NBA Summer League is officially in the books and now begins the doldrums of the offseason. While there are still some major NBA dominoes yet to fall, the time period between now and the start of the 2023-24 season is usually a dry period in terms of roster movement. That said, some teams are still looking to fill out the end of their roster and with most of the meaningful free agents already signed, they may turn to their Summer League roster for help. For the Charlotte Hornets, they should look to their summer league roster and Nathan Mensah when it comes to finalizing their roster for the 2023-24 season.

The Hornets are in an interesting situation as the new season approaches. Looking over their roster, although they may have a franchise talent in LaMelo Ball, there isn't much else that would justify optimism in terms of the Hornets taking another step forward this next season. In all likelihood, they're going to be a team on the borderline of making the play-in and being a lottery team.

As it stands, the Hornets have 14 players under contract and three two-way spots filled. That potentially leaves them with one open roster spot. They also have the PJ Washington situation to deal with and he'd likely occupy the final 15th roster spot.

Summer League standout Nathan Mensah

So in reality, it's possible that the Hornets will not have any open roster spots once training camp gets underway in October. But in any case, a good training camp battle never hurt anyone. The Hornets should absolutely consider bringing NBA Summer League standout Nathan Mensah to camp.

Mensah was a standout at San Diego State on their run to the NCAA championship game this past season. He was a five-year college player, opting to use his extra COVID year of eligibility, and he is physically ready for the NBA. He was the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year his final season at SDSU and that defensive ability was on display at NBA Summer League. He has a long wingspan and is a very good rebounder as well.

Over the course of the Hornets summer league, Mensah averaged 8.0 points per game, 4.3 rebounds and close to one blocked shot. He shot 64.7 percent from the field. The numbers may not jump off the stat sheet, but there is a defensive presence there. He's active and mobile and he can finish around the basket efficiently and consistently.

The Hornets have a couple of young big men on the roster already in Mark Williams, Kai Jones and JT Thor. Regardless of whether or not Mensah is brought to camp and ends up making the final roster, he won't see much playing time. That's okay though, it's all about the future and development.

The Hornets have two players in Thor and Kobi Simmons who have non-guaranteed contracts for this upcoming season. Bring Nathan Mensah to training camp and let him battle it out in preseason against both of them for the right to make the final 15-man roster. Maybe he ends up outplaying one of the three two-way guys and they can end up giving the final two-way contract to Mensah. There are avenues in which the Hornets can keep Mensah around. If those don't come to fruition, at least bring him to camp on an Exhibit 10 deal and have him play for the Greensboro Swarm, their G League affiliate, so they can monitor his development and keep him under their eye in case a roster spot becomes available. Defensive talent like that doesn't grow on trees.