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The Charlotte Hornets are a team that can potentially exceed expectations, especially if LaMelo Ball is able to further improve his game.
The Charlotte Hornets are a team that can potentially exceed expectations, especially if LaMelo Ball is able to further improve his game.
Ball is one of the most exciting young players in basketball and the sky is the limit when it comes to his career. But there are still some questions about if that will translate to winning for the Hornets. For example, will he have enough talent around him to make a splash in the postseason?
Below, check out our preview for the 2021-22 Hornets campaign.
Bouknight and Jones may be new to the Hornets but that doesn’t mean the veterans are going to take it easy on them.
James Bouknight and Kai Jones may be new to the Charlotte Hornets but that doesn’t mean the veterans on the roster are going to take it easy on the two rookies during training camp.
In fact, as Terry Rozier said, it is quite the opposite: “You gotta kill ’em.”
The statement by Rozier doesn’t mean the veterans on the roster won’t help the two rookies. They have welcomed them aboard and have offered guidance and willingly answered any questions they have had during training camp.
Rozier even organized private workouts for the team in Miami recently.
“The older guys here have been such a big help for me,” Bouknight said. “When you come into the league, you really don’t know what to expect. Everybody is so much stronger, faster. People have kids, like go home to three kids and a wife so it’s just different. We have older guys and vets that show me the ropes and help me get through the days and they’re going to help me get through training camp and the season.”
Rozier sees a player like Bouknight and knows he can help him with a little tough love. The added competition will only help Bouknight improve his overall game, especially when he knows he is getting maximum effort from everyone on the court.
The veteran knows Bouknight will eventually appreciate that in the future.
“He is a guy you can’t take it easy on,” Rozier said. “A Brooklyn kid, a tough guy who can play. You teach him all of the little things but you get after him in practice and compete because he is going to appreciate that more than anything. Nobody gave me nothing when I first came into the league and I still appreciate that to this day.”
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Bouknight finished a strong stint in the Las Vegas Summer League with the Hornets last month, averaging 16.8 points, 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds in four appearances. He produced his best game after recording 23 points and eight assists on Aug. 12.
Meanwhile, Jones posted 9.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in five games. His best game came on Aug. 16 with 16 points and nine rebounds while his 16 rebounds hauled in on Aug. 14 were the fourth-most in a game this year.
The two players represent a big part of the future in Charlotte and should see plenty of playing time this season. With the help of Rozier and the rest of the team, they figure to be ready for whatever is thrown at them.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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Check out all the high-flying dunks from Kai Jones in today’s game against the Spurs.
Charlotte Hornets rookie Kai Jones was known for his high-flying poster dunks coming out of Texas, and he put that ability on display Thursday in Las Vegas against the San Antonio Spurs.
In the Hornets’ 106-105 loss in the summer league, Jones finished with 10 points and five rebounds, which included two “SportsCenter” top-10 worthy dunks.
First, near the top of the second quarter, Jones caught the ball on the left wing, faked left and drove across the lane as he rose above Spurs forward Nate Renfro and through down a monster slam.
The drive and the FINISH 🤯
Kai Jones drops the hammer on ESPNU! #NBASummer pic.twitter.com/uMnR2s3nWZ
— NBA (@NBA) August 12, 2021
Second, Jones flies through the lane to snag an offensive rebound off a James Bouknight miss and slams it home halfway through the fourth quarter.
Kai Jones brings the BOOM again 💥@spurs 93@hornets 90
under 5 minutes to go in the fourth on ESPNU! #NBASummer pic.twitter.com/onHVNHmC7J
— NBA (@NBA) August 12, 2021
Stay tuned to Lonzo Wire for more summer league highlights and news.
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How are the Longhorns doing in the NBA summer league?
With the Las Vegas Summer League heating up, there are four Texas Longhorns rookies spread across the league.
Former Texas star Kai Jones, who was taken by the Charlotte Hornets with No. 19 pick, has to take advantage of this opportunity to get his feet wet at the professional level. After being selected just outside the lottery, he is practically guaranteed a spot on the Hornets NBA roster, unless something unforeseen goes horrendously wrong.
