
to get a couple of weeks of practice, not even
(13:51):
maybe just a week of practice getting ready for that
mini camp before heading out West, especially since it was
a little bit earlier because of the California Classic in Sacramento.
So just a very very busy couple of weeks for
these guys. Shut him down, Just have them get some rest,
get them ramped up ready to go here for training
camp in a couple of weeks, because again we saw
the same thing from San Antonio. Victor Webbin Yama played
two games and called it a summer league. And I
(14:13):
know that Wemby had some other circumstances. Obviously, he played
a very long season in Europe into May and Junius,
so he might be a little bit more fatigued than
a guy like Brandon Miller, who stopped playing competitive basketball
there back in March and April. So again, totally understand
Brandon Miller getting shut down. Kai Jones, I'll be honest,
I was a little surprised that he did get shut
down as early as he did. I maybe would have
(14:34):
liked to see Kai play one more game, But again
totally understand going into the third season here for Kai
in the fall, I totally understand that you've seen enough
from him. You just wanted to get a little bit
of extra work, a couple of extra weeks of practice
under his belt, some more game action just to see
what he has, and of course that clears the way
for a guy like James Nauje, who you want to
see more of, you want to see what he's capable of,
and maybe even a guy like Nathan Menza. He got
(14:55):
thirteen minutes of game time in yesterday's contest as well,
So I totally understand trying to see some more guys
out there. So as a whole, totally understand what the
Hornets are doing.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Agreed.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
I think with Kai Jones the stats aren't eye popping,
but there were certainly some of those eye popping plays,
and we've seen that routine lea quite frankly from Kai
Jones now over three successive summer leagues. It's just they're
becoming more common and longer stretches of them. I think
in his first summer league there was like one play
they got everyone ooing an eye, but we didn't see
a whole lot else. Last summer league, he had a
(15:27):
dreadful start shooting from three, but then found his form
and really had some quality games on the interior. This one,
it was more some longer stretches of being a pest, defensively,
turning things over, getting out in open space and finishing
like only Kai Jones can. Kai can fly after all,
So Kai Jones, I get it. You do want to
see some of those other guys you mentioned, in particular
(15:48):
James Naji get more minutes, and to do that, you
got to get someone out of the way. Kai Jones
third Summer League. It's worth protecting him for the regular season.
In terms of Brandon Miller, I'm I think we saw
what we needed to see. I think if you drill
it down to just Las Vegas Summer League, scoring averages
are even a little bit higher, seventeen points per game.
There were a couple of games where the shooting percentages
(16:11):
were just dreadful, but overall, I like what we saw
in terms of the consistency and adjusting to that three
point line. In particular, that finale was really incredible, and
overall the numbers are really good. Using his size to
get rebounds, his ability to finish above the rim, I
think we saw a little extra and in terms of
his athleticism than was advertised and just saw him get comfortable,
(16:32):
and that's what you want to see. Brandon Miller is
going to be a big piece. He's going to have
a consistent role, I believe, pretty quickly into the regular season,
and so there's no sense in risking him after he's
put forth such a great performance against the Portland Trailblazers,
so makes sense. You do get to see some other
guys out there. I'm excited to see Moramari Bailey in
the games to come. James put Knight, Bryce McGowan's. Not
(16:53):
only did they make the most of their minutes, which
really didn't change, but their role on the team did
with Brandon Miller stepping aside, and so I think that's
a benefit for the Hornets as well. And speaking of
James Buckknight and Brandon Miller, after his twenty eight point performance,
James book Knight talked about what he had seen from
Brandon Miller so far in Summer League.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
My day is gonna be a great player for us.
You shush the floor, you can get to the basket. Defense,
plays at a high level, and he has a high IQ,
a bunch of things that coach Cliff looks for.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
There you have it, James Booknight on the number two
overall pick Brandon Miller. So all in all, successful Summer
League for those individuals, particular Brandon Miller, and now we'll
see if the team can come up with a win.
Whenever their next scheduled game happens to be, we know
we'll have it covered for you here on the HHC.
I'll try and keep Rob Longo chain to the desk
one more day of Summer League so we can squeeze
(17:43):
one more game preview out of them.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
And we have no idea when that will be or
who it will be against, but when it happens, we
will certainly have you covered here on a Hornets podcast.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
We certainly will.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
We'll dig deep for two extra topics as well till
that yet to be announced podcast date. With many thanks
to Rob Longo and most of all to all of
you for tuning in. I'm Sam Farber saying it's been
a pleasure and a privilege having you along. We will
talk to you next time right here on the Hornets Hypcast.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Thank you for listening to the Hornets Hypecast, brought to
you by Santa the official i Ere Nosenthroat Care provider
of the Charlotte Hornets. For more coverage, visit Hornets dot com.
Hosts And Creators
Sam Farber
Rob Longo
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