What: Charlotte Hornets vs Orlando Magic<\/p>\n
When: 7:30pm Eastern<\/p>\n
Where: Cox Pavilion; Las Vegas, NV<\/p>\n
How to watch: Prime Video<\/p>\n
It\u2019s Charlotte Hornets basketball on your TV screens. The first of (at least) five summer league games start tonight. It doesn\u2019t quite have the juice of past summers given that the Hornets don\u2019t have any shiny new high lottery picks to debut, but we\u2019ll enjoy it all the same. <\/p>\n
Tonight\u2019s opponent is the Magic, who have a couple of interesting players on their roster. Last year\u2019s draft picks Jase Richardson and Noah Penda will play, as will former five star recruit and first round pick TyTy Washington. But perhaps the most interesting player to me is Cam Reddish, who has thus far flopped in the NBA but is trying to make a comeback after splitting last season between Lithuania and the G League. <\/p>\n
As for the Hornets, their projected starting lineup is an intriguing mix of recent draft picks. I\u2019d expect the lineup to be Ryan Kalkbrenner, Tidjane Salaun, Liam McNeeley, Sion James, and Christian Anderson. Maybe Hannes Steinbach takes one of the starting spots, but I don\u2019t know whose. Here\u2019s what I\u2019ll be watching for:<\/p>\n
Can Tidjane Salaun play himself out of summer league? You don\u2019t typically see third year players in the summer league, so it\u2019d be reassuring to see Salaun show that he doesn\u2019t need to be there for long. Based on pictures on social media, he\u2019s clearly been going hard in the gym to make himself as physically imposing as possible. I\u2019ll be watching to see if he\u2019s able to utilize that strength and play with the composure that\u2019ll be required of him to be a contributor next season. <\/p>\n
I want to see Ryan Kalkbrenner shoot a couple of threes. He showed at Creighton that he\u2019s got some touch on his jumper, but he didn\u2019t bring it to the NBA. I\u2019d like to see him let some fly in the summer league. <\/p>\n
Liam McNeeley was a superstar in the one full game he played in the summer league last season, but there was no room for him in the regular rotation in the regular season. I want more big performances to remind us that the Hornets have wing depth on their roster already. <\/p>\n
Christian Anderson is going to get to run the show and will get his first opportunity to show that he\u2019s able to overcome his small stature<\/p>\n
I\u2019m curious to see how Hannes Steinbach\u2019s game translates. The talk has been that he\u2019s a better passer than he got to show at Washington. I want to see what that looks like. <\/p>\n
I always love the summer league. It\u2019s one of my favorite times on the basketball calendar. As the World Cup starts to wind down, what better way to pick up the sports action than with the NBA Summer League? <\/p>\n
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