Jones is the only player in a situation like his, as the other three Longhorns are truly battling for a spot in the NBA, especially undrafted Matt Coleman, who is playing on the Sacramento Kings summer league team. Coleman is simply competing for a spot in in general, whether it be a G League contract or an NBA deal.
Former Longhorn Greg Brown III was the No. 43 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft and has a lot to prove in the summer league with the Portland Trailblazers, as they’re making moves as of right now to be a contender, so every remaining roster spot must be able to provide something.
Perhaps the most successful of the four thus far is big man Jericho Sims, who was already signed to a multiyear two-way contract with the New York Knicks after being taken with No. 58 overall pick. He shined in his first game, scoring 12 points on 6-for-6 shooting and grabbing 8 rebounds.
Let’s break down how each of the four did in their second game in the Las Vegas Summer League.
The Hornets trade up to No. 19 with the Knicks to draft the Texas big man.
The Charlotte Hornets are having themselves a busy draft night.
Following trading for Mason Plumlee and No. 37 before the NBA draft and selecting James Bouknight with the No. 11 pick, the Hornets jumped back into the first round for a big man.
Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Hornets traded a future first-round pick to the New York Knicks for the No. 19 pick, where Charlotte selected Kai Jones out of Texas.
Kai Jones is 6-foot-11 with tremendous mobility and athleticism for a big. Though Jones is still somewhat raw and growing as a player, he checks off a lot of boxes. Jones pairs his ability to defend multiple positions with his rebounding and rim-running strengths.
The Hornets have traded up to select Kai Jones with the No. 19 overall pick pic.twitter.com/XgJRFaBwLM
— Lonzo Wire (@LonzoWire) July 30, 2021
With the acquisition of Mason Plumlee, Jones has time to come off the bench, take his licks, and learn. If Jones can continue to grow as an offensive talent and keep improving as a floor spacer, he can become an absolute steal at No. 19 for the Hornets and the center of the future.
Stay tuned to Lonzo Wire to see who the Hornets select with their three second-round picks.
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Texas’ Kai Jones is taken off of the board in the first round!
The dreams for a young man out of The Bahamas just came true. Former Texas forward Kai Jones was taken with the 19th pick in the 2021 NBA draft, who the Charlotte Hornets acquired from the New York Knicks for a future first-round pick.
The sophomore had a breakout season that saw his numbers take a tremendous leap in every major statistical category. Jones averaged almost 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block per game. His shooting percentages also increased going from 50% in 2019 to 58% from the field in 2020, and his three point percentage rose from 29% to 38%. Jones came off the bench most of his career, but after Shaka Smart gave Greg Brown III as many chances as possible, Jones earned a starting role. Jones has a great upside, as he only started playing basketball four years ago.
His improved shooting along with his fantastic athleticism is very much valued in the NBA, as even if he does not start right away, which he likely won’t due to still being very raw, he will be able to come off the bench provide a rim running big that can space the floor.
Jones very much needs to get stronger and fill out his lanky frame, as he only weighed in at 218-pounds. He showed flashes of being able to guard around the perimeter, especially in the three matchups against Oklahoma State where he was tasked with guarding number one overall pick Cade Cunningham.
The former Longhorn has also shown the ability to make plays off the dribble, which is a great sign as he can maybe transform into a point-forward, but he does need work on his decision making as sometimes he would try to do too much with the ball and turn it over. Jones averaged 1.4 turnovers a game, but again he is newer to basketball, and utilized correctly will allow him to flourish.
Jones running the floor with LaMelo Ball is a dream for the Hornets. He can help in spacing the floor, and he will have two guards in UConn’s James Bouknight and Ball that will feed him and give him opportunities to score. The Hornets are a team that has depth at the forward position, so Jones will have time to develop.
This is a great fit for him.
Who owns the most real estate on Davion Mitchell Island? Who is buying stock in Sharife Cooper?
Everyone loves Cade Cunningham. It’s not a hot take for an analyst to say that Cunningham is their favorite player in the class. That’s not particularly interesting to read, either.
But what is fascinating, however, is when an analyst deviates from the norm and ranks someone significantly higher than where the prospect falls in other rankings. What does that tell us about their individual scouting process and what they value? Further, what does that tell us about the potential draftee?
