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The Charlotte Hornets franchise isn't in the best of spots from a PR perspective at the moment, but their on-court product should benefit from the decisions they have made over the past month or so. Drafting Brandon Miller with the second overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft should give LaMelo Ball a talented running mate for years to come, a player whose shooting makes him such a sublime fit alongside one of the most talented playmakers in the league.
Nevertheless, beyond Miller, the development of the other Hornets youngsters will be crucial in determining just how far the team goes this coming season. And there may not be a better way to gauge the development of prospects than watching how they perform during the 2023 NBA Summer League, a time for players to prove that they are either worthy of more minutes on the main roster, or worthy of even cracking it in the first place.
With the Hornets' 2023 NBA Summer League run beginning on July 3 in the California Classic, fans won't need to wait too long to see some of their beloved youngsters in actions. But which players should they pay the most attention towards?
Here are five must-watch Hornets prospects who will be suiting up for the team in either the Sacramento or Vegas iterations of Summer League (or perhaps both).
Brandon Miller
Brandon Miller, unlike Victor Wembanyama, will be on the court for when the Hornets take part in the California Classic, making the very first game of the 2023 NBA Summer League must-watch for every fan of the purple and teal franchise. Hornets fans weren't too happy when Adam Silver announced Miller's selection on draft night, but the 20-year old forward should be relishing the opportunity to prove that the team's decision to pick him over Scoot Henderson was the best choice they could have made.
Miller's potential as one of the best shot-creating wings in the NBA is what made him such a tantalizing prospect in the first place. Thus, his output from the perimeter will be of great interest to Hornets fans who are watching his development like a hawk.
But Brandon Miller's ability to get to the rim and finish once there will be crucial in determining just how high his ceiling is as a potential star in the NBA. There's no questioning Miller's shooting touch, but he didn't exactly wow scouts with an ability to finish ferociously at the rim during his stint at Alabama. In fact, he rated subpar when it comes to finishing at the rim during college, so it may not be too much of a stretch to think that he may struggle as well against tougher opposition.
Nevertheless, Miller's Summer League performance will go a long way towards convincing Hornets fans that passing up on Scoot Henderson was worth it.
James Bouknight
To say that James Bouknight has had a tumultuous past few years would be an understatement. Not only did Bouknight have to deal with some off-court troubles (which seems to be par for the course for Hornets players), he simply hasn't been able to carry over the scoring ability he displayed in his two college seasons into the NBA. For starters, he has struggled with efficiency, tallying a 46.1 career true shooting percentage that, as horrible as that is, masks his even-worse field-goal percentage (relative to league average).
Bouknight, however, is only 22 years old, and the Hornets evidently have not given up on him yet. But if he continues to struggle against the less-than-stellar opposition in the Summer League, the Hornets may have to think about whether using a roster spot on him is the best course of action, especially when a very similar player may be up to take his spot.
Nick Smith Jr.
Nick Smith Jr.'s skillset makes him a very similar player to James Bouknight. Both are 6'5, score-first guards with wiry frames who have struggled with efficiency. Smith's statistical profile, in fact, is more worrying than Bouknight's; Smith struggled with efficiency in college more than Bouknight ever did.
But Smith is certainly a deadlier shooter from deep than Bouknight, shooting 39.7 percent from deep in his lone year at Arkansas (Bouknight shot 32 percent from three in college, and 31.6 percent in two seasons with the Hornets). Thus, if there was a player the Hornets may much rather keep, it's Smith, given how much better his fit alongside LaMelo Ball may be than Bouknight's.
If the 27th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft manages to outplay James Bouknight in the Summer League, it might be curtains for the 22-year old's tenure in Charlotte.
Amari Bailey
Amari Bailey was a highly-regarded recruit coming out of high school, but he did not have the best of seasons with the UCLA Bruins, causing him to fall down draft boards. But Bailey's talent is apparent. Despite standing at 6'3, Bailey can finish at the rim with ease, while his playmaking chops, as rough on the edges as he may be sometimes, is improving.
It'll be interesting to watch whether Bailey continues to develop a better balance between scoring and dishing the rock. Doing so will bode well for his long-term future with the Hornets, even as a backup to franchise star LaMelo Ball.
James Nnaji
James Nnaji may not play too many minutes for the Hornets in his rookie year, as Mark Williams, Nick Richards, and even Kai Jones will be ahead of him in the depth chart. Thus, watching him in action in, perhaps, one of the rare times he suits up for the Hornets makes him a must-see prospect in the 2023 NBA Summer League.
Nnaji should impress fans with his lob-finishing and rim protection. And who knows? Perhaps his stint with the veteran FC Barcelona Bàsquet prepares him for the NBA to a much better degree than people expect.