Some folks call it “buying stock” in a player. Others, like ESPN’s Zach Lowe or The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, call it owning real estate on a player’s island. I like to refer to it as a “draft crush” when I wind up higher than consensus in my evaluation of a player.
My process is ridiculously tedious but the results can be fairly useful. I’ve tracked the evolution of more than sixty unique mock drafts, big boards and draft models from trusted analysts and popular accounts on Twitter.
Each placement is assigned a value based on Kevin Pelton’s draft pick trade value chart. I do this because, as Pelton notes, the difference in relative value between the No. 5 overall pick and the No. 7 overall is much more stark than, say, that of the No. 45 pick and the No. 47 pick.
After composing an aggregate score based on each ranking, I can see where each analyst strays from the pack.
I’ll leave the conclusions drawn from these results up to the reader. But if nothing else, this can eventually be used as a bragging point if one writer was higher than consensus on a draftee who eventually ends up outperforming his draft position.
Bleacher Report’s final NBA mock draft of the year.
On July 29, the lives of 60 basketball players from across the world will change forever.
The 2021 NBA draft will begin on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN. The Texas Longhorns have four prospects that are hopeful to hear their name called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
The draft process has gone differently for each of Texas’ draft prospects, as Kai Jones has consistently been viewed as a lottery pick, whereas Greg Brown III has seen his stock fall.
On the other hand, Jericho Sims likely had the best pre-draft process of any player in the class. He was once viewed as a player who should head back to Austin, but his performance at the combine and workouts has caused him to skyrocket up draft boards. Matt Coleman III has also garnered interest from teams for a potential summer league roster spot.
Bleacher Report released their final mock draft of the year, and it has three of the four Texas prospects being selected. Let’s see where the experts think the trio of Longhorns will land.
Wasn’t it just the 2020 NBA draft? How is the 2021 NBA draft already here? Crazy, maybe, but the league is about to have a ton of new faces.
Wasn’t it just the 2020 NBA draft? How is the 2021 NBA draft already here? Crazy, maybe, but the league is about to have a ton of new faces.
The names that you’re most likely to hear at the top are Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green and Evan Mobley. But the draft will start heating up once guys like Jalen Suggs, Scottie Barnes and Jonathan Kuminga start to find their new homes.
This draft will also be unique in that there will be fewer players in attendance than usual. According to one prospect who recently spoke to For The Win, due to COVID-19 restrictions, those not invited to the green room are not allowed to come to the stage and shake the hand of the commissioner as they have been in years past.
Regardless of who is actually in the building, however, it is certain to be an exciting and life-changing night for the next generation of NBA talent.
Based on conversations I’ve had with scouts around the league, and from reports and tea leaves left in other mock drafts from trusted draftniks, below is how I project the events will unfold at Barclays Center and on ESPN and ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET on July 29.
Texas big man Kai Jones revealed he talked with Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers at the NBA draft combine.
With the NBA draft approaching, the sports world will soon know who the Los Angeles Lakers will draft.
The Lakers have the No. 22 pick in this year’s draft, barring any trades that would see the pick traded or moves to acquire more selections.
Some of Los Angeles’ biggest needs for next season are a ball-handling, off-the-bounce guard, more shooters, a 3-and-D wing and a center for depth.
During the NBA draft combine in June, the Lakers interviewed prospects that would check those boxes, including Corey Kispert and Trey Murphy III.
The Lakers also interviewed Texas center Kai Jones, according to Jones himself during a session with NBA media, via Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group:
Kai Jones tells NBA media that he had an interview with Rob Pelinka at the Combine, then it was followed up with a visit to the Lakers practice facility. He's a Klutch client who has been training in the SoCal area.
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) July 23, 2021
Jones is regarded as a first-round pick, and his name has floated around as a potential lottery selection.
The 6-foot-11 big man played two seasons at Texas. As a sophomore, Jones averaged 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 22.8 minutes per game, usually coming off the bench. He made 58% of his shots on 5.5 attempts, including 38.2% from deep on 1.3 attempts.
Jones is an intriguing prospect because of his alluring upside. If a team can unlock Jones’ elite athleticism and floor-spacing flashes, he could become an electrifying center in the league.
The NBA draft will occur on July 29.
